A couple of weeks ago I mentioned a major policy speech on Iraq delivered by President Bush. (It can be read in its entirety online.)
Columnist John Podhoretz described it as “one of the most important presidential addresses of our time.”
Michael Barone—whose knowledge of American politics is without parallel—called it an “excellent speech,” and identified three things that Bush had not expressed before: (1) the identification of the source of terrorism we are fighting against; (2) a narrative framework for what is going on in Iraq; (3) what could happen if we fail in Iraq.
Here are some notes from it:
First, President Bush identified the enemy by name:
Some call this evil Islamic radicalism; others, militant Jihadism; still others, Islamo-fascism. Whatever it’s called, this ideology is very different from the religion of Islam. This form of radicalism exploits Islam to serve a violent, political vision: the establishment, by terrorism and subversion and insurgency, of a totalitarian empire that denies all political and religious freedom.
Next the President three key components of the strategy of the Islamo-fascists:
1. These extremists want to end American and Western influence in the broader Middle East, because we stand for democracy and peace, and stand in the way of their ambitions.
2. The militant network wants to use the vacuum created by an American retreat to gain control of a country, a base from which to launch attacks and conduct their war against non-radical Muslim governments.
3. The militants believe that controlling one country will rally the Muslim masses, enabling them to overthrow all moderate governments in the region, and establish a radical Islamic empire that spans from Spain to Indonesia.
The President then outlined five elements to our strategy in the war on terror:
1. We’re determined to prevent the attacks of terrorist networks before they occur.
2. We’re determined to deny weapons of mass destruction to outlaw regimes, and to their terrorist allies who would use them without hesitation.
3. We’re determined to deny radical groups the support and sanctuary of outlaw regimes.
4. We’re determined to deny the militants control of any nation, which they would use as a home base and a launching pad for terror.
5. The fifth element of our strategy in the war on terror is to deny the militants future recruits by replacing hatred and resentment with democracy and hope across the broader Middle East.
The President offered a key commitment: “Our commitment is clear: We will not relent until the organized international terror networks are exposed and broken, and their leaders held to account for their acts of murder.”
He also issued a key challenge: “The time has come for all responsible Islamic leaders to join in denouncing an ideology that exploits Islam for political ends, and defiles a noble faith.
And throughout the speech, he made a point to respond to naysayers, who (1) look at the job ahead and adopt a self-defeating pessimism, (2) question the durability of democracy in Iraq; (3) claim that American would be better off by cutting our losses and leaving Iraq now.
