2,000 US deaths in Iraq adds to pressure on Bush

WASHINGTON, Wednesday (Reuters) Crossing the threshold of 2,000 American military deaths in Iraq on Tuesday added to the pressure on President George W. Bush to show progress in Iraq amid waning public support for the war.

Bush launched the Iraq war in 2003 hoping for a quick victory with minimal casualties. The Iraqi army was quickly defeated and, when confronted by early attacks by militants, Bush was initially defiant, declaring: "Bring 'em on!"

But within months the attacks grew in intensity, bogging down the U.S. force of more than 100,000 troops, aircraft and armor and delaying plans for rapid reconstruction of the shattered country.

The 2,000 threshold of American miliary deaths was a grim sign that despite some progress on the political front, much work lies ahead in halting insurgent attacks and stopping the flow into Iraq of foreign fighters from around the region, including Syria.

No change in strategy appeared likely as a result of the new death toll, and Bush said the best way to honor the fallen was to "complete the mission and lay the foundation of peace by spreading freedom." "This war will require more sacrifice, more time and more resolve," he told military wives earlier on Tuesday. "The terrorists are as brutal an enemy as we have ever faced."

Bush was already in political trouble over Iraq, the slow federal response to Hurricane Katrina and soaring gasoline prices. These problems and others have pushed his job approval rating to the lowest of his presidency.

A special prosecutor's investigation into the leak of a CIA agent's name, which has its roots in the Iraq war, is shaking the White House. It could seriously trouble Bush's second term if his top political adviser, Karl Rove, is indicted.

The agent's husband, former U.S. diplomat Joe Wilson, had accused the Bush administration of twisting intelligence when officials cited a threat of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction to justify the 2003 invasion. No such weapons have been found.

Bush, who says it is essential to make progress on Iraq's political process to undermine the insurgency, saw some grounds for hope when millions of Iraqis turned out to vote on a new constitution that was ratified on Tuesday.

"Iraqis are making inspiring progress toward building a democracy," Bush said.