At the Pentagon, President Bush dismissed criticism of the war, saying US occupation has brought “undeniable” success in Iraq.

President Bush: “There is 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: removing Saddam Hussein from power was the right decision, and this is a fight America can and must win.”

Bush’s approval rating is at 31 percent, a forty-point drop since the eve of the Iraq invasion. In Iraq, Baghdad resident Abu Abdullah dismissed Bush’s self-praise.

Abu Abdullah: “Whatever Bush says, he does not care about the interests of the Iraqi people or the interests of the Arab and Islamic world. He only cares about the interests of America. They are only looking for oil wells and bases
for them in the world. If you ask me about what Bush wants, I will say that he wants to destroy Iraq and the Arab and Islamic world.”

A recent survey found more than two-thirds of Iraqis believe US-led coalition forces should leave Iraq. A quarter of those surveyed said they had lost a family member to murder since the war began. Meanwhile a new CNN poll shows two-thirds of Americans oppose the war, while more than seven-out-of-ten believe it’s hurt the economy. In an interview with ABC’s Good Morning America, Vice President Dick Cheney said public opinion is of little concern.

Vice President Dick Cheney: “On the security front, I think there’s a general consensus that we’ve made major progress, that the surge has worked. That’s been a major success.”

Martha Raddatz: “Two-thirds of Americans say it’s not worth fighting.”

Cheney: “So?”

Raddatz: “So? You don’t care what the American people think?”

Cheney: “No. I think you cannot be blown off course by the fluctuations in the public opinion polls.”

Cheney spent the war’s fifth anniversary in Oman, where he went fishing on the Sultan of Oman’s sixty-foot royal yacht. Cheney is now in Afghanistan, as he continues a Middle East tour.