jubaji

Following is the transcript of President Bush’s remarks:

(begin transcript)

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
December 18, 2005

ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT TO THE NATION

Good evening. Three days ago, in large numbers, Iraqis went to the polls
to choose their own leaders - a landmark day in the history of liberty. In
the coming weeks, the ballots will be counted ... a new government formed
.. and a people who suffered in tyranny for so long will become full
members of the free world.

This election will not mean the end of violence. But it is the beginning
of something new: constitutional democracy at the heart of the Middle
East. And this vote - 6,000 miles away, in a vital region of the world -
means that America has an ally of growing strength in the fight against
terror.

All who had a part in this achievement – Iraqis and Americans, and
Coalition partners - can be proud. Yet our work is not done. There is more
testing and sacrifice before us. I know many Americans have questions
about the cost and direction of this war. So tonight I want to talk to you
about how far we have come in Iraq, and the path that lies ahead.

From this office, nearly three years ago, I announced the start of
military operations in Iraq. Our Coalition confronted a regime that defied
United Nations Security Council Resolutions ... violated a cease-fire
agreement ... sponsored terrorism ... and possessed, we believed, weapons
of mass destruction. After the swift fall of Baghdad, we found mass graves
filled by a dictator ... we found some capacity to restart programs to
produce weapons of mass destruction ... but we did not find those weapons.

It is true that Saddam Hussein had a history of pursuing and using
weapons of mass destruction. It is true that he systematically concealed
those programs, and blocked the work of UN weapons inspectors. It is true
that many nations believed that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction.
But much of the intelligence turned out to be wrong. As your President, I
am responsible for the decision to go into Iraq.

Yet it was right to remove Saddam Hussein from power. He was given an
ultimatum - and he made his choice for war. And the result of that war was
to rid the world of a murderous dictator who menaced his people, invaded
his neighbors, and declared America to be his enemy. Saddam Hussein,
captured and jailed, is still the same raging tyrant - only now without a
throne. His power to harm a single man, woman, or child is gone forever.
And the world is better for it.

Since the removal of Saddam, this war - like other wars in our history -
has been difficult. The mission of American troops in urban raids and
desert patrols - fighting Saddam loyalists and foreign terrorists - has
brought danger and suffering and loss. This loss has caused sorrow for our
whole Nation - and it has led some to ask if we are creating more problems
than we are solving.

That is an important question, and the answer depends on your view of
the war on terror. If you think the terrorists would become peaceful if
only America would stop provoking them, then it might make sense to leave
them alone.

This is not the threat I see. I see a global terrorist movement that
exploits Islam in the service of radical political aims - a vision in
which books are burned, women are oppressed, and all dissent is crushed.
Terrorist operatives conduct their campaign of murder with a set of
declared and specific goals - to de-moralize free nations ... to drive us
out of the Middle East ... to spread an empire of fear across that region
.. and to wage a perpetual war against America and our friends. These
terrorists view the world as a giant battlefield - and they seek to attack
us wherever they can. This has attracted al Qaida to Iraq, where they are
attempting to frighten and intimidate America into a policy of retreat.

The terrorists do not merely object to American actions in Iraq and
elsewhere - they object to our deepest values and our way of life. And if
we were not fighting them in Iraq ... in Afghanistan ... in Southeast Asia
.. and in other places, the terrorists would not be peaceful citizens -
they would be on the offense, and headed our way.

September the 11th, 2001 required us to take every emerging threat to
our country seriously, and it shattered the illusion that terrorists
attack us only after we provoke them. On that day, we were not in Iraq ...
we were not in Afghanistan ... but the terrorists attacked us anyway - and
killed nearly 3,000 men, women, and children in our own country. My
conviction comes down to this: We do not create terrorism by fighting the
terrorists. We invite terrorism by ignoring them. And we will defeat the
terrorists by capturing and killing them abroad ... removing their safe
havens ... and strengthening new allies like Iraq and Afghanistan in the
fight we share.

The work in Iraq has been especially difficult - more difficult than we
expected. Reconstruction efforts and the training of Iraqi Security Forces
started more slowly than we hoped. We continue to see violence and
suffering, caused by an enemy that is determined and brutal -
unconstrained by conscience or the rules of war.

Some look at the challenges in Iraq, and conclude that the war is lost,
and not worth another dime or another day. I don't believe that. Our
military commanders do not believe that. Our troops in the field, who bear
the burden and make the sacrifice, do not believe that America has lost.
And not even the terrorists believe it. We know from their own
communications that they feel a tightening noose - and fear the rise of a
democratic Iraq.

The terrorists will continue to have the coward's power to plant
roadside bombs and recruit suicide bombers. And you will continue to see
the grim results on the evening news. This proves that the war is
difficult - it doesn’t mean that we are losing. Behind the images of chaos
that terrorists create for the cameras, we are making steady gains with a
clear objective in view.

America, our Coalition, and Iraqi leaders are working toward the same
goal - a democratic Iraq that can defend itself ... that will never again
be a safe haven for terrorists ... and that will serve as a model of
freedom for the Middle East.

We’ve put in place a strategy to achieve this goal - a strategy I have
been discussing in detail over the last few weeks. This plan has three
critical elements.

