Tonight President Bush addressed the nation in what was his eighth address to the nation specifically on Iraq. Speaking only for about 15 minutes, President Bush commented on the state of affairs in Iraq, his agreement with General Petraeus' recommendations on reducing troop numbers overseas and the call for Iraqi citizens to make a plea to their leaders about the future of their nation and its democracy.
Brit Humme and the panelists on FOX News generally all agreed that the speech was a little repetitive of speeches in the past, and that President Bush paled slightly in comparison with General Petraeus and John McCain in terms of war expertise and assessment. I do agree that Bush's speech was a little "speechy" and I'm certain that Petraeus and McCain should be considered the experts on war compared to Bush. But then again, that's why they have Petraeus in the first place. The General's job is to carefully and strategically examine our efforts in Iraq and make the best recommendation to the President he can possibly make. The Bush administration does not want or expect failure. This is something the left doesn't understand. No one wants to lose in Iraq. No one wants more people die - whether it be American soldiers or Iraqi citizens - than are absolutely necessary. And yes, death is necessary in a war. It's a fact. As President Bush stated tonight, freedom is not free.
Iraq is unstable. Iran is a scary place. And the Middle East as a whole seems to be in peril. But just as our own country was so fragile some 250 plus years ago, so is the infant democracy in Iraq. We fought hard for our freedom. Colonist died on the soil we live on today so that we could enjoy every last single freedom promised to us in the Bill of Rights and the Constitution. Think how wonderful it will be when the Iraqi people can enjoy such freedoms. When a woman's testimony in court won't be considered half that of a man's testimony. When the children of Iraqi can carve out a future for themselves, without having a government tell them what they will become. The sweet taste of freedom is on their lips - and we as America have had a hand in that. How proud would our forefathers be of us now? The surge that began in Iraq back in January worked (much to the dismay of the liberals who wished its failure). Our efforts worked. And it's never too late to champion freedom. It's never too little too late when people's lives and freedom are at stake. The surge worked, and now we are bringing home more of our brave men and women. How sweet is that? Pretty awesome. And one thing is for certain - our world will be safer for the next generation, both American and Iraqi.
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2 comments:
Mel,
You seem to imply that the reason for the US going to war in Iraq was to liberate the people of that country, even though that has never been officially stated as the reason for us being there. I want to clarify what you believe then, and I ask this sincerely: 1). Why do you believe that the US went to war in Iraq? and 2). Is that still the reason we are there?
To address your questions, the reason we went to war in Iraq was September 11th. We went to war because fanatical Islamic terrorists decided to fly planes into the World Trade Center and kill about 3,000 Americans. Now some six years later do I believe that is the reason we are still there? Yes and no. We are fighting a war against terrorism and the monsters that keep terrorism alive. We are standing up for our country that was devastated six years ago. We began this war to put people like Saddam and Osama Bin Laden out of power.
And guess what? While we were over there, we witnessed how completely devastating Saddam and Osama's reign had been to the people and country of Iraq. The reason we are still there, you ask? To continue to fight terrorism and liberate these people; to give our best shot at helping them establish a democracy. These people deserve it. And the American soldiers see this. Americans have the heart and compassion not to want to see people suffer. And if there is anything we can do to help, our country usually steps up to the plate. And above all - above all - establishing a free Iraq makes America safer. And that is the goal. To make our world safer so our children don't have to witness a second September 11th.
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