On April 29, 2004, near the one year anniversary of President George W. Bush's declaration aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, reporters questioned White House spokesman Scott McClellan about the progress of the war. Here's the excgange, according to an official White House transcript.

Q: Scott, we're coming up on the year anniversary of when the president landed on the USS Abraham Lincoln and declared that major combat operations were over under the "mission accomplished" banner. Is there now, in retrospect, a feeling that the President was overly optimistic and maybe had misled Americans, and now leading to a certain amount of buyer's remorse in some of these polls and that this is going to be more of political headache than an asset for him --

A: Well, Ben, I think the president was honored to go and thank our troops onboard the USS Lincoln for all that they had done in our efforts in Iraq. He was pleased to go to the USS Lincoln and thank the sailors on board the ship and thank the pilots on board the ship and thank other men and women in the military who were on board the ship. They had completed their mission and were returning back to America, and it was a nice thing for the President of the United States to do on behalf of the nation.

Q: But he also declared major combat operations over, and gave the sense that the war was winding down.

A: Let's go back and look at his remarks. He also declared that there is more to do, that difficulties remain in Iraq.

Q: So there's no --

Q: Well, is it still true that major combat operations are over?

A: There are certainly combat operations that are still underway and --

Q: Any major combat operations that are still underway?

A: That's still correct.

Q: Still correct that there are major combat operations underway or --

A: No, no, no. What he said is still correct, that there are still certainly combat operations and dangers that remain in Iraq, and our troops are doing an outstanding job, they are performing brilliantly in their efforts to bring about a free and peaceful Iraq -- which is critical to winning the war on terrorism.