US president George Bush marked the anniversary of the Iraq war by touting efforts to build democracy there and avoiding any mention of the daily violence still raging three years after he ordered an invasion.

GEORGE W Bush has hit one of the bleakest points of his presidency with a poll showing public confidence in him plummeting to a new low.

DEMOCRAT John Kerry kicked his presidential campaign into full gear yesterday when he selected former rival, the charismatic Southerner John Edwards, to be his running mate.