California Conservative

President Bush’s speech in Philadelphia has already been criticized by John Murtha but it’s a great speech in the sense that President Bush outlined our plan on how to win in Iraq while providing a history lesson on America’s struggle for freedom after the Declaration of Independance. Here are some examples:

Our strategy in Iraq has three elements.

• On the economic side, we’re helping the Iraqis restore their infrastructure, reform their economy and build the prosperity that will give all Iraqis a stake in a free and peaceful Iraq.
• On the security side, coalition and Iraqi forces are on the offense against the enemy. We’re working together to clear out areas controlled by the terrorists and Saddam loyalists, and leaving Iraqi forces to hold territory taken from the enemy.
• And as we help Iraqis fight these enemies, we’re working to build capable and effective Iraqi security forces so they can take the lead in the fight and eventually take responsibility for the safety and security of their citizens without major foreign assistance.

That sounds an awful lot like a real plan for final victory to me. I suppose Democrats don’t recognize it as such because it’s too straightforward. Oh well.

From the perspective of more than two centuries the success of America’s democratic experiment seems almost inevitable. At the time, however, that success didn’t seem so obvious or assured. The eight years from the end of the Revolutionary War to the election of a constitutional government were a time of disorder and upheaval.
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Our founders faced many difficult challenges, they made mistakes, they learned from their experiences and they adjusted their approach. Our nation’s first effort at a governing charter, the Articles of Confederation, failed. It took years of debate and compromise before we ratified our Constitution and inaugurated our first president. It took a four-year civil war and a century of struggle after that before the promise of our Declaration was extended to all Americans. It is important to keep this history in mind as we look at the progress of freedom and democracy in Iraq. No nation in history has made the transition to a free society without facing challenges, setbacks and false starts.

Think about this: Iraq is on the verge of doing in 30 months what it took the U.S. almost a decade to do. What’s more amazing is that, in John Murtha’s or Nancy Pelosi’s or Howard Dean’s opinion, that isn’t nearly fast enough. That these people can say the things they’re saying with a straight face should tell you everything you need to know.

Yes, liberty is a precious thing but it doesn’t come without sweat, thinking and rethinking various issues, and bloodshed and violence. When Barbara Boxer or Nancy Pelosi talk about the cost being too great to America in blood and treasure, I just ignore them because they have no concept of the price of freedom or the value of assisting others, in this case Iraqis, gain true liberty, especially liberty from a tyrant.

Today, I want to discuss the political element of our strategy: our efforts to help the Iraqis build inclusive democratic institutions that will protect the interests of all the Iraqi people.

• By helping Iraqis to build a democracy, we will win over those who doubted they had a place in a new Iraq and undermine the terrorists and Saddamists.
• By helping Iraqis to gain a democracy, we will gain an ally in the war on terror.
• By helping Iraqis build a democracy, we will inspire reformers across the Middle East.
• And by helping Iraqis build a democracy, we will bring hope to a troubled region. And this will make the American people more secure.

Amen, Mr. President. Amen.

From the outset, the political element of our strategy in Iraq has been guided by a clear principle.
Democracy takes different forms in different cultures. Yet in all cultures, successful free societies are built on certain common foundations: rule of law, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, a free economy and freedom to worship. Respect for the belief of others is the only way to build a society where compassion and tolerance prevail. Societies that lay these foundations not only survive, but thrive. Societies that do not lay these foundations risk backsliding into tyranny.

I love it when President Bush talks about the fundamentals of free societies because he’s so on-target. This paragraph illustrates how well he understands free societies undergirdings. This might seem like being simplistic but I think it’s much deeper than that. I think his explanation is what will help the American people understand that we’re working to establish these principles in Iraq and that these principles will transform Iraqi society and the Middle East.

On Thursday, Iraqis will meet their fourth milestone. And when they do go to the polls and choose a new government under the new constitution, it’ll be a remarkable event in the Arab world. Despite terrorist violence, the country is buzzing with signs and sounds of democracy in action. The streets of Baghdad and Najaf and Mosul and other cities are full of signs and posters. The television and radio airwaves are thick with political ads and commentary. Hundreds of parties and coalitions have registered for this week’s elections and they’re campaigning vigorously. Candidates are holding rallies and laying out their agendas and asking for the vote.

For a country that’s on the verge of utter failure, this sounds pretty exciting. This doesn’t sound the least bit like the picture the Agenda Media has painted. Still, on a serious note, this is thrilling. This is history being made right in front of us. I, for one, won’t miss a minute of it.

To encourage broader participation by all Iraqi communities, the national assembly made important changes in Iraq’s electoral laws that will increase Sunni representation in the new assembly. In the January elections, Iraq was one giant electoral district, so seats in the transitional assembly simply reflected turnout. Because few Sunnis voted, their communities were left with little representation. Now Iraq has a new electoral system where seats in the new council of representatives will be allocated by province and population, much like our own House of Representatives.

This paragraph disproves the notion that President Bush isn’t flexible enough to adapt when he needs to. I’m sure that Ambassador Khalilzad had alot to do with this provision, just like he offered alot of input in other sections of the Iraqi Constitution. The President and the diplomats he appointed should be commended on this provision.

Cross-posted at LetFreedomRing

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 14th, 2005 at 8:44 am and is filed under Author: Gary Gross, Elections, Foreign Policy, Iraq, Patriotism. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.