Home front quiet as war starts

Americans woke up to find they were at war with Iraq, after a surprise missile strike aimed at Saddam Hussein himself.

President Bush addressed the nation at 2215 Eastern Time (0315 GMT) as the US networks cleared their schedules.

The months of uncertainty and waiting were over as he told the nation that "American forces were in the early stages of military operations to disarm Iraq, to free its people and to defend the world from grave danger".

The president reportedly clenched his fist and said he felt good just before he spoke from the Oval Office.

With calm determination, he warned that this war "could be longer and more difficult than some expected" and told the American armed forces that "the peace of a troubled world depends on you".

The decision to begin with a limited strike was taken late on Wednesday afternoon, after a third round of meetings with the president's national security advisers revealed that intelligence might have detected the whereabouts of the Iraqi leader.

Many had expected the war to begin with a massive air strike that would cause "shock and awe".

After Mr Bush made his decision, he sat down to a quiet dinner, where Chief of Staff Andrew Card informed him that the ultimatum had expired and that Saddam Hussein had not left Iraq.

On Thursday morning he rose early to meet his advisors to assess the surprise attack.

Although it appeared to be unsuccessful, it was a sign of the new face of "smart war", long advocated by Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, which seeks to "decapitate" the leadership and end the war quickly with few casualties.

Some Americans watched the speech quietly in New York's Times Square, where giant news screens displayed the president's words, while in Washington a small group of protesters gathered in a park across from the White House.

Focus of troops

Many people's thoughts were with the troops in the field, and much of the initial media coverage reflected that.

With new technology and the Pentagon's plan to "embed" correspondents with units in the field, there were many live reports, from Kuwait City to aircraft carriers in the Persian Gulf and the Jordanian border.

Many said the strike surprised the troops themselves.

Pictures of the missile raid in Baghdad were also shown again and again. Instant analysis was provided for the television networks by some well-known military figures, including the general who fought the last Gulf War, Norman Schwarzkopf.

As war has approached, opinion polls suggested that more people were rallying round the president, with between two-thirds and three-quarters supporting his ultimatum to Saddam Hussein.

And political leaders, including key Democrats in Congress, like Senator Joe Lieberman, appeared on television to urge unity and support for the troops going into battle.

On Thursday morning, the Democratic Senate and House leaders, Tom Daschle and Nancy Pelosi, appeared in the Capital building to pledge their support for the President during the war.

Much of the local news also focused on the increased security measures around American cities, with more visible policing at potential targets and increased security checks at airports and ports.

In Washington, the city's marathon race on Sunday was cancelled over security fears.

And television networks moved their coverage of sports, including the popular NCAA college basketball tournament, to their cable affiliates.

Earlier in the week, the terror threat level had been raised to orange – or high.

Meanwhile, those in the anti-war movement said they would continue to protest against the war and its doctrine of pre-emptive intervention, while supporting the troops.

The broad religious coalition, Win Without War, said it would organise a series of candlelit vigils and a national petition, while other groups were planning non-violent protests that might disrupt traffic and government installations.