Bush to Say Iraq War Worth `High Cost in Lives and Treasure'
By Nicholas Johnston and Hans Nichols
March 19 (Bloomberg) -- President George W. Bush will argue today the Iraq War has been worth the ``high cost in lives and treasure'' because recent successes there are paving the way for a broader victory against terrorists.
In a speech marking the fifth anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion, scheduled for delivery this morning at the Pentagon, the president will say American forces are prevailing in Iraq because of his decision to send more troops to the country. That effort must be sustained, he says.
``The successes we are seeing in Iraq are undeniable, yet some in Washington still call for retreat,'' Bush will say, according to excerpts of the speech released by the White House. ``War critics can no longer credibly argue that we are losing.''
Bush is making a case for continued U.S. involvement in Iraq to what polls show is a skeptical public. He also is confronting repeated attempts, so far unsuccessful, by Democrats in Congress to set a deadline for U.S. withdrawal.
``The military has done its job,'' Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid yesterday. ``It is time for this administration and Iraq's political leaders to do theirs.''
The two contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination, Senators Hillary Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois both have promised to begin withdrawing U.S. troops if elected.
``The fact is, there is no military solution to Iraq's civil war,'' Clinton said yesterday in Philadelphia.
The U.S. has about 158,000 military personnel in Iraq after Bush boosted the number troops last year.
`Faltering' Before Surge
In the speech excerpts, Bush says that before the extra troop deployments, the mission in Iraq was ``faltering'' as terrorists and insurgents destabilized the country.
``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,'' Bush will say. ``The challenge in the period ahead is to consolidate the gains we have made and seal the extremists' defeat.''
Because of the surge, ``we are witnessing the first large- scale Arab uprising against Osama bin Laden, his grim ideology, and his terror network,'' Bush says. ``The significance of this development cannot be overstated.''
Bush criticizes congressional Democrats, who have attacked the money being spent on the war and derided what he called ``exaggerated estimates'' of its cost.
War Costs
Congress has already appropriated more than $400 billion for military operations in Iraq. Nobel economics laureate Joseph Stiglitz told Congress's Joint Economic Committee last month that the war may end up costing the U.S. more than $3 trillion once all bills associated with the conflict come due.
In addition, at least 3,988 U.S. personnel have died in Iraq and 29,395 more have been wounded, according to Department of Defense figures.
``No one would argue that this war has not come at a high cost in lives and treasure,'' Bush says, ``but those costs are necessary when we consider the cost of a strategic victory for our enemies in Iraq.''
Withdrawing too soon would lead to violence spreading beyond Iraq.
``Out of such chaos in Iraq, the terrorist movement could emerge emboldened,'' Bush says. ``A free Iraq will fight terrorists rather than harbor them.''
Withdrawals
The U.S. is in the process of pulling five of 20 combat brigades out of Iraq, totaling about 20,000 soldiers. General David Petraeus has said he wants to take time to assess security after that series of withdrawals ends in mid-July. Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker are scheduled to deliver a progress report on Iraq to Congress next month.
Vice President Dick Cheney spent two days in Iraq this week, rallying troops and vowing that the U.S. will stay committed to its mission to end the conflict in the country. ``Tyranny in Iraq was worth defeating,'' Cheney said yesterday. ``Democracy in Iraq is worth defending.''
At a military briefing Monday, officials presented statistics showing a decline in violence in Iraq. Weekly attacks in the country have dropped from a peak of 1,550 in July 2007 to about 450 in mid-March of this year. Car bombs and suicide attacks, about 130 a month in March 2007, were down to about 45 in February.
To contact the reporter on this story: Nicholas Johnston in Washington at njohnston3@bloomberg.net; Hans Nichols in Washington at Hnichols2@bloomberg.net;
Last Updated: March 19, 2008 06:12 EDT
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