President George W. Bush Addresses the Nation on the War in Iraq
20,000 More Troops Will Be Sent to Iraq
The goal of this action is to "break the cycle of violence in Iraq" and "determine the direction of the global war on terror".
There will surely be conflict between the new Democratic controlled Congress and Bush's Republican administration. Though the President's decision is made and there is no turning back. Bush mentioned prior suggested plans to withdraw troops gradually as well as the suggested plan to withdraw troops from Baghdad. Both of these plans were rejected. The President stated that these plans would not be successful; they would increase violence and terrorist activity. He stated that this would lead to a fall of the Iraqi infrastructure. Bush stated that pulling troops out of Iraq now "would force a collapse of Iraqi government."
This decision was not made without careful consideration. President Bush, "his national security team, military commanders, and diplomats conducted a comprehensive review" in making this decision to send more American troops to Iraq. His plan will have our troops work closely with Iraqi government. He outlined specific elements that will improve the Iraqi government such as the appointment of a "military commander and two deputy commanders for their capital". Increased visibility of strong Iraqi government in Baghdad will gain the Iraqi peoples' trust.
President Bush concluded his speech stating, "Let me be clear: The terrorists and insurgents in Iraq are without conscience, and they will make the year ahead bloody and violent. Even if our new strategy works exactly as planned, deadly acts of violence will continue - and we must expect more Iraqi and American casualties. The question is whether our new strategy will bring us closer to success. I believe that it will." This honest picture of war is sobering. President Bush is right. It will be a trying year as we see more bloodshed and lives lost.
As Americans, whether we agree or disagree with President Bush's decision, we must hope and pray that this action is successful because there are really no other options. Our troops need to go into Iraq and help them set up a strong Democratic society. We need to help give Iraqis the knowledge and power to sustain themselves and grow independent. Our action needs to be swift so our troops can finally come home.
Published by Renee Bodkin
Education is important to me. I am a lifelong learner and teach that daily to my students. I am also fulfilling the most important role of my life as mother to 3 active, little boys. Family is the foundatio... View profile
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9 Comments
Post a Comment"Victory means exit strategy, and it's important for the President to explain to us what that strategy is" - Governor George W. Bush in 1999 referring to President Clintons decision to send a peacekeeping force to Kosovo.
Good article. Quite frankly, what do we expect from a man who wins elections underhandedly? I wonder what the members of the Supreme Court think since they put him in office. And then, there's the American people who voted Bush in for a second term. We Americans are responsible for this situation. I say we, even though I didn't put him in office. This is a democracy after all.
I loved MSNBCs coverage... Fox looked like they didn't know what to do with themselves, but MSNBC ripped Bush a new one. One guy said 20,000 troops actually equals only 5,000 extra on the ground at any given time, which will hardly make a difference. Arianna Huffington said on her blog, "It's one thing to think you're Napoleon, it's quite another to send more American soldiers into your Waterloo"... Watch as more and more Congressional Republicans, especially those up for reelection in 2008 abandon Bush. Pat Buchanan said it best, "The age of American empire is over".
Thank you to all for your thoughtful and thought-provoking comments. I appreciate your opinions. I was "nervous" writing this because I didn't want to put MY personal views into it (that's for another article), I wanted to share what he said as objectively as possible.
Good points and good quotes from the President. Very objective (which isn't easy with this subject). Amy's right though I admire your tackling this subject with great poise.
Right on Amy!
I think he forgot one of the goals of his speech, "To never admit that he screwed up royally."
Yes, "sobering" is a great way to describe the speech.
I was not able to catch the speech on television tonight, so, I am glad that you published it so that I could catch a glimpse of what was covered. Thank you for posting this news to AC.