Despicable - Bush Hails Iraq Genocide As 'Victory'

Bush welcomed co-operation with Sunni Arabs

Overthrowing Saddam Hussein was "the right decision", US President George W Bush said in a speech to mark the fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq.

He said the world was a safer place because the US had acted.

Mr Bush spoke as anti-war protests were held in several US cities amid mounting opposition to the war and its costs.

Democratic Party presidential candidate Barack Obama said the decision to invade was made on ideological grounds, instead of "reason and facts".

In his speech, Mr Bush dismissed what he called "exaggerated estimates" of the war's price tag.

"The costs are necessary when we consider the cost of a strategic victory for our enemies in Iraq," he said. More