Bush Takes the Offensive on Iraq Strategy

In a long overdue speech to the nation, President Bush went on the offensive yesterday in promoting a lengthy strategy for winning the war in Iraq. (Washington Post: Bush Presents Plan to Win Iraq War). In addition to the speech, the White House released a comprehensive 35-page document detailing US strategy, entitled National Strategy for Victory in Iraq, a new web page that details that strategy, an an Executive Summary that focuses on the highlights of the strategy.

This offensive is long overdue and is the first in a series of speeches planned by the president to quell the growing calls of pullout coming from the left. In his speech yesterday, the president made it quite plain that there will be no pullout before the job is complete: "As the Iraqi forces gain experience and the political process advances, we will be able to decrease our troop levels in Iraq without losing our capability to defeat the terrorists. These decisions about troop levels will be driven by the conditions on the ground in Iraq and the good judgment of our commanders -- not by artificial timetables set by politicians in Washington."

If that was not clear enough, the president pledged his unwavering support for our troops, assuring them that the US will not abandon the cause. "To all who wear the uniform, I make you this pledge: America will not run in the face of car bombers and assassins so long as I am your commander in chief," the president told his audience at the US Naval Academy.

The president outlined eight strategic pillars detailing our Iraq strategy:

• Defeat the Terrorists and Neutralize the Insurgency
• Transition Iraq to Security Self-Reliance
• Help Iraqis Forge a National Compact for Democratic Government
• Help Iraq Build Government Capacity and Provide Essential Services
• Help Iraq Strengthen Its Economy
• Help Iraq Strengthen the Rule of Law and Promote Civil Rights
• Increase International Support for Iraq
• Strengthen Public Understanding of Coalition Efforts and Public Isolation of the Insurgents

With each strategy point comes a detailed list of the current status of that objective along with details on how the US is working to achieve it. The published strategy is the most comprehensive to date and far surpasses any strategy document released by any administration in any previous war. All that remains now is to see if the left is truly willing to assist in winning this war or if they will continue to be the voice of dissent, providing a morale boost to the enemy.

Links to the National Strategy and the Executive Summary are now included in the sidebar of this blog. They will remain there so long as those sites are active. I strongly encourage all Americans to read the strategy, understand the goals, and support our mission in Iraq and elsewhere in this global war on terror.

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