The Iraq War
Mission Accomplished?
May 1st, 2003
On May 1st, 2003, President George Bush landed on the USS Abraham Lincoln after the aircraft carrier had returned from the Persian Gulf. On board the ship, he gave a triumphant speech declaring that “major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the Battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed.” In the background, the ship sported a massive “Mission Accomplished” banner. Bush claimed that the US success in Iraq marked “the arrival of a new era,” remarking that “today, we have the greater power to free a nation by breaking a dangerous and aggressive regime. With new tactics and precision weapons, we can achieve military objectives without directing violence against civilians”. In addition, Bush stated that “Operation Iraqi Freedom was carried out with a combination of precision, and speed, and boldness the enemy did not expect, and the world had not seen before”.
The tone of the speech was resoundingly triumphant, praising the American soldiers and extolling the American principle of freedom; Bush affirmed that “when freedom takes hold, men and women turn to the peaceful pursuit of a better life. American values, and American interests, lead in the same direction: We stand for human liberty.” When guerilla and insurgent warfare built in intensity and caused thousands of casualties over the next years, Bush’s blatant declaration of success became a symbol of his administration’s general incompetence and disconnected understanding of the war. The Mission Accomplished speech became a mockery as the civilian and American death toll rose to enormous levels. However, Bush later stated that his address was misinterpreted: "To some, it said, well, 'Bush thinks the war in Iraq is over,' when I didn't think that. It conveyed the wrong message.” The words, “Mission Accomplished”, were never used during the actual speech, yet the banner sporting the words was visible during some portions of the video of the speech. In any case, the address was excessively cavalier and the message of victory in the Battle of Iraq premature.
The tone of the speech was resoundingly triumphant, praising the American soldiers and extolling the American principle of freedom; Bush affirmed that “when freedom takes hold, men and women turn to the peaceful pursuit of a better life. American values, and American interests, lead in the same direction: We stand for human liberty.” When guerilla and insurgent warfare built in intensity and caused thousands of casualties over the next years, Bush’s blatant declaration of success became a symbol of his administration’s general incompetence and disconnected understanding of the war. The Mission Accomplished speech became a mockery as the civilian and American death toll rose to enormous levels. However, Bush later stated that his address was misinterpreted: "To some, it said, well, 'Bush thinks the war in Iraq is over,' when I didn't think that. It conveyed the wrong message.” The words, “Mission Accomplished”, were never used during the actual speech, yet the banner sporting the words was visible during some portions of the video of the speech. In any case, the address was excessively cavalier and the message of victory in the Battle of Iraq premature.
