Iraq War Began Six Years Ago Today

~

It was on this day six years ago that President George W. Bush announced the United States was at war with Iraq.

The President spoke for four minutes in a nationally broadcast address telling the world the effort was underway to, quote, "disarm Iraq, to free its people and to defend the world from grave danger." He told the men and women in the U.S. armed forces "the peace of a troubled world and the hopes of an oppressed people now depend on you."

In his address Bush said no outcome but victory would be accepted.

The war that most Americans thought would be over within months has now cost the lives of more than 42-hundred U.S. troops and more than 600-billion dollars in treasure.

President Obama says he'll keep at least 50-thousand troops in Iraq beyond 2010.

More than 130-thousand American men and women are there today.

~