Bush, Kerry, spar over 'mission accomplished' in Iraq

CRAWFORD, Texas, Sept 26 (AFP) - President George W. Bush and Democratic White House hopeful John Kerry sparred Sunday over the US leader's triumphant May 1, 2003 announcement that major combat was over in Iraq.
In what may be a preview of their upcoming first debate, Bush said he would "absolutely" do it all again: landing in a jet on a home-bound aircraft carrier and giving his announcement under a banner proclaiming "Mission Accomplished."
"I flew out there, and said, 'Thanks. Thanks on behalf of a grateful nation.' You bet I'd do it again," Bush told Fox News Channel's "The O'Reilly Factor" program in an interview, excerpts of which were released Sunday.
"I'm saying to the troops, on this carrier and elsewhere, thanks for serving America. Absolutely. And by the way, those sailors and airmen, loved seeing the commander in chief," Bush said.
"It's unbelievable that George Bush said he would do it all over again," Kerry, who has sharpened his attacks on Bush's handling of the situation in Iraq, countered at a campaign stop in the battleground state of Wisconsin.
"I'll never be a president who just says 'mission accomplished.' I will get (the) mission accomplished," said Kerry. "The president continues to live in a fantasy world of spin."
Most of the more than 1,000 US soldiers who have died in Iraq did so since Bush's May 2003 announcement, which opposition Democrats have painted as a premature declaration of victory.
"The president owes the American people the truth, and he owes the troops the truth," said the senator from Massachusetts, who hopes to unseat Bush in the November 2 elections.
Bush did not actually say "mission accomplished" in his speech, but after initial denials, the White House eventually acknowledged that it had designed the "mission accomplished" sign that served as a backdrop for Bush's address.
Bush had triumphantly proclaimed the war in Iraq "one victory" in the global war on terrorism, which he launched after the September 11, 2001 attacks, while warning that "difficult work" lay ahead in Iraq.