Years Later, 'Mission Accomplished' Closer

[NVMojo]

(05-01) 15:31 PDT WASHINGTON, (AP) --

Three years after delivering his "mission accomplished" speech on Iraq, President Bush on Monday declared another turning point had arrived with the establishment of a permanent government in Baghdad.

"We believe we've got partners to help the Iraqi people realize their dreams," Bush said of the recent emergence of new Iraqi leadership. "They need to know that we stand with them."

The president's May 1, 2003, appearance on the USS Abraham Lincoln is one of his most indelible war-related images.

Clad in a flight suit, he emerged dramatically from a Navy jet that screamed in for a landing on the carrier's deck. Under a giant "Mission Accomplished" banner, Bush announced that "major combat operations in Iraq have ended."

Though he was careful not to declare overall victory and warned of difficult work ahead, the speech was congratulatory in tone and aimed at marking a pivot from invasion to reconstruction.

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http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2006/05/01/national/w145410D34.DTL