First, our Coalition will remain on the offense - finding and clearing
out the enemy ... transferring control of more territory to Iraqi units
.. and building up the Iraqi Security Forces so they can increasingly
lead the fight. At this time last year, there were only a handful of Iraqi
army and police battalions ready for combat. Now, there are more than 125
Iraqi combat battalions fighting the enemy ... more than 50 are taking the
lead ... and we have transferred more than a dozen military bases to Iraqi
control.

Second, we are helping the Iraqi government establish the institutions
of a unified and lasting democracy, in which all of Iraq's peoples are
included and represented. Here also, the news is encouraging. Three days
ago, more than 10 million Iraqis went to the polls - including many Sunni
Iraqis who had boycotted national elections last January. Iraqis of every
background are recognizing that democracy is the future of the country
they love - and they want their voices heard. One Iraqi, after dipping his
finger in the purple ink as he cast his ballot, stuck his finger in the
air and said: "This is a thorn in the eyes of the terrorists." Another
voter was asked, "Are you Sunni or Shia?" He responded, "I am Iraqi."

Third, after a number of setbacks, our Coalition is moving forward with
a reconstruction plan to revive Iraq's economy and infrastructure - and to
give Iraqis confidence that a free life will be a better life. Today in
Iraq, seven in 10 Iraqis say their lives are going well - and nearly
two-thirds expect things to improve even more in the year ahead. Despite
the violence, Iraqis are optimistic - and that optimism is justified.

In all three aspects of our strategy - security, democracy, and
reconstruction - we have learned from our experiences, and fixed what has
not worked. We will continue to listen to honest criticism, and make every
change that will help us complete the mission. Yet there is a difference
between honest critics who recognize what is wrong, and defeatists who
refuse to see that anything is right.

Defeatism may have its partisan uses, but it is not justified by the
facts. For every scene of destruction in Iraq, there are more scenes of
rebuilding and hope. For every life lost, there are countless more lives
reclaimed. And for every terrorist working to stop freedom in Iraq, there
are many more Iraqis and Americans working to defeat them. My fellow
citizens: Not only can we win the war in Iraq - we are winning the war in
Iraq.

It is also important for every American to understand the consequences
of pulling out of Iraq before our work is done. We would abandon our Iraqi
friends - and signal to the world that America cannot be trusted to keep
its word. We would undermine the morale of our troops - by betraying the
cause for which they have sacrificed. We would cause the tyrants in the
Middle East to laugh at our failed resolve, and tighten their repressive
grip. We would hand Iraq over to enemies who have pledged to attack us -
and the global terrorist movement would be emboldened and more dangerous
than ever before. To retreat before victory would be an act of
recklessness and dishonor ... and I will not allow it.

We are approaching a New Year, and there are certain things all
Americans can expect to see. We will see more sacrifice - from our
military ... their families ... and the Iraqi people. We will see a
concerted effort to improve Iraqi police forces and fight corruption. We
will see the Iraqi military gaining strength and confidence, and the
democratic process moving forward. As these achievements come, it should
require fewer American troops to accomplish our mission. I will make
decisions on troop levels based on the progress we see on the ground and
the advice of our military leaders - not based on artificial timetables
set by politicians in Washington. Our forces in Iraq are on the road to
victory - and that is the road that will take them home.

In the months ahead, all Americans will have a part in the success of
this war. Members of Congress will need to provide resources for our
military. Our men and women in uniform, who have done so much already,
will continue their brave and urgent work. And tonight, I ask all of you
listening to carefully consider the stakes of this war ... to realize how
far we have come and the good we are doing ... and to have patience in
this difficult, noble, and necessary cause.

I also want to speak to those of you who did not support my decision to
send troops to Iraq: I have heard your disagreement, and I know how
deeply it is felt. Yet now there are only two options before our country -
victory or defeat. And the need for victory is larger than any president
or political party, because the security of our people is in the balance.
I do not expect you to support everything I do, but tonight I have a
request: Do not give in to despair, and do not give up on this fight for
freedom.

Americans can expect some things of me as well. My most solemn
responsibility is to protect our Nation, and that requires me to make some
tough decisions. I see the consequences of those decisions when I meet
wounded servicemen and women who cannot leave their hospital beds, but
summon the strength to look me in the eye and say they would do it all
over again. I see the consequences when I talk to parents who miss a child
so much - but tell me he loved being a soldier ... he believed in his
mission ... and Mr. President, finish the job.

I know that some of my decisions have led to terrible loss - and not one
of those decisions has been taken lightly. I know this war is
controversial - yet being your President requires doing what I believe is
right and accepting the consequences. And I have never been more certain
that America's actions in Iraq are essential to the security of our
citizens, and will lay the foundation of peace for our children and
grandchildren.

Next week, Americans will gather to celebrate Christmas and Hanukkah.
Many families will be praying for loved ones spending this season far from
home - in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other dangerous places. Our Nation joins
in those prayers. We pray for the safety and strength of our troops. We
trust, with them, in a love that conquers all fear, and a light that
reaches the darkest corners of the Earth. And we remember the words of the
Christmas carol, written during the Civil War: "God is not dead, nor
[does] He sleep; the Wrong shall fail, the Right prevail, with peace on
Earth, good-will to men."

Thank you, and good night.

(end transcript)

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