Bush: Iraq war 'on its way to being won'

WASHINGTON, Dec. 6 (UPI) -- President George W. Bush said Saturday the "war in Iraq is not yet over" but "it is decisively on its way to being won."

In his weekly radio address, the president told listeners Iraqi leaders had approved two agreements with the United States this week "that will solidify Iraq's democratic gains, affirm its sovereignty, and put its relations with the United States on a strong and steady footing."

Bush said the Strategic Framework Agreement will allow the United States and Iraq to "bring greater stability to Iraq and the region." He said the Security Agreement with Iraq, known as a Status of Forces Agreement, will "ensure protection" for U.S. troops and civilian employees of the U.S. Department of Defense as Iraq government "begins to exercise greater sovereignty."

"Our military commanders have assured me that the agreement's provisions meet this purpose," he said. "And it lays out a framework for the withdrawal of American forces in Iraq -- a withdrawal that is possible because of the success of the surge."

Bush called for "a new perspective" in the United States on the Iraq war.

Acknowledging that there were "legitimate differences of opinion" about going to war in Iraq, the president said Saturday that Americans "should be able to agree" it is in the nation's interest to support a "free and democratic Iraq."

"The war in Iraq is not yet over but … it is decisively on its way to being won," Bush said.