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Bush Says Iraq War Was Worth It
By TERENCE HUNT
AP White House Correspondent
18/03/08 -- -WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush says he has no
doubts about launching the unpopular war in Iraq despite the
``high cost in lives and treasure,'' arguing that retreat now
would embolden Iran and provide al-Qaida with money for weapons
of mass destruction to attack the United States.
Bush is to mark the fifth anniveresary of the U.S.-led invasion
of Iraq on Wednesday with a speech at the Pentagon. Excerpts of
his address were released Tuesday night by the White House.
At least 3,990 members of the U.S. military have died since the
beginning of the war in 2003. It has cost taxpayers about $500
billion and estimates of the final tab run far higher. Nobel
Prize-winning economist Joseph E. Stiglizt and Harvard
University public finance expert Linda Bilmes have estimated the
eventual cost at $3 trillion when all the expenses, including
long-term care for veterans, are calculated.
Democrats offered a different view from Bush's.
``On this grim milestone, it is worth remembering how we got
into this situation, and thinking about how best we can get
out,'' said Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich. ``The tasks that remain
in Iraq - to bring an end to sectarian conflict, to devise a way
to share political power, and to create a functioning government
that is capable of providing for the needs of the Iraqi people
are tasks that only the Iraqis can complete.''
In his remarks, Bush repeated his oft-stated determination to
prosecute the war into the unforeseen future.
``The successes we are seeing in Iraq are undeniable, yet some
in Washington still call for retreat,'' the president said.
``War critics can no longer credibly argue that we are losing in
Iraq, so now they argue the war costs too much. In recent
months, we have heard exaggerated estimates of the costs of this
war.
``No one would argue that this war has not come at a high cost
in lives and treasure, but those costs are necessary when we
consider the cost of a strategic victory for our enemies in
Iraq,'' Bush said.
Bush has successfully defied efforts by the Democratic-led
Congress to force troop withdrawals or set deadlines for
pullouts. It is widely believed he will endorse a recommendation
from Gen. David Petreaus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, for no
additional troop reductions, beyond those already planned, until
at least September.
The U.S. now has about 158,000 troops in Iraq. That number is
expected to drop to 140,000 by summer in drawdowns meant to
erase all but about 8,000 troops from last year's buildup.
``If we were to allow our enemies to prevail in Iraq, the
violence that is now declining would accelerate and Iraq could
descend into chaos,'' Bush said. ``Al-Qaida would regain its
lost sanctuaries and establish new ones fomenting violence and
terror that could spread beyond Iraq's borders, with serious
consequences to the world economy.
``Out of such chaos in Iraq, the terrorist movement could emerge
emboldened with new recruits ... new resources ... and an even
greater determination to dominate the region and harm America,''
Bush said in his remarks. ``An emboldened al-Qaida with access
to Iraq's oil resources could pursue its ambitions to acquire
weapons of mass destruction to attack America and other free
nations. Iran could be emboldened as well with a renewed
determination to develop nuclear weapons and impose its brand of
hegemony across the broader Middle East. And our enemies would
see an American failure in Iraq as evidence of weakness and lack
of resolve.''
Looking back, Bush said, ``Five years into this battle, there is
an understandable debate over whether the war was worth fighting
... whether the fight is worth winning ... and whether we can
win it. The answers are clear to me: Removing Saddam Hussein
from power was the right decision and this is a fight America
can and must win.''
Bush said the past five years have brought ``moments of triumph
and moments of tragedy,'' from free elections in Iraq to acts of
brutality and violence.
``The terrorists who murder the innocent in the streets of
Baghdad want to murder the innocent in the streets of American
cities. Defeating this enemy in Iraq will make it less likely we
will face this enemy here at home,'' Bush said.
Bush said anew that the war was faltering a little more than a
year ago, prompting him in January 2007 to order a big troop
buildup known as the ``surge.''
``The surge has done more than turn the situation in Iraq
around; it has opened the door to a major strategic victory in
the broader war on terror,'' he said.
``In Iraq, we are witnessing the first large-scale Arab uprising
against Osama bin Laden, his grim ideology, and his terror
network. And the significance of this development cannot be
overstated ,'' the president said.
``The challenge in the period ahead is to consolidate the gains
we have made and seal the extremists' defeat. We have learned
through hard experience what happens when we pull our forces
back too fast - the terrorists and extremists step in ... fill
the vacuum, establish safe havens and use them to spread chaos
and carnage.''
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