Bush’s Plan and Speech
I have only read the Executive Summary for the “National Strategy for Victory in Iraq” and scanned a couple of news articles. Attending a meeting this morning put me behind, therefore I will hit the highlights as I understand them at this point. This will cover the document and the president’s speech.
The Jist
- The speech was broadcast in the US and Mesopotamia. Media sources indicate the broadcast’s primary target was Mesopotamia rather than the US.
- Bush did not broke new ground for US strategy within the document or the speech.
- “Stay the course” ad nauseum — “America will not run in the face of car bombers and assassins so long as I am commander in chief. America will not abandon Iraq.”
- No time frames associated with anything (from speech and report).
The Jokes
- Iraqi forces were fighting better and gaining more control of their embattled country.
- Bush said mistakes had been made in the training of Iraqi forces that have now been righted. (that brings total mistakes to two in 5+ years)
- How the United States defines victory in Iraq.
- More of “as they stand up, we sit down” — expects the number of U.S. forces in Iraq (approx 160,000) will decrease over the next year as the “political process advances and Iraqi security forces grow and gain experience,”
- Increasing numbers of Iraqi troops have been equipped and trained, a democratic government is taking shape and Iraq’s economy is being rebuilt.
The Jive
- Victory
- Will take time and many challenges remain
- In three stages — short term, medium term and longer term.
- Short-term = “Iraq is making steady progress in fighting terrorists, meeting political milestones, building democratic institutions, and standing up security forces.”
- Iraqi forces to take the lead without “major foreign assistance,”
- Why it is vital to U.S. interests (ed. note: answer must be in the detail report)
- Identified the “enemy” in Iraq as “diffuse and sophisticated,” a combination of Iraqis who reject democratic reforms, Saddam Hussein loyalists and al-Qaeda inspired terrorists. (How informative — glad we got that cleared up)
Capitalizing on sympathy at others’ expense
Reading from a letter written by a U.S. soldier on his lap-top computer before his death, an emotional Bush said America owes those who have died in Iraq to “take up their mantle, carry on the fight and complete their mission.”
Cutting to the chase
Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid (Nev.) issued a statement saying the president had “recycled his tired rhetoric of ’stay the course’ and once again missed an opportunity to lay out a real strategy for success in Iraq that will bring our troops safely home.”
(ed. note: no specific references cited; general references - the report, The Washington Post, The New York Times)
