Three years ago today, Bush gave his Mission Accomplished speech aboard the deck of the USS Lincoln, preclaiming that "Major combat operations have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed.”
Think Progress looks at the before-and-after numbers:
| May 1, 2003 | Today | |
| U.S. Troops Wounded | 542 | 17,469 |
| U.S. Troops Killed |
139 | 2,400 |
| Size of U.S. Forces | 150,000 | 132,000 |
| Size of Iraqi Security Forces |
7,000-9000 | 250,500 |
| Number of Insurgents | 5,000 | 15,000-20,000 |
| Insurgent Attacks Per Day | 8 | 75 |
| Cost to U.S. Taxpayers | $79 billion | $320 billion |
| Approval of Bush’s Handling of Iraq | 75% | 37% |
| Percentage of Americans who Believe The Iraq War Was “Worth Fighting” | 70% | 41% |
| Bush’s Overall Job Approval | 71% | 38% |
UPDATE: Without any sense of irony for the 3 year anniversary, Bush declared today that Iraq is at a "turning point".