Troop Surge in Iraq

AC - Speeches by Management (Project V)
Confrontation - The Adversary Relationship
February 29, 2008

Introduction

Good evening fellow citizens and dear guests,

It is 6 years since the terrorists attacked our nation. But, the pictures of planes crashing into buildings, huge structures collapsing are still fresh in our mind and in our heart. Word Trade Center, the pride of America, was shattered into pieces right in front of our eyes. Around 3000 innocent Americans were killed

Our government responded to the terrorists' call by sending our troops to Iraq - to capture the enemy, to destroy the terrorist hideouts, and to establish peace. The last 5 years, were the most challenging. But, we, the people of America believed in victory and were united through the tough times.

We made a tremendous progress in Iraq in the last few years. We captured and executed Saddam Hussein, we established a democratic government, we trained the Iraqi soldiers, and we improved the quality of education and healthcare. But, we still have some unfinished job in Iraq.

Our enemies are continuing to find creative ways to launch their attacks against innocent people. And it is our responsibility and duty to respond back to that. Today, I am standing in front of you, to share my proposal to strengthen our strategy towards Iraq by increasing the troops.

Proposal

Our past efforts to secure Baghdad failed because there were not enough troops to secure neighborhoods that had been cleared of terrorists. When our forces moved on to other targets, the killers returned.

Our national security team, military commanders, and diplomats conducted a comprehensive review of the situation and proposed to increase the troops by 12,000. Today, there are 158,000 American soldiers in Iraq and this count will become 170,000 by the end of this year. The troop surge will be done in a phased manner in the next 10 months.

Our troops in Iraq have fought bravely day and night. They have done everything we have asked them to do. It is our responsibility to support them and save them from harm's way. This proposal would increase our spending towards the war by $20 billion every year. This troop surge and increased spending will definitely help our men and women in Iraqi soil.

Some of you may have this question - "When will our troops come back home"? I assure them that the day is not very far. With the surge in troops, we'll be able to finish our job and bring our troops back, faster.

Our troops have a well-defined mission: to help Iraqis clear and secure neighborhoods, to help them protect the local population, and to help ensure that the Iraqi forces left behind are capable of providing the security that Baghdad needs.

Conclusion

I am hopeful and confident than ever that this strategy will lead us to the path to victory. There is "no magic formula for success in Iraq" but a failure in Iraq "would be a disaster for the United States".

Today, we are setting a new course to pass on a world without terrorism to our children and grand children.

Today, we are going to tell the world that Americans will remain united and fight against terrorism - NO MATTER WHAT!

Today, we are going to stand behind a proposal that can make America, safer than ever before.