Tonight, President Bush will address the Airborne and Special Operations Forces at Ft. Bragg to mark the one year anniversary of the transfer of sovereignty to the Iraqi people. The President will address the violence in Iraq and will answer the fundamental question on the minds of the American people:
"The work in Iraq is difficult and dangerous. Like most Americans, I see the images of violence and bloodshed. Every picture is horrifying ? and the suffering is real. Amid all this violence, I know Americans ask the question: Is the sacrifice worth it? It is worth it, and it is vital to the future security of our country. And tonight I will explain the reasons why."
While acknowledging that the new Iraqi government and coalition forces have experienced tough fighting and suicide bombings, the President will explain why the terrorists are failing:
"The terrorists can kill the innocent ? but they cannot stop the advance of freedom. The only way our enemies can succeed is if we forget the lessons of September 11 ? if we abandon the Iraqi people to men like Zarqawi ? and if we yield the future of the Middle East to men like Bin Laden."
After detailing both our military and political strategy in Iraq, the President will provide the American people with a broader, strategic understanding of the stakes in Iraq, the enemy we face, and why he?s optimistic the Iraqi people and coalition forces will prevail:
"We have more work to do, and there will be tough moments that test America?s resolve. We are fighting against men with blind hatred ? and armed with lethal weapons ? who are capable of any atrocity. They wear no uniform; they respect no laws of warfare or morality. They take innocent lives to create chaos for the cameras. They are trying to shake our will in Iraq ? just as they tried to shake our will on September 11, 2001. They will fail. The terrorists do not understand America. The American people do not falter under threat ? and we will not allow our future to be determined by car bombers and assassins."
Hm.
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 20:53 (twenty years ago)
Ummm, George, wh'about that little thing called the, uh, American Revolution....
― M. White (Miguelito), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 20:56 (twenty years ago)
― Thermo Thinwall (Thermo Thinwall), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 21:05 (twenty years ago)
All of Bush's (and our) eggs are in the basket called "training Iraqi defense forces". You'll notice how often the insurgents target police stations and recruiting offices.
And please, please do not notice that there is scarcely any Iraqi government to defend, yet. Do not notice the assassinations, either. Nor yet the 'successful operations' that do not yield any measurable results whatsoever... except the infamous body counts.
Whatever you do, do not notice that there is no reliable news about conditions in Iraq outside of Baghdad, except, of course, the reports doled out at press conferences given in Baghdad by the coalition forces officers. (NB: Americans are not allowed to watch Al-Jazeera.)
Also, forget this instant that there is a man called Osama bin Laden. Forget that it has been almost 4 years since September 11, 2001. Forget about Afghanistan and do not ask questions about it. Do not ask about WMD. Do not ask about the Downing Street memos.
Listen, for our leader is about to tell us about our glorious mission. Listen quietly. That's an order, soldier.
― Aimless (Aimless), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 21:17 (twenty years ago)
― Aimless (Aimless), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 21:18 (twenty years ago)
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2005-06-28T214241Z_01_N28406332_RTRIDST_0_NEWS-AFGHAN-DC.XML
― mjfan, Tuesday, 28 June 2005 21:23 (twenty years ago)
― M. White (Miguelito), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 21:47 (twenty years ago)
― Stuh-du-du-du-du-du-du-denka (jingleberries), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 21:55 (twenty years ago)
...Bunnatine Greenhouse, a member of the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) told lawmakers about dubious conditions under which Halliburton obtained a secret seven billion dollar contract to rebuild Iraq's oil production infrastructure.
"The independence of the USACE contracting process was unquestionably compromised with respect to the issuance of the Restore Iraqi Oil contract, known as RIO," Greenhouse told the panel.
"I observed firsthand that essentially every aspect of the RIO contract remained under the control of the Office of the Secretary of Defense," run by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld," she said.
"This troubled me and was wrong," Greenhouse added. She questioned the contract's duration -- five years instead of the standard one -- and the price charged for the services.
Greenhouse said she was shocked to see senior Halliburton officials take part in an internal meeting of the Pentagon...
― kingfish (Kingfish), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 22:18 (twenty years ago)
― On a Strict El Cholo Diet (Bent Over at the Arclight), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 22:19 (twenty years ago)
― mjfan, Tuesday, 28 June 2005 23:11 (twenty years ago)
― django (django), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 23:12 (twenty years ago)
― RS (Catalino) LaRue (RSLaRue), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 23:13 (twenty years ago)
What if the Iraqis never stand up?
― mjfan, Tuesday, 28 June 2005 23:16 (twenty years ago)
"the commanders say they have all the troops they need"
Uh, no.
"sending too many troops will discourage iraqis from fighting for their own freedom"
nice try
"sending too many troops will send the message that we intend to stay forever"
but the US does.
― mjfan, Tuesday, 28 June 2005 23:22 (twenty years ago)
― django (django), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 23:31 (twenty years ago)
― mjfan, Tuesday, 28 June 2005 23:31 (twenty years ago)
“The principal task of our military is to find and defeat the terrorists – and that is why we are on the offense.”
I believe the US our military is up to the task – we just need to let them, to give them the time to figure out how to fight a kind of war we did not plan to fight, a kind of war no one wanted to fight.
How aware May was in delivering this kind of supremely loaded comment is unclear.
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 23:33 (twenty years ago)