Blast in Baghdad

Seven people are killed and 41 injured today in a massive explosion at a Baghdad hotel. This week marks the one-year anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. With more than 100,000 American troops still on the ground, the battle there continues.

One year ago, President Bush promised "to disarm Iraq, to free its people and to defend the world from grave danger." It took three weeks to oust Saddam Hussein. As Bush said in his State of the Union address, today "the people of Iraq are free." Yet more than 550 U.S. troops and 3,000 Iraqis have been killed. Many more have been wounded. And the fighting there continues. Tonight, On Point, judging the war in Iraq.

Guests:

Barry Posen, professor of political science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is author if "Inadvertent Escalation: Conventional War and Nuclear Risks" and "The Sources of Military Doctrine."

Rend Rahim Francke, founder, Iraq Foundation and Washington representative for the Iraqi Governing Council

Walter Slocum, senior adviser to Paul Bremer on national security and defense. He was in Baghdad from May to November 2003 and undersecretary of defense during the Clinton administration (1994 to 2001).

Stephen Walt, professor of international affairs, Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University