Originally Posted by kronic

Yeah, the President of the United States standing under this banner, no matter how they tried to spin it after the fact, could have been avoided if they wanted to. That WAS the message they wanted to get out, whether he said the words or not.

The speech also said that:

"Major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed.."

No ambiguity there.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzrJwzYBUkU

What did Bush himself say years later?

"Clearly, putting a 'mission accomplished' on an aircraft carrier was a mistake," Bush said, when asked about his errors while in the White House. "It sent the wrong message. We were trying to say something differently but, nevertheless, it conveyed a different message."

He admits he fucked up. It's ok for you to admit it too.