The War
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- On the fourth anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, President Bush on Monday appealed to the nation for patience and to the Congress for passage of a war-funding bill that would let him wage war without restrictions.
"At this point in the war, our most important mission is helping the Iraqis secure their capital," Bush said, referring to the escalation in troop strength he ordered that is just getting under way.
The chief executive said he spoke Wednesday morning with Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. military official in Iraq. Bush said the two men told him "the Baghdad security plan is still in its early stages and success will take months, not days or weeks."
Bush said observers "are seeing some hopeful signs" already. He cited the movement of Iraqi army brigades to the capital and the discovery of caches of weapons -- though none of the weapons of mass destruction that provided the original justification for the invasion.
But, Bush reiterated, "I want to stress that this operation is still in the early stages, still in the beginning stages. ... There will be good days and there will be bad days ahead as the security plan unfolds." (Posted 12:11 p.m.)
