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Bush marks 6 months since Saddam's fallSuicide car bombing in Baghdad kills eight
PORTSMOUTH, New Hampshire (CNN) -- President Bush on Thursday marked six months since the collapse of Saddam Hussein's government by defending the U.S.-led invasion that toppled the Iraqi leader. "There's only one decent and humane reaction to the fall of Saddam Hussein: Good riddance," Bush said in a speech to New Hampshire National Guard troops and reservists. Baghdad fell to U.S. troops on April 9 and Bush declared an end to major combat in Iraq on May 1. U.S. Marines and Iraqis pulled down a statue of Saddam on April 9. "I acted because I was not about the leave the security of the American people in the hands of a madman," Bush said. "I was not about to stand by and wait and trust in the sanity and restraint of Saddam Hussein, so our coalition acted in one of the swiftest and most humane military campaigns in history -- and six months ago today, the statue of the dictator was pulled down." But the ongoing turmoil in the country was underscored Thursday by: • The deaths of two U.S. soldiers in an ambush in Baghdad, along with the death of a U.S. soldier in a grenade attack north of the capital (Full story); • The shooting death of a Spanish diplomat in Baghdad (Full story); and • A suicide bombing that killed eight Iraqi police officers at a police station in a largely Shiite neighborhood in Baghdad. (Full story) The continuing attacks on U.S. troops, congressional alarm over the administration's $87 billion price tag for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the failure of U.S. search teams to find the stockpiles of banned weapons the Bush administration accused Iraq of harboring have brought criticism that in turn has prompted the White House to launch a new effort to build support for the Iraq war. In an apparent jab at his critics, Bush said he would not pass his problems on "to other presidents and other generations." "The challenges we face today cannot be met with timid actions or bitter words," he said. "Our challenges will be overcome with optimism and resolve and confidence in the ideals of America." Bush spoke at Pease Air National Guard Base in Portsmouth and met with relatives of New Hampshire National Guard troops deployed overseas. "Your lives can be changed in a moment with the sudden call to duty," he said. "I want to thank you for your willingness to heed that important call." In Iraq, U.S. civilian administrator L. Paul Bremer recalled April 9, when Marines and Iraqis pulled down a statue of Saddam Hussein in Baghdad. He spoke to reporters at Baghdad's Firdos Square, where the statue once stood, and was accompanied by Iyad Allawi, president of the Iraqi Governing Council. "You know, like millions of other people around the world, I watched Saddam's statue being pulled down here six months ago today. Of course, I did little realize that I'd be here six months later with the president of the Governing Council. But it was a very exciting moment for lovers of freedom the world over." Though Bush administration officials say U.S. inspectors have found evidence that Iraq tried to hide equipment to produce banned weapons in the future, none have been found in Iraq since Saddam's ouster. Saddam himself remains at large, while more than 180 U.S. troops have died in ambushes and accidents in Iraq since Bush declared an end to "major combat" there May 1. There is no reliable source for Iraqi civilian or combatant casualty figures, either during the period of major combat or after May 1. The Associated Press reported an estimated 3,240 civilian Iraqi deaths between March 20 and April 20, but the AP said that the figure was based on records of only half of Iraq's hospitals and the actual number was thought to be significantly higher. CNN Senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre contributed to this report. Copyright 2003 CNN. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.
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