From CBC: "Iraq war worth the cost: Bush"Well of course he thinks so. He hasn't borne any of the cost.
He's become much more powerful and his friends have become much more wealthy.
They have killed more than a million people.
They have destroyed the lives of many millions of others.
They have looted two countries in the process.
And they still have the nerve to say things like this:
U.S. President George W. Bush will mark the fifth anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq by praising the "undeniable successes" of the surge in troops while justifying the "high cost in lives and treasure" lost in the war.
"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 in a speech to be delivered Wednesday morning from the Pentagon.
While crediting the increase last year of 30,000 troops for making progress in the region, he will warn that pulling troops would only provide setbacks.
"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," Bush will say, according to excerpts of his speech released by the White House.
Bush has repeatedly vetoed efforts by the Democratic-led Congress to force troop withdrawals or set deadlines for pullouts.
"The successes we are seeing in Iraq are undeniable, yet some in Washington still call for retreat," the president will say.
The White House has claimed that violence has dropped in Iraq since the surge. But Washington has been frustrated by what it views as the lack of political progress being made. In an interview this month with the Washington Post, Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, said Iraqi leaders have failed to take advantage of the reduction in violence to make sufficient political progress.
As well, some observers say violence may be increasing again.
Cost of war exaggerated, Bush says
The war has claimed the lives of nearly 4,000 U.S. troops and cost U.S. taxpayers about $500 billion. But two respected economists recently pegged the eventual cost at $3 trillion.
Bush rejects the predictions, adding that the costs have been worth it.
"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," he will say.
"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 will say.
Bush will also rebuff those who predicted Iraq would become a focal point where al-Qaeda would rally Arabs to drive America out.
"Instead, Iraq has become the place where Arabs joined with Americans to drive al-Qaeda out. In Iraq, we are witnessing the first large-scale Arab uprising against Osama bin Laden."
Larger-scale demonstrations are planned for Wednesday to mark the anniversary. Thousands of anti-war protesters are expected to converge on the U.S. capital.