My FIL served in Alaska

Buster and Elder Brother always find it snicker-worthy that Pop-Pop served in Alaska during the Korean conflict, and that he brought home a big wolfhound that used to bark at my MIL if she tried to kiss him (the dog didn’t last long). Today President Bush addressed some of our troops in Alaska. As with the Whitehall Speech, we’re seeing scant coverage in the press, but the speech is worth reading. A few excerpts:

Each of you is a volunteer. You stepped forward and took an oath to defend America. And every day you put on your uniforms, you reflect our Nation’s highest values and our greatest hopes. Through your hard work and dedication to duty, you are sacrificing to build a better and safer world for all Americans. And as you defend our freedom, the American people stand behind you. Every man and woman who volunteers to defend our Nation deserves an unwavering commitment to the mission – and a clear strategy for victory. And a clear strategy begins with a clear understanding of the enemy we face.

For more than four years, we have seen the brutal nature of the terrorists. They have targeted the innocent in a host of countries from almost every walk of life. In Casablanca, they killed diners enjoying their evening meal. In Bali, they killed tourists on holiday. In Beslan, they killed Russian school children. They have murdered workers in Riyadh … commuters in Madrid … hotel guests in Jakarta … guests at a wedding celebration in Amman … and Iraqi children in Baghdad. The tragic images of innocent victims can make it seem like these terrorist attacks are random, isolated acts of madness.
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The terrorists witnessed our response after the attacks on American troops in Beirut in 1983 and Mogadishu in 1993, and they concluded that America can be made to run again – only this time on a larger scale, with greater consequences. The terrorists are mistaken. America will never run. We will stand … we will fight … and we will win the war on terror. The terrorists want to use the vacuum that would be created by an American retreat to gain control of a country – to build a base from which to launch attacks and conduct their war against non-radical Muslim governments.

The terrorists regard Iraq as the central front in their war against humanity. And we must recognize Iraq as the central front in our war on terror. These militants believe that controlling one country will rally the Muslim masses, enabling them to overthrow moderate governments in the region – and establish a radical Islamic empire that reaches from Spain to Indonesia. If they are not stopped, the terrorists will be able to advance their agenda: to develop weapons of mass destruction … to destroy Israel … to intimidate Europe … to break our will and blackmail our government into isolation. I make you a solemn commitment: This will not happen on my watch.

Together with our coalition partners, we have disrupted a number of serious al-Qaida terrorist plots since September 11th – including several al-Qaida plots to attack inside the United States. Our coalition against terror has killed or captured nearly all those directly responsible for the September 11th attacks … several of bin Laden’s most senior deputies … and al-Qaida managers and operatives in numerous countries. And we will stay on the hunt. We will not relent until the terror networks that threaten us are exposed and broken – and their leaders held to account for their acts of murder.
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…so long as I am your President, we will continue to deny the world’s most dangerous men the world’s most dangerous weapons.
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American troops are fighting beside our Afghan partners against remnants of the Taliban and their al-Qaida allies. And you are fighting alongside courageous Iraqis against the remnants of a regime and a network of terrorists who want to stop the advance of a free Iraq.

Our goal is to defeat the terrorists and their allies at the heart of their power – and so we will defeat the enemy in Iraq. As we pursue the terrorists, our military is helping to train Iraqi security forces so that they can defend their people and take the fight to the enemy. We are making steady progress. With every passing month, more and more Iraqi forces are standing up, and the Iraqi military is gaining new capabilities and new confidence. At the time of our Fallujah operations a year ago, there were only a few Iraqi army battalions in combat. Today, there are nearly 90 Iraqi army battalions fighting the terrorists alongside our forces. American and Iraqi troops have conducted several major assaults to clear out enemy fighters in Baghdadand other parts of Iraq. Iraqi police and security forces are helping clear the terrorists from their strongholds … hold onto areas we have cleared … and prevent the enemy from returning.

Our strategy can be summed up this way: As the Iraqis stand up, we will stand down. And when our commanders on the ground tell me that the Iraqi forces can defend their freedom, our troops will come home with the honor they have earned. Iraqis are also making inspiring progress toward building a democracy. A month ago, millions of Iraqis turned out to vote for a constitution that guarantees fundamental freedoms and lays a foundation for lasting democracy. In a few weeks, Iraqis will vote again – to choose a fully constitutional government to lead them for the next four years. With their votes, the Iraqi people are proving their determination to build a future founded on democracy and hope – and we will help them succeed.
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When our Nation was attacked on September 11, leaders of both parties recognized a new reality – if we wait for threats to fully materialize, we will have waited too long. We had to take a hard look at every threat to America – and when we did, one stood apart – … Saddam Hussein’s Iraq. Under Saddam’s dictatorship, Iraq was the only country in the world where American military pilots faced regular attack. Iraq was the only country that had used chemical weapons on its own people … invaded its neighbors … and fought a war against the United States and a great coalition. Iraq was one of only seven countries listed as a state sponsor of terror – and it was judged by intelligence agencies around the globe to possess weapons of mass destruction.
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… Do we take the word of a madman and forget the lessons of September the 11th – or do we take action to defend our country? Given that choice, I will defend America every time.

Combat forces of the United States, Great Britain, Australia, Poland, and other countries enforced the demands of the United Nations – and put an end to Saddam’s regime. Because we acted, the Iraqi people now live in freedom – and the American people are safer. Reasonable people can disagree about the conduct of the war – but it is irresponsible for Democrats to now claim that we misled them and the American people.

Leaders in my Administration and members of Congress from both parties looked at the same intelligence on Iraq – and reached the conclusion that Saddam Hussein was a threat. Let me give you quotes from three senior Democrats: First, quote, “There is unmistakable evidence that Saddam Hussein is working aggressively to develop nuclear weapons.” End quote. Here’s another one, quote, “The war against terrorism will not be finished as long as Saddam Hussein is in power.” End quote.

And here’s the way another Democratic leader summed it up, quote, “Saddam Hussein, in effect, has thumbed his nose at the world community. And I think that the President’s approaching this in the right fashion.” The truth is that investigations of the intelligence on Iraq have concluded that only one person manipulated evidence and misled the world – and that person was Saddam Hussein. In early 2004, when weapons inspector David Kay testified that he had not found weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, he also testified that, quote, “Iraqwas in clear material violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1441. They maintained programs and activities, and they certainly had the intentions at a point to resume their programs.
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Some of our elected leaders have opposed this war all along. I disagree with them, but I respect their willingness to take a consistent stand. Yet some Democrats who voted to authorize the use of force are now rewriting the past. They are playing politics with this issue and sending mixed signals to our troops and the enemy. That is irresponsible. As our troops fight a ruthless enemy determined to destroy our way of life, they deserve to know that their elected leaders who voted to send them to war continue to stand behind them. Our troops deserve to know that this support will remain firm when the going gets tough. And our troops deserve to know that whatever our differences in Washington, our will is strong, our nation is united, and we will settle for nothing less than victory.

Just a quick thought: Aside from President Bush, what world leader can you think of has the cujones to make a speech like this, has the spine and yes, the courage to say “this madness will not be ignored on my watch.” Blair or Howard? Maybe, but would they do it without the support of the US? That’s debatable. Bush will go it alone, if he must.

And now, who can you think of, what leader here in the US, can you think of who can be relied upon to continue to fight Islamofascism, and not to appease, not to kowtow to rest of the appeasing world? You can count them on one hand, I think, and perhaps have a finger left over. And to my way of thinking, only one of them appears to be a Democrat, that would be Joe Lieberman.