U.S. President George W. Bush on Thursday praised progress in Iraq and said the best way to honor the 4,000 U.S. soldiers killed in the country is “to complete the mission and lay the foundations for peace.” In a speech at an Air Force museum in Dayton, Ohio, Bush paid tribute both to U.S. forces and the Iraqi people. “This progress isn't glamorous, but it is important,” he said. “It was only 5 years ago that Iraq was one of the most brutal dictatorships in the world,” he said, adding that 15 months after the March 2003 invasion, “the Iraqi people reclaimed their sovereignty.” “They went on to choose an interim government, and to ratify the most democratic constitution in the Arab world,” he added. Bush said the “progress threatened to unravel in 2006” and prompted the U.S. decision to “surge” an additional 30,000 U.S. troops to the country. “The surge is doing what it was designed to do. It's helping Iraqis reclaim security and restart political and economic life. It is bringing America closer to a key strategic victory in the war against these extremists and radicals,” Bush said. The U.S. president also praised Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki for ordering an offensive against Shia militas in Basra. “Prime Minister Maliki's bold decision – and it was a bold decision – to go after the illegal groups in Basra shows his leadership, and his commitment to enforce the law in an even-handed manner,” Bush said.
