“US & Iraqi Negotiators Agree on 2011 Withdrawal” says the Washington Post:
“U.S. Secretary of State Condi Rice and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki spent nearly three hours here discussing key undecided issues. The accord must be completed and approved by both governments before a United Nations mandate expires at year end.”
THIS IS WHAT VICTORY IN IRAQ LOOKS LIKE…GET USED TO IT!
The liberation of Iraq began March 22, 2003. The President said it “could be longer than some have predicted” and that one of our goals was to “help Iraqis achieve a united, stable, and free country”. By May, our military accomplished their mission of removing one of the worst dictatorships in human history. However, contrary to popular folk lore, Bush was cautious, “The transition from dictatorship to democracy will take time”.
We can now say, five years later, Iraq has made that transition and our troops can start coming home.
Our troops and our diplomats have worked very hard to help the Iraqis stand on their own. We struggled to react to the bombing of the Askariya shrine in Samarra, but the Petraeus’ counter-insurgency, courageously supported by Senator John McCain, has been a great success. Now we can begin a scheduled withdrawal of our troops, subject to change if conditions worsen.
Democrats are losing the Iraq war as an issue.
They could celebrate this significant victory in the War on Terror. Instead, they want you to think nothing’s changed so you’ll vote for “Change”. Obama’s out on the campaign trail promising to end the war if you vote for him. Whether you vote for Obama or not, the war will end. Before November, it will become clear to American voters that regardless of whether you vote for McCain or Obama, our troops are coming home, because we’ve achieved victory.
What did you think victory would look like?
Did you think there’d be a ceremony where Al Qaeda formally surrenders by signing a treaty? This is a different kind of war against an enemy who does not recognize the conventions of war. No, the end of this war will be marked by what happened yesterday – U.S. and Iraqi negotiators have agreed to the withdrawal of all U.S. combat forces by the end of 2011.
This is because we have achieved our goal of a united, stable and free democracy in the heart of the Middle East.
This is a good thing. Be happy!
