Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

Bush To Stay The Course In Iraq As Costs Mount

31 August 2005 (RFE/RL) -- U.S. President George W. Bush has appealed to Americans not to waver because of the rising death toll in Iraq.

In a speech in San Diego, Bush again rejected protesters' calls for a troop withdrawal. He said a U.S. pullout would allow Al-Qaeda to take hold of Iraq's oil fields to fund new attacks, as well as damage America's credibility.

With nearly 1,900 U.S. troops killed in Iraq, Bush's job approval ratings are at the lowest levels of his presidency.

Meanwhile, a new report shows that the U.S. war in Iraq now costs more per month than the Vietnam War. The report from the Institute for Policy Studies and Foreign Policy in Focus put the cost of current operations in Iraq at $5.6 billion per month. This breaks down to almost $186 million a day.

(Reuters)

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