Kowabunga

President Bush addressed the nation this evening, presenting a new plan for victory in Iraq. The new plan is a welcome change in our policy in Iraq.

In his speech, President Bush acknowledged one of the greatest successes of the Islamic Terrorists operating there, and that was the bombing of the Golden Mosque of Samara, which resulted in the Shia population forming death squads to retaliate against the Sunni population. It further escalated into a vicious cycle of sectarian violence.

Part of the new plan for Iraq includes increasing troop deployments there by 20,000 soldiers, something the Democrats who now control Congress will, no doubt, do their utmost to prevent, as they would rather implement a complete withdrawal of U.S. forces. All I can say is, it's about time. This should have occurred within the first months following the bombing of the Golden Mosque.

Five additional brigades to be deployed to Baghdad, where they have been desperately as most of the violence is occurring within some 30 miles of Baghdad.

Here's a part of the transcript of the speech (FoxNews):

The situation in Iraq is unacceptable to the American people - and it is unacceptable to me. Our troops in Iraq have fought bravely. They have done everything we have asked them to do. Where mistakes have been made, the responsibility rests with me.

It is clear that we need to change our strategy in Iraq. So my national security team, military commanders, and diplomats conducted a comprehensive review. We consulted Members of Congress from both parties, allies abroad, and distinguished outside experts. We benefited from the thoughtful recommendations of the Iraq Study Group - a bipartisan panel led by former Secretary of State James Baker and former Congressman Lee Hamilton. In our discussions, we all agreed that there is no magic formula for success in Iraq. And one message came through loud and clear: Failure in Iraq would be a disaster for the United States.

The consequences of failure are clear: Radical Islamic extremists would grow in strength and gain new recruits. They would be in a better position to topple moderate governments, create chaos in the region, and use oil revenues to fund their ambitions. Iran would be emboldened in its pursuit of nuclear weapons. Our enemies would have a safe haven from which to plan and launch attacks on the American people. On September the 11th, 2001, we saw what a refuge for extremists on the other side of the world could bring to the streets of our own cities. For the safety of our people, America must succeed in Iraq.

Yep, he's right. The withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq would give the Fundamentalist Islamic terrorists the green light to take over Iraq, and install a fascist theocracy similar to that which currently rules Iran. It would also send a signal to Iran that the U.S. would not come to Iraq's aid should they invade once U.S. forces are withdrawn. Hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of Iraqis would die. Any redeployment of U.S. forces would come too late for many Iraqis if (and when) such events should (and would) occur.

Another 4,000 troops are to be deployed to the Anbar province, an area that al-Qaeda has made the most dangerous area outside of Baghdad. That's about a brigade in strength. It's a large region, so it will most likely have to be heavily integrated with Iraqi forces to be fully effective.

I don't know it these plans are sufficient to bring peace to Iraq. It is, however, a good start. A step in what I believe is the right direction. It is also the message I've been waiting to hear for some time now. It is time to take off the gloves and let the military do what they have been trained to do: win the war in Iraq.

Tags:

President Bush Iraq Military al-Qaeda Baghdad Dubya