Greeting The Liberators

Now that the first deadline to eventually give Iraq back to the Iraqis, here's what's on the AP wire this afternoon.

Fireworks over Baghdad as Iraqis take over cities

BAGHDAD – Iraqi forces assume formal control of Baghdad and other cities on Tuesday after American troops hand over security in urban areas in a defining step toward ending the U.S. combat role in the country.

Fireworks, not bombings, colored the Baghdad skyline late Monday, and thousands attended a party in a park where singers performed patriotic songs. Loudspeakers at police stations and military checkpoints played recordings of similar tunes throughout the day, as Iraqi military vehicles decorated with flowers and national flags patrolled the capital.

"All of us are happy — Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds on this day," Waleed al-Bahadili said as he celebrated at the park. "The Americans harmed and insulted us too much."

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki declared a public holiday and proclaimed June 30 as "National Sovereignty Day."

This could have been done within a month after first toppling the Saddam government. Instead, well over 100,000 Iraqis have been killed as have more than 4,300 Americans. Significant segments of the Iraqi population have been displaced, both within and without of the country. And the U.S. Treasury has been looted for more than $1 trillion. This is the legacy of the self-proclaimed war president, George W. Bush.