    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2005, Book II)]
    [December 18, 2005]
    [Pages 1872-1875]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Address to the Nation on Iraq and the War on Terror
    December 18, 2005

        Good evening. Three days ago, in large numbers, Iraqis went to the
    polls to choose their own leaders, a landmark day in the history of
    liberty. In the coming weeks, the ballots will be counted, a new
    Government formed, and a people who suffered in tyranny for so long will
    become full members of the free world.
        This election will not mean the end of violence. But it is the
    beginning of something new, constitutional democracy at the heart of the
    Middle East. And this vote, 6,000 miles away, in a vital region of the
    world, means that America has an ally of growing strength in the fight
    against terror.
        All who had a part in this achievement, Iraqis and Americans and our
    coalition partners, can be proud. Yet our work is not done. There is
    more testing and sacrifice before us. I know many Americans have
    questions about the cost and direction of this war. So tonight I want to
    talk to you about how far we have come in Iraq and the path that lies
    ahead.
        From this office, nearly 3 years ago, I announced the start of
    military operations in Iraq. Our coalition confronted a regime that
    defied United Nations Security Council resolutions, violated a ceasefire
    agreement, sponsored terrorism, and possessed, we believed, weapons of
    mass destruction. After the swift fall of Baghdad, we found mass graves
    filled by a dictator. We found some capacity
    to restart programs to produce weapons of mass destruction, but we did
    not find those weapons.
        It is true that Saddam