US President George W Bush said today he had no regrets about the invasion of Iraq despite the "high cost in lives and treasure" and declared that the United States was on track for a major victory there.
Marking the fifth anniversary of the US-led invasion with a touch of the swagger he showed early in the war, Mr Bush said in a speech at the Pentagon: "The successes we are seeing in Iraq are undeniable."
With less than 11 months left in office and his approval ratings near the lows of his presidency, Mr Bush is trying to shore up support for the Iraq campaign, which has damaged US credibility abroad and is sure to define his legacy.
But he faced the challenge of winning the attention of Americans more preoccupied with mounting economic troubles and increasingly focused on the race to pick his successor in the November election.
George Bush
Mr Bush's Democratic critics used the anniversary as a chance to reassert accusations that Mr Bush launched the invasion based on faulty intelligence, mismanaged the war and failed to put together an exit strategy.
"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," Mr Bush said.
"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," he said.
Appealing to war-weary Americans for patience, Mr Bush touted the security gains from a troop buildup or "surge" that he ordered early last year. He said retreat now would embolden al-Qaeda and Iran.
"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," Mr Bush said, referring to increased cooperation of Iraqi Sunnis in fighting al-Qaeda.
Such an assertion could come back to haunt Mr Bush if the situation deteriorates. War critics have roundly mocked Mr Bush for his premature declaration in May 2003 that "major combat operations" in Iraq were over as he stood on the USS Abraham Lincoln under a banner reading "Mission Accomplished."
Possibly mindful of that, Mr Bush said: "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."
The war has cost the United States $500 billion. Tens of thousands of Iraqis have been killed and millions displaced. Nearly 4,000 US soldiers have been killed, as well as 175 British troops and 134 from other countries.
A Washington Post-ABC News poll showed nearly two-thirds of Americans believe the war was not worth waging.
Told about the poll in an interview on ABC's Good Morning Americatelevision show, vice president Dick Cheney, in Oman after a visit to Iraq, said dismissively: "So?"
Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said: "The cost to our national security has been immense - our military is stretched thin and our reputation in the world is damaged."
Scattered anti-war protests were staged in US cities. In Washington, 32 people were arrested for blocking entry to the Internal Revenue Service and a few dozen noisy demonstrators shouted antiwar slogans outside the White House gates.