Saddam capture restores US prestige
The pictures told the stark story of the victor and the vanquished: a triumphant Mr Bush proclaimed the end of a "dark and painful era" in Iraq, while a haggard-looking Saddam was being examined by a doctor who probed his mouth with a tongue depressor.
For months, Saddam's ability to remain at large despite one of the world's biggest manhunts had been a blow to US prestige and claims of progress in Iraq.
"As long as he was out there running around, it made us look like we were more bark than bite," said Rick Barton, senior adviser at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies. The persistent violence and growing death toll of American soldiers had opened the way for criticism that Bush lacked a postwar strategy for restoring stability in Iraq.
Americans wearied of scenes of suicide bombings and flag-covered coffins at funerals, and the polls showed the country was evenly split on approval of Mr Bush's handling of Iraq.
But with Saddam's capture, the critics were silenced, at least for the moment, and Bush got a big boost in the polls as he moves into a re-election year.
Support for the war on Iraq yesterday shot back to levels not seen since the outbreak of war.
Following the capture of Saddam Hussein, people in the United States were also increasingly confident that Osama bin Laden would be caught.
And many believed weapons of mass destruction would be found in Iraq, according to a poll for CNN and USA Today.
Of those polled, 62% said it was worth going to war.
Such support has not been seen since August, when it reached a high of 63%.
More than half of those polled 54% said they were "very confident" or "somewhat confident" that chemical and biological weapons would be found.
The level of general confidence about the war was 84% the highest since the end of March, 10 days after the war broke out.
"The Democrats can't touch him at the moment," said Columbia University historian Henry Graff. "He said he was going to get him. He got him. What more do you want? Now if we can lower the level of violence over there, he's going to look good."
Mr Bush, in an address to the nation, cautioned that there would be more bloodshed.
"The capture of Saddam Hussein does not mean the end of violence in Iraq," Mr Bush said. "We will face terrorists who would rather go on killing the innocent than accept the rise of liberty in the heart of the Middle East."
Democratic presidential candidates, divided between pro and anti-war positions, found consensus by saying it was a great day for US soldiers, the people of Iraq and the world omitting praise for the president.
"This is a huge victory for Bush. It's clear by getting Saddam early, bringing him to trial, the president can send out a message that he's winning the war on terror," said Democratic strategist Donna Brazile, who managed Al Gore's 2000 campaign.
Mr Bush's allies expect Democrats to regroup and go after the president in another way.
Saddam's capture was a particularly sweet moment for the Bush family, father and son presidents who confronted the Iraqi leader in two wars and were criticised for letting him get away. The two Bushes were together at the White House on Friday but went their separate ways over the weekend.
