Bush, Candidates Weigh in on Iraq War

By Anastacia Mott Austin

On the five-year anniversary of the Iraq war, President Bush defended his decision to send the United States into Iraq, and said he’d do the same thing today if he had it to do all over again.

"The decision to remove Saddam Hussein was the right decision early in my presidency," said Bush. "It is the right decision at this point in my presidency and it will forever be the right decision."

As he spoke this week in Washington, crowds of protestors gathered nearby, as well as in countless other cities to demonstrate against the war.

The decision to invade Iraq was carried out on March 19th, 2003. The stated goal at the time was to remove Saddam Hussein from power and bring him to justice. Claims of Hussein’s cache of WMDs, or weapons of mass destruction, were never substantiated, though the former dictator was put to death after a Baghdad trial in which he was convicted of the mass murder of 180 Shiite men and boys in the 1980s.

Added Bush, "Five years into this battle, there's 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."

Good thing for Bush he’s so sure, because scores of others are not, including the Democratic candidates who hope to replace him come January of next year.

"Even under the best-case scenario, this war will cost American taxpayers well over a trillion dollars," said Barack Obama to reporters. "And where are we for all this sacrifice? We are less able to shape events abroad."

Added Obama in a speech given in North Carolina, "This war has now lasted longer than World War I, World War II or the Civil War. Nearly 4,000 Americans have given their lives. Thousands more have been wounded."

Hillary Clinton agreed, saying "We cannot win their civil war. There is no military solution."

"The Iraqis have not done what they had to do to secure their own future," said Clinton to the press. "And I have said I don't believe our men and women should stay there to fight their civil war."

Both Democratic candidates have offered the public promises to begin removing American troops from Iraq almost immediately, should they win the election.

In contrast to their sentiments, John McCain said he felt that the invasion of Iraq had been a successful and necessary measure.

"America and our allies stand on the precipice of winning a major victory against radical Islamic extremism," said McCain. "Important political gains have also been made, but far more must be done in coming months to cement the gains made in huge cost in American blood and treasure."

Since the invasion of Iraq began, more than 4,000 Americans have lost their lives, and as many as 80,000 Iraqi civilians have died. Currently 158,000 U.S. military troops are still stationed in Iraq, in the second-longest war in American history after Vietnam.