USA: BUSH SPEECH

NY Times: Some Grim News About Iraq: Bush Warns of a Heavy Burden

President Bush's task tonight was to convince the country that the terrible toll of the long, hot, casualty ridden summer in Iraq was a necessary price to pay in a broader struggle against terrorism, and to prepare the electorate for years of occupation, billions more in expense, and many bad days.

His sobering speech to the nation was not the one that the White House was envisioning for the president four months after he declared the end of the "active combat" phase of the war. Even in July, as Mr. Bush prepared for a month at his ranch, his aides were talking optimistically about a fall devoted to transforming Iraq quickly into a model democracy at the heart of the Middle East, and making its transition to a peaceful nation contagious throughout the region.

Independent: Bush asks for £55bn war fund as he woos Europe

President George Bush told the American people "we will spend what is necessary, to achieve victory in the war on terror" and announced he will ask Congress for $87 billion (£55bn) in new funding.

He also called for more international financial and military support. He said two multinational divisions, led by Britain and Poland, are serving alongside the United States, and that American commanders have requested a third multinational division.