State of the Union address: on War & Peace
George W. Bush:
We’re on the offensive in Iraq with a clear plan for victory
We’re on the offensive in Iraq, with a clear plan for victory. First, we’re helping Iraqis build an inclusive government, so that old resentments will be eased and the insurgency will be marginalized. Second, we’re continuing reconstruction efforts and
helping the Iraqi government to fight corruption and build a modern economy. And third, we’re striking terrorist targets while we train Iraqi forces that are increasingly capable of defeating the enemy. We are proud to be their allies in the cause of
freedom.Our work in Iraq is difficult, because our enemy is brutal. But that brutality has not stopped the dramatic progress of a new democracy. In less than three years, the nation has gone from dictatorship to liberation to
sovereignty to a constitution to national elections. At the same time, our coalition has been relentless in shutting off terrorist infiltration, clearing out insurgent strongholds and turning over territory to Iraqi security forces.
Source: 2006 State of the Union Address
Jan 31, 2006
George W. Bush:
Terrorists aim to seize power in Iraq
No one can deny the success of freedom, but some men rage and fight against it. And one of the main sources of reaction and opposition is radical Islam, the perversion by a few of a noble faith into an ideology of terror and death.
Terrorists like bin Laden are serious about mass murder, and all of us must take their declared intentions seriously. They seek to impose a heartless system of totalitarian control throughout the Middle East and arm themselves with weapons of mass murder
Their aim is to seize power in Iraq and use it as a safe haven to launch attacks against America and the world. Lacking the military strength to challenge us directly, the terrorists have chosen the weapon of fear. When they murder children at a
school in Beslan or blow up commuters in London or behead a bound captive, the terrorists hope these horrors will break our will, allowing the violent to inherit the earth. But they have miscalculated. We love our freedom, and we will fight to keep it.
Source: 2006 State of the Union Address
Jan 31, 2006
George W. Bush:
Terrorists would move the battlefield to our own shores
We cannot find security by abandoning our commitments and retreating within our borders. If we were to leave these vicious attackers alone, they would not leave us alone. They would simply move the battlefield to our own shores.
There is no peace in retreat. And there is no honor in retreat. By allowing radical Islam to work its will, by leaving an assaulted world to fend for itself, we would signal to all that we no longer believe in our own ideals or even in our own courage.
Source: 2006 State of the Union Address
Jan 31, 2006
George W. Bush:
Sudden withdrawal from Iraq would abandon our Iraqi allies
Those of us in public office have a duty to speak with candor. A sudden withdrawal of our forces from Iraq would abandon our Iraqi allies to death and prison, would put men like bin Laden and Zarqawi in charge of a strategic country and show that a
pledge from America means little. Members of Congress, however we feel about the decisions and debates of the past, our nation has only one option. We must keep our word, defeat our enemies and stand behind the American military in this vital mission.
Source: 2006 State of the Union Address
Jan 31, 2006
George W. Bush:
Hamas must disarm and reject terrorism and work peace
The Palestinian people have voted in elections, and now the leaders of Hamas must recognize Israel, disarm, reject terrorism and work for lasting peace. Democracies in the
Middle East will not look like our own, because they will reflect the traditions of their own citizens. Yet liberty is the future of every nation in the Middle East, because liberty is the right and hope of all humanity.
Source: 2006 State of the Union Address
Jan 31, 2006
Tim Kaine:
Americans were given inaccurate information regarding Iraq
The president called again tonight for our commitment to win the war on terror and to support our troops. Every American embraces those goals. We can--we must--defeat those who attack and kill innocent people.Our commitment to winning the war on terror
compels us to ask this question: Are the president’s policies the best way to win this war?
We now know that the American people were given inaccurate information about reasons for invading Iraq. We now know that our troops in Iraq were not given the
best body armor or the best intelligence. We now know the administration wants to cut tens of thousands of troops at the very time that we’re facing new and dangerous threats. And we now know that the administration wants to further reduce military and
veterans’ benefits. There’s a better way. Working together, we have to give our troops the tools they need to win the war on terror. And we can do it without sacrificing the liberty that we’ve sent our troops abroad to defend.
Source: Democratic Response to 2006 State of the Union address
Jan 31, 2006
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