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Bush to Mark Iraq War Anniversary

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush (news - web sites) will mark the one year anniversary of the invasion of Iraq (news - web sites) next week with two major speeches aimed at rallying the troops and shoring up public support for the occupation.

The White House announced on Friday that Bush will travel to Fort Campbell, Kentucky to address the troops on Thursday, March 18.

On Friday, he will give an address in the East Room of the White House before visiting injured soldiers at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. The war began early on March 20, 2003, Iraqi time.

Bush is under fire over the failure to find the promised weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, his main justification for going to war.

Critics say the Bush administration has also not done enough to stem the wave of violence in Iraq, including coordinated attacks on Shi'ite worshipers that killed 181 people.

That won't be Bush's focus next week as he tries to put the best possible spin on recent developments in the run-up to the November presidential election.

Bush is instead expected to focus on the signing of an interim constitution by the Iraqi Governing Council as a step toward handing sovereignty back to Iraqis on June 30.