Bush tells U.N.: Iraq war was justified

President Bush told skeptical foreign leaders and envoys yesterday that Iraq was on its way to stability and democracy and called for "a new definition of security" that allows nations to act together to extend freedom to countries gripped by tyranny. In his fourth annual address to the U.N. General Assembly, Bush defended the American-led war in Iraq. He spoke in a forthright tone with an occasional defiant edge, rebutting the assertion by Secretary-General Kofi Annan that the war violated international law because it lacked U.N. authorization. On the contrary, the president said, the United States and its allies were enforcing a Security Council resolution approved in November 2002 threatening "serious consequences" if Saddam Hussein did not disarm, disclose Iraq's banned weapons and permit inspectors to roam the country. Last week  U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said the U.S.-led Iraq war was "illegal." [more ]

• Counting the civilian cost in Iraq [more ]
• Forgotten casualties: Mentally scarred by experiences in Iraq, returning US soldiers say the military isn't giving them the help they deserve, writes Lynn Harris [more ]
• Bush's Speech to U.N. Wins Few Plaudits in Europe [more ]
• Bush Dismisses Gloomy CIA Report on Iraq [more ] In late July, top administration officials, including the President, received a 50-page National Intelligence Estimate from the CIA's National Intelligence Council that spelled out bleak prospects for Iraq. While the President Bush claims the CIA intelligence estimates are "just guessing," the last time such a report was prepared, he used it to justify going to war in Iraq. At least thirteen times since the report was delivered top administration officials have publicly contradicted the assessment by the NIE. The failure to see reality has also sparked criticism from Republican allies in Congress. [more]