Bush blames American soldiers, sailors for his "mission accomplished" aircraft carrier banner
 

Bush Disavows 'Mission Accomplished' Link 52 minutes ago Add Top
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WASHINGTON - Six months after he spoke on an aircraft carrier deck
under a banner proclaiming "Mission Accomplished," President Bush
(news - web sites) disavowed any connection with the war message.
Later, the White House changed its story and said there was a link.

The "Mission Accomplished" boast has been mocked many times since
Bush's carrier speech as criticism has mounted over the failed search
for weapons of mass destruction and the continuing violence in Iraq
(news - web sites).

When it was brought up again Tuesday at a news conference, Bush said,
"The `Mission Accomplished' sign, of course, was put up by the members
of the USS Abraham Lincoln, saying that their mission was
accomplished."

"I know it was attributed somehow to some ingenious advance man from
my staff — they weren't that ingenious, by the way."

That explanation hadn't surfaced during months of questions to White
House officials about proclaiming the mission in Iraq successful while
violence continued.

After the news conference, a White House spokeswoman said the
Lincoln's crew asked the White House to have the sign made. The White
House asked a private vendor to produce the sign, and the crew put it
up, said the spokeswoman. She said she did not know who paid for the
sign.

Later, a Pentagon (news - web sites) spokesman called The Associated
Press to reiterate that the banner was the crew's idea.

"It truly did signify a mission accomplished for the crew," Navy Cmdr.
Conrad Chun said, adding the president's visit marked the end of the
ship's 10-month international deployment.

The president's appearance on the Abraham Lincoln, which was returning
home after service in the Persian Gulf, included his dramatic and
much-publicized landing on the ship's deck.

Bush's disavowal Tuesday brought new criticism from Sen. John Kerry
(news - web sites) of Massachusetts and retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark
(news - web sites), who are both seeking the Democratic nomination to
run against the president. Clark said Bush "backtracked on his May 1
political photo op on the USS Abraham Lincoln by blaming the troops on
the aircraft carrier for the declaration of 'mission accomplished' in
Iraq."

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