Four Years After 'Mission Accomplished'

By Dan Froomkin

Special to washingtonpost.com
Tuesday, May 1, 2007; 1:14 PM

There may be no more vivid illustration of the collapse of President Bush's public image than the changing perceptions of his "Mission Accomplished" moment.

Four years ago today, Bush flew aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in "Top Gun" style, stood under a banner proclaiming "Mission Accomplished," and proudly declared: "Major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed."