THE
PRESIDENT: Thanks for the warm welcome. It is an honor to stand with the
men and women of the Veterans of Foreign Wars -- again. This is one of
America's great organizations. I appreciate the proud and patriotic work
you do across America. Thanks for your hard work in our nation's capital
to make sure our government listens to the concerns of our veterans.
(Applause.)
Your members include veterans who served in World War II. I
just happened to spend Christmas with one of your members. (Laughter.)
The Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Persian Gulf War, Panama, Bosnia,
Kosovo and many other operations. In the past four years, you've
welcomed into your ranks new veterans who have defended liberty in
places like Afghanistan and Iraq as a part of the global war on terror.
No matter where you deployed, or which century you wore the uniform,
each of you stepped forward when America needed you most. And in these
days, first days of the year 2006, a grateful nation says thank you for
your service in the cause of freedom. (Applause.)
I want to thank the Commander-in-Chief of the VFW, Jim Mueller. I had
the honor of welcoming him to the Oval Office the other day, where we
discussed issues important to our nation's veterans and issues important
to our nation's security. He's a clear thinker. He's a patriot. I
appreciate the invitation, Jim.
I'm also proud to be joined today by the Secretary of State, Condi
Rice. (Applause.) The Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs,
Jim Nicholson. Mr. Secretary. (Applause.) Two members of the United
States Congress, one Republican and one Democrat have joined us.
(Laughter). Americans quest for freedom and peace is a bipartisan quest.
And I'm honored that Senator Pat Roberts is with us and Congressman Adam
Schiff. Thank you both for coming. (Applause.)
Lieutenant General Bob Shea of the Joint Chiefs is with us today. As
is my friend, Lieutenant General Danny James, who was the Texas Adjutant
General when I had the honor of being the Commander-in-Chief of the
Texas Guard. (Laughter.) Good to see you, Danny. (Applause.)
To all those who wear the uniform who are here, I particularly want
to pay my respects to those wounded soldiers from Walter Reed.
(Applause.) Thanks for serving. (Applause.) I'm proud you're here. And I
want to report to our fellow citizens that we've got a fantastic health
care system for those who wear the uniform. Any man or woman wounded in
combat is removed immediately from the battlefield into the best
possible care. I want to thank those at Walter Reed, those healers and
helpers -- not only at Walter Reed, but at Bethesda and Brooke, where I
recently went -- for the great compassion and great skill that they show
in helping those who have been wounded on the battlefield. May God bless
you all. (Applause.)
As veterans and soon to be veterans, you have placed the
nation's security before your own lives. You took an oath to defend our
flag and our freedom, and you kept that oath underseas [sic] and under
fire. (Applause.) All of us who live in liberty live in your debt, and
we must never forget the sacrifice and the service of our veterans.
A new generation of Americans is carrying on your legacy, defending
our nation in another great struggle for freedom -- the global war on
terror. This war began with a sudden attack on September the 11th, 2001.
That morning, we saw the destruction our enemies intend for us -- and we
accepted new responsibilities. Like generations before us, we're taking
the fight to those who attacked us, and those who share their murderous
vision for future attacks. Like generations before us, we have faced
setbacks on the path to victory -- yet we will fight this war with
resolve and without wavering. And like generations before us, we will
prevail. (Applause.)
Like earlier struggles for freedom, the war on terror is being fought
on many battlefronts. Yet the terrorists have made it clear that Iraq is
the central front in their war against humanity. And so we must
recognize Iraq as the central front in the war against the terrorists.
Our goal in Iraq is victory. (Applause.) And in a series of speeches
last December, I described the enemy we face in that country, our
strategy to defeat them, and how we have adapted our tactics to meet
changing conditions on the ground. Today, I've come before you to
discuss what the American people can expect to see in Iraq in the year
ahead. We will see more tough fighting and we will see more sacrifice in
2006, because the enemies of freedom in Iraq continue to sow violence
and destruction. We'll also see more progress toward victory. Victory
will come when the terrorists and Saddamists can no longer threaten
Iraq's democracy. Victory will come when the Iraqi security forces can
provide for the safety of their own citizens. Victory will come when
Iraq is not a safe haven for terrorists to plot new attacks on our
nation.
And when victory comes and democracy takes hold in Iraq, it will
serve as a model for freedom in the broader Middle East. (Applause.)
History has shown that free nations are peaceful nations. And by helping
Iraqis build a lasting democracy, we spread the hope of liberty across a
troubled region, we will gain new allies in the cause of freedom. By
spreading democracy and freedom, we're laying the foundation of peace
for generations to come. (Applause.)
Our work in Iraq in 2006 will be focused on three critical areas. On
the political side, we will help Iraqis consolidate the democratic gains
they made last year, and help them build democratic institutions, a
unified government, and a lasting free society. On the security side, we
will stay on the offense against the terrorists and Saddamists. We will
continue to strengthen the Iraqi security forces -- with an emphasis on
improving the capabilities of the Iraqi police, so that over the next 12
months, Iraqi forces can take control of more territory from our
coalition and take the lead in the fight.
And on the economic side, we will continue reconstruction efforts,
and help Iraq's new government implement difficult reforms that are
necessary to build a modern economy and a better life. In all three
aspects of our strategy -- democracy and security and reconstruction --
we're learning from our experiences, and we're fixing what hasn't
worked. And in the year ahead, we will continue to make every change
that will help us complete the mission and achieve the victory we all
want.
On the political side, we've witnessed a transformation in Iraq over
the past 12 months that is virtually without precedent. Think back to a
year ago. At this time last year, the Iraqi people had an appointed
government, no elected legislature, no permanent constitution and no
recent experience with free national elections. Just one year later,
they have completed three successful nationwide elections.
Iraqis voted for a transitional government, drafted the most
progressive, democratic constitution in the Arab world, approved that
constitution in a national referendum and elected a new government under
their new constitution. Each successive election has seen less violence,
bigger turnouts, and broader participation than the one before. One
Iraqi voter in Tal Afar described the December elections this way: "We
want democracy. This is our answer to the decades of slavery we had
before."
When the final election results come in, Iraqi leaders will begin
working to form a new government. And in the weeks ahead, Americans will
likely see a good deal of political turmoil in Iraq as different
factions and leaders compete for position and jockey for power. Our top
commander in the region, General John Abizaid, has said he expects the
coming weeks to produce "some of the hardest bare-knuckle politics ever
in the Arab world." We should welcome this for what it is -- freedom in
action.
Dictatorships seem orderly -- when one man makes all the decisions,
there is no need for negotiation or compromise. Democracies are
sometimes messy and seemingly chaotic, as different parties advance
competing agendas and seek their share of political power. We've seen
this throughout our own history. We've seen this in other democracies
around the world. Yet out of the turmoil in Iraq, a free government will
emerge that represents the will of the Iraqi people -- instead of the
will of one cruel dictator. (Applause.)
Iraqis are undertaking this process with just a year's experience in
democratic politics -- and the legacy of three decades under one of the
world's most brutal tyrannies still hangs over them. Many of the
institutions and traditions we take for granted in America -- from our
party structures, to our centuries' experience with peaceful transitions
of power -- are new to Iraq. So we shouldn't be surprised if Iraqis make
mistakes and face setbacks in their effort to build a government that
unites the Iraqi people.
Despite the obstacles they face, Iraqis have shown that they can come
together for the sake of national unity. Think about what happened after
the January 2005 elections -- Shia and Kurdish leaders who did well at
the polls reached out to Sunni Arabs who failed to participate, giving
them posts in the government, and a role in fashioning the constitution.
Now Iraqis must reach out once again across political and religious and
sectarian lines and form a government of national unity that gives a
voice to all Iraqis.
Because Sunni Arabs participated in large numbers in the December
elections, they will now have a bigger role in the new parliament -- and
more influence in Iraq's new government. It's important that Sunnis who
abandoned violence to join the political process now see the benefits of
peaceful participation. Sunnis need to learn how to use their influence
constructively in a democratic system to benefit their community and the
country at large. And Shia and Kurds need to understand that successful
free societies protect the rights of a minority against the tyranny of
the majority.
The promise of democracy begins with free elections and majority rule
-- but it is fulfilled by minority rights, and equal justice, and an
inclusive society in which every person belongs. A country that divides
into factions and dwells on old grievances cannot move forward -- and
risks sliding back into tyranny. Compromise and consensus and
power-sharing are the only path to national unity and lasting democracy.
And, ultimately, the success of Iraqi democracy will come when political
divisions in Iraq are driven not by sectarian rivalries, but by ideas,
and convictions, and a common vision for the future. (Applause.)
When the new Iraqi government assumes office, Iraq's new leaders will
face some tough decisions on issues such as security and reconstruction
and economic reform. Iraqi leaders will also have to review and possibly
amend the constitution to ensure that this historic document earns the
broad support of all Iraqi communities. If the new parliament approves
amendments, these changes will be once again taken to the Iraqi people
for their approval in a referendum before the end of the year. By taking
these steps, Iraqi leaders will bring their nation together behind a
strong democracy -- and help to defeat the terrorists and the
Saddamists.
America and our coalition partners will stand with the Iraqi people
during this period of transition. We will continue helping Iraqis build
an impartial system of justice, so they can replace the rule of fear
with the rule of law. We'll help Iraqi leaders combat corruption by
strengthening Iraq's Commission on Public Integrity -- so Iraqis can
build a transparent, accountable government. And we will help Iraq's new
leaders earn the confidence of their citizens, by helping them build
effective government ministries.
It's especially important in the early months after Iraq's new
government takes hold that its leaders demonstrate an ability to deliver
measurable progress in the lives of the Iraqi people. So we will
continue helping the new government to develop their ministries, to
ensure they can lead effectively and produce real results for the Iraqi
people.
The foreign terrorists and Saddamists will continue to fight this
progress by targeting the citizens and institutions and infrastructure
of a free Iraq. An enemy that sends suicide bombers to kill mourners at
a funeral procession is an enemy without conscience. (Applause.) These
killers will stop at nothing to undermine the new government, divide the
Iraqi people, and try to break their will. Yet with the recent
elections, the enemies of a free Iraq have suffered a real defeat. The
Saddamists and rejectionists are finding themselves increasingly
marginalized, as Sunni Arabs who once rejected the political process are
now participating in the democratic life of their country.
And as democracy takes hold in Iraq, the terrorists like Zarqawi and
his al Qaeda associates are suffering major defeats. Zarqawi tried to
stop the elections throughout the year 2005, and he failed. He tried to
stop the writing and ratification of a new constitution, and he failed.
The advance of freedom is destroying his and al Qaeda's greatest myth:
These terrorists are not fighting on behalf of the Iraqi people against
a foreign occupation -- they are fighting the will of the Iraqi people
expressed in free elections. (Applause.)
In the face of these thugs and terrorists and assassins, the Iraqi
people have sent a clear message to the world: Iraqis will not cower
before the killers -- and the terrorists and regime loyalists are no
match for millions of Iraqis determined to live in liberty. (Applause.)
As we help Iraqis strengthen their new government, we're also helping
them to defend their young democracy. We're going to train the security
forces of a free Iraq. We have been doing so and we will continue to do
so in 2006. Last November, I described many of the changes we made over
the past year to improve the training of the Iraqi army and the police.
And we saw the fruits of those changes during the December elections.
Iraqi forces took the lead in the election security. They were in the
lead; we were there to help. They protected over 6,000 polling centers,
they disrupted attacks, and they maintained order across the country.
Thanks in large part to their courage and skill, the number of
attacks during the elections declined dramatically compared with last
January's vote. One Iraqi General put it this way on election day: "All
the time and money you have spent in training the Iraqi army -- you
harvest it today."
The Iraqi security forces are growing in strength and in size, and
they're earning the trust and confidence of the Iraqi people. And as
Iraqis see their own countrymen defending them against the terrorists
and Saddamists, they're beginning to step forward with needed
intelligence. General Casey reports that the number of tips from Iraqis
has grown from 400 in the month of March of 2005 to over 4,700 last
month -- and that some of the new intelligence is being passed by Iraqi
civilians directly to Iraqi soldiers and police. Iraqis are gaining
confidence that their security forces can defeat the enemy, and that
confidence is producing intelligence that is helping to turn the tide in
freedom's way.
There's more work to be done in the year ahead. Our commanders tell
me that the Iraqi army and police are increasingly able to take the lead
in the fight. Yet the Iraqi police still lag behind the army in training
and capabilities --and so one of our major goals in 2006 is to
accelerate the training of the Iraqi police. We'll focus our efforts on
improving the performance of three categories of the Iraqi police.
First, we will work to improve the Special Police under the Ministry of
Interior, who are fighting alongside the Iraqi army against the
terrorists and Saddamists. Second, we will expand and strengthen the
border police charged with securing Iraq's frontiers. And, third, we
will increase our focus on training local station police, so they can
protect their communities from the criminals and terrorists.
The Interior Ministry's Special Police are the most capable of the
Iraqi police forces. There are now about 19,000 Iraqi Special Police
trained and equipped -- which is near our goal for a complete force.
Many of these Special Police forces are professional, they represent all
aspects of society. But recently some have been accused of committing
abuses against Iraqi civilians. That's unacceptable. That's unacceptable
to the United States government; it's unacceptable to the Iraqi
government, as well. And Iraqi leaders are committed to stopping these
abuses. We must ensure that the police understand that their mission is
to serve the cause of a free Iraq -- not to address old grievances by
taking justice into their own hands.
To stop abuses and increase the professionalism of all the Iraqi
Special Police units, we're making several adjustments in the way these
forces are trained. We're working with the Iraqi government to increase
the training Iraqi Special Police receive in human rights and the rule
of law. We're establishing a new Police Ethics and Leadership Institute
in Baghdad that will help train Iraqi officers in the role of the police
in a democratic system -- and establish clear lesson plans in
professional ethics for all nine Iraqi police academies. To improve
their capability, we will soon begin implementing a program that has
been effective with the Iraqi army -- and that is partnering U.S.
battalions with Iraqi Special Police battalions. These U.S. forces will
work with and train their Iraqi counterparts, helping them become more
capable and professional, so they can serve and protect all the Iraqi's
without discrimination.
Second, we're working to increase the number of border police that
can defend Iraq's frontiers and stop foreign terrorists from crossing
into that country. Iraqis now have 18,000 border police on the job,
manning land and sea and air ports across the country. Our goal is to
have a total of 28,000 Iraqi border police trained and equipped by the
end of this year.
To better train Iraqi police, we've established a new customs academy
in Basra. We're embedding border police transition teams with Iraqi
units, made up of coalition soldiers and assisted by experts from our
Department of Homeland Security. The Iraqi border police are growing
increasingly capable and are taking on more responsibility. In November,
these forces took the lead in protecting Iraq's Syrian border, with
coalition forces playing a supporting role. In other words, they're
beginning to take the lead and take responsibility for doing their duty
to protect the new democracy. And as more skilled border police come on
line, we're going to hand over primary responsibility for all of Iraq's
borders to Iraqi border police later on this year.
Finally, we're helping Iraqis build the numbers and capabilities of
the local station police. These are the Iraqi police forces that need
the most work. There are now over 80,000 local police officers across
Iraq -- a little more than halfway toward our goal of 135,000. To
improve the capabilities of these local police, we're taking a concept
that worked well in the Balkans and applying it to Iraq -- partnering
local Iraqi police stations with teams of U.S. military police and
international police liaison officers, including retired U.S. police
officers.
These officers will work with provincial police chiefs across Iraq,
and focus on improving local police forces in nine key cities that have
seen intense fighting with the terrorists. By strengthening local police
in these cities, we can help Iraqis provide security in areas cleared of
enemy forces and make it harder for these thugs to return. And by
strengthening Iraqi local police in these cities, we'll help them earn
the confidence of the local population, which will make it easier for
local leaders and residents to accelerate reconstruction and rebuild
their lives.
The training of the Iraqi police is an enormous task and, frankly, it
hasn't always gone smoothly. Yet we're making progress -- and our
soldiers see the transformation up close. Army Staff Sergeant Dan
MacDonald is a Philadelphia cop who helped train Iraqi police officers
in Baghdad. He says this of his Iraqi comrades: "From where they were
when we got here to where they are now, it's like two different groups
of peoplea. They're hyped-up, they look sharp, they're a lot better with
their weapons . I'd take these guys out with me back home." If he's
going to take them back home in Philadelphia, they must be improving.
(Laughter and applause.)
