“In 2003, President Bush took us into war on the wings of a lie. With each passing year, we’ve heard the same false promises of victory, the same excuses for failure from the Iraqi government, and the same refusal from President Bush to admit his mistakes,” Menendez said.

In a radio address that mainly commemorated Easter weekend, Bush also acknowledged the burden carried by the military personnel who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, calling special attention to those who died. Bush drew an Easter analogy between the sacrifices of soldiers and the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, which Bush called “a sacrifice that transcended the grave and redeemed the world.”

Of the soldiers, Bush said, “On Easter, we remember especially those who have given their lives for the cause of freedom. These brave individuals have lived out the words of the Gospel: ‘Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.’  And our Nation's fallen heroes live on in the memory of the Nation they helped defend?”