Authored by Jon Mercer in Military and Wars
Published on 12-15-2008
Although President Bush continues to defend the U.S. led invasion of Iraq, he admits that the war has been more costly than expected, and that it has also taking longer than he had hoped. The President noted that some progress had been made but there was still a great deal of work to be done in liberating the Iraqi people.
MSNBC is reporting that terrorism is still a serious issue in the region, despite the presence of U.S. soldiers. “People still live under oppression in Iraq”, stated President Bush in a speech delivered Sunday. Bush also said that political and economic reforms were advancing in the region.
The president admits that Saddam Hussein was not involved in the attacks of terrorism that devastated our country on September 11, 2001. However, he stands behind his controversial decision to oust him. Bush said “the world could not risk leaving Saddam Hussein’s power unchecked.”
Saddam Hussein was a sworn enemy of the United States and after the terrorist attacks of 9-11, Bush claimed America could not tolerate an enemy who not only supported terrorism, but one who many analysts believed possessed weapons of mass destruction. Bush stated that “It was clear to members of both political parties, and to many leaders around the world after September 11, this was a risk we could not afford to take.”
Bush also said that the Iraq invasion was responsible for persuading Iran to suspend its nuclear weapons search. The year the war began, Iran halted a key part of its nuclear weapons program according to the U.S. intelligence program. Bush also defended his administration’s diplomatic policy with Iran, although he concedes that it hasn’t been successful so far.
The three member presidential council on Iraq signed an agreement that will require the nearly 15,000 U.S. troops to leave Iraq by January 1, 2012. The agreement also requires that U.S. troops begin leaving Iraqi cities by the end of June 2009.
Even though the president’s policies have not always been popular, he maintains that the progress made in Iraq, though not as fruitful as he had expected, is still working, and that the Iraqi people are on the verge of having the stabile democracy they deserve.
Bush also boasted that he was the first US president in history to call for a Palestinian state, while admitting that the conflict between Israel and Palestine was the most “vexing” problem facing the Middle East.
