US President George W Bush is trying to revive public support for the war in Iraq after the US military death toll yesterday passed the 2,000 figure.
"I know this is a trying time for our military spouses," Bush said at a Joint Armed Forces Officer Wives' luncheon at Bolling Air Force Base. "We've lost some of our nation's finest men and women in the war on terror."
"And the best way to honor the sacrifice of our fallen troops is to complete the mission and lay the foundation of peace by spreading freedom," he said.
A few hours after Bush spoke, the Pentagon announced a fatality that raised military fatalities in the Iraq war to 2,000.
The Senate observed a moment of silence in honor of the fallen. "We owe them a deep debt of gratitude for their courage, for their valor, for their strength," Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., said. Then, one-by-one, Democrats spoke on the Senate floor to criticise the president's Iraq policies.
"Our armed forces are serving ably in Iraq under enormously difficult circumstances, and the policy of our government must be worthy of their sacrifice. Unfortunately, it is not, and the American people know it," said Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts.
Added Dick Durbin of Illinois: "Words of tribute are in order to honor the sacrifice of these brave men and women and their loved ones. But words are not enough. We owe them leadership and a clear strategy to bring our troops home with their mission truly accomplished."
Outside the White House, peace activist Cindy Sheehan - whose 24-year old son, Casey, died in Iraq last year - said she and others plan to "die symbolically" there over the next four days to protest US involvement in Iraq.
MoveOn.org Political Action unveiled a new television ad that asks "How many more?"
In his 45-minute speech on Iraq, the president hailed the announcement in Baghdad that an election 10 days ago resulted in the adoption of a new constitution. There were some allegations of fraud in the Oct. 15 referendum, but election officials said the voting was fair.
Public support for Bush's handling of Iraq is at its lowest point, 37 percent, roughly where it has been since early August, according to AP-Ipsos polling.
Bush's approval rating also is being weighed down by a special prosecutor's inquiry into the leak of a CIA operative's name, the rocky Supreme Court nomination of White House counsel Harriet Miers, high gas prices, hurricane reconstruction costs and declining consumer confidence.
Bush, who contends that setting a date for troop withdrawal would aid the enemy's cause, said that to fight Islamic radicals, the US must work to prevent terrorist attacks before they occur, keep weapons of mass destruction out of the hands of "outlaw regimes" and deny radical groups the support and sanctuary of such governments.