As we bring more Iraqi police and soldiers online in the months
ahead, we will increasingly shift our focus from generating new Iraqi
forces to preparing Iraqis to take primary responsibility for the
security of their own country. At this moment, more than 35 Iraqi
battalions have assumed control of their own areas of responsibility --
including nearly half of the Baghdad province, and sectors of
south-central Iraq, southeast Iraq, western Iraq, and north-central
Iraq. And in the year ahead, we will continue handing more territory to
Iraqi forces, with the goal of having the Iraqis in control of more
territory than the coalition by the end of 2006.
As Iraqi forces take more responsibility, this will free up coalition
forces to conduct specialized operations against the most dangerous
terrorists, like Zarqawi and his associates, so we can defeat the
terrorists in Iraq so we do not have to face them here at home.
(Applause.) We will continue to hand over territory to the Iraqis so
they can defend their democracy, so they can do the hard work, and our
troops will be able to come home with the honor they have earned.
I've said that our strategy in Iraq can be summed up this way: As the
Iraqis stand up, we will stand down. And with more Iraqi forces
demonstrating the capabilities needed to achieve victory, our commanders
on the ground have determined that we can decrease our combat forces in
Iraq from 17 to 15 brigades by the spring of 2006. That's what they've
decided. And when they decide something, I listen to them. This
adjustment will result in a net decrease of several thousand troops
below the pre-election baseline of 138,000 U.S. troops in Iraq. This
decrease comes in addition to the reduction of about 20,000 troops who
were in Iraq largely to assist with the security during the December
elections.
Later this year, if Iraqis continue to make progress on the security
and political sides, we expect to discuss further possible adjustments
with the leaders of Iraq's new government. Having said this, all of my
decisions will be based upon conditions on the ground, not artificial
timetables set by Washington politicians. (Applause.) Our commanders on
the ground will have the forces they need to complete the mission and
achieve victory in Iraq.
As we help Iraqis defend their democracy, we will continue to help
Iraqis build their infrastructure and economy in the coming year. Iraqis
face real challenges from the long-term economic damage caused by Saddam
Hussein's regime. They face challenges because of acts of sabotage by
the enemies of a free Iraq. Yet despite these challenges, our coalition
and Iraqi leaders have made progress in a number of areas. Iraq now has
a stable currency, an independent stock exchange, an independent Central
Bank. Iraqis have new investment laws to welcome foreign capital, tax
and commercial laws to encourage private sector growth, and a low-tariff
trade regime that has opened Iraq's economy to the world. Under Saddam,
private property was not protected. Today, Iraq's new constitution
guarantees private property rights that are the foundation of any free
society.
Iraqi leaders are also beginning to make the tough choices necessary
to reform their economy -- such as easing gasoline subsidies. Until
recently, government subsidies put the price of fuel in Iraq at
artificially low prices -- really low prices. And that created
incentives for black-market corruption and crime -- and changing these
subsidies is a necessary step on the path for economic reform. So Iraqi
leaders have begun a series of price increases aimed at dismantling the
gas subsidy system. That's hard political work. But gasoline subsidies,
along with other subsidies, consume over half of Iraq's annual budget;
it diverts critical resources from health care and education and
infrastructure and security. Addressing these subsidies will allow Iraqi
leaders to better provide for their people and build a modern economy.
One of the biggest challenges facing Iraq is restoring the country's
oil and electric power infrastructure. These sectors were devastated by
decades of neglect. And since liberation, terrorists have targeted these
areas for destruction. As a result, oil and power production are below
pre-war levels. To help increase production, we're helping Iraqis better
maintain their refineries, build their oil supply and transportation
capabilities, improve their capacity to generate power, and better
protect their strategic infrastructure.
The struggles with oil production and the shortage of electricity
remain sources of frustration for the Iraqi citizens. Yet they're
putting these challenges in perspective. Today, seven in 10 Iraqis say
their lives are going well; nearly two-thirds expect things to improve
even more in the next year. The vast majority of Iraqis prefer freedom
with intermittent power to life in the permanent darkness of tyranny and
terror. Iraqis are optimistic about the future, and their optimism is
justified.
To realize their dreams, the Iraqi people still need help. And in the
coming year, the international community must step up and do its part.
So far, other nations and international organizations have pledged more
than $13 billion in assistance to Iraq. Iraqis are grateful for this
promised aid. So is the United States. Yet many nations have been slow
to make good on their commitments.
I call on all governments that have pledged assistance to follow
through with their promises as quickly as possible, so the Iraqis can
rebuild their country and provide a better future for their children.
Many nations have still not returned all the Iraqi assets frozen during
the regime of Saddam Hussein. I call on all nations to return these
assets to their rightful owners: The free people of Iraq own those
assets, not the foreign governments. (Applause.)
Many of the world's smallest nations have been among the most
generous. Last month, for example, Slovakia announced that it plans to
forgive a hundred percent of Iraq's $145 million debt. This makes
Slovakia only the third country, along with the United States and Malta,
to write off Iraqi debt completely. More nations should do the same so
the Iraq people are not held back by the crushing burden of debt
accumulated by Saddam Hussein.
International lending institutions are also stepping forward with
needed assistance. Last month, the International Monetary Fund approved
Iraq's request for a $680 million loan to carry out economic reforms.
The World Bank recently approved its first loan to Iraq in over 30
years, lending the Iraqi government $100 million to improve the Iraqi
school system, and making up to $400 million available to fund water,
electricity, roads and sanitation projects.
The international community must meet its responsibilities in Iraq --
and here in America we have responsibilities, as well. The coming year
will test the character of our country, and the will of our citizens. We
have a strategy for victory -- but to achieve that victory, we must have
the determination to see this strategy through. The enemy in Iraq knows
they cannot defeat us on the battlefield -- and so they're trying to
shake our will with acts of violence, and force us to retreat. That
means that our resolve in 2006 must stay strong. We must have patience
as Iraqis struggle to build democracy in a volatile region of the world.
We must not allow the images of destruction to discourage us, or obscure
the real progress our troops are making in Iraq. And we must continue to
provide these troops with all the resources they need to defend our
nation and prevail in the global war on terror.
We face an added challenge in the months ahead: The campaign season
will soon be upon us -- and that means our nation must carry on this war
in an election year. There is a vigorous debate about the war in Iraq
today, and we should not fear the debate. It's one of the great
strengths of our democracy that we can discuss our differences openly
and honestly -- even in times of war. Yet we must remember there is a
difference between responsible and irresponsible debate -- and it's even
more important to conduct this debate responsibly when American troops
are risking their lives overseas.
The American people know the difference between responsible and
irresponsible debate when they see it. They know the difference between
honest critics who question the way the war is being prosecuted and
partisan critics who claim that we acted in Iraq because of oil, or
because of Israel, or because we misled the American people. And they
know the difference between a loyal opposition that points out what is
wrong, and defeatists who refuse to see that anything is right.
When our soldiers hear politicians in Washington question the mission
they are risking their lives to accomplish, it hurts their morale. In a
time of war, we have a responsibility to show that whatever our
political differences at home, our nation is united and determined to
prevail. And we have a responsibility to our men and women in uniform --
who deserve to know that once our politicians vote to send them into
harm's way, our support will be with them in good days and in bad days
-- and we will settle for nothing less than complete victory.
(Applause.)
We also have an opportunity this year to show the Iraqi people what
responsible debate in a democracy looks like. In a free society, there
is only one check on political speech -- and that's the judgment of the
people. So I ask all Americans to hold their elected leaders to account,
and demand a debate that brings credit to our democracy -- not comfort
to our adversaries.
Support for the mission in Iraq should not be a partisan matter. VFW
members come from all over the country, and both sides of the political
aisle -- yet your position on the war is clear. In a recent resolution,
the VFW declared, "it is critical that the United States succeed in
Iraq, which will result in stability and security in the region." I
appreciate your support for the mission in Iraq, and so do our troops in
the fight. Your lives of service, from the first time you put on the
uniform to this day, are a credit to our country and an inspiration to
our military. A new generation of soldiers, and sailors, airmen, Marines
and Coast Guardsmen is now carrying out an urgent and noble mission --
and they're doing so with the same determination and courage as you who
came before them.
Some of our finest men and women have given their lives in freedom's
cause. Others have returned home with wounds that the best medicine
cannot heal. We hold all who sacrificed and their families in our
thoughts and in our prayers. And I'm going to make you this pledge: We
will not waver, we will not weaken, and we will not back down in the
cause they served. (Applause.) By their sacrifice, we are laying the
foundation of freedom in a troubled part of the world. And by laying
that foundation, we're laying the foundation of peace for generations to
come.
Thank you for letting me come by today. God bless. (Applause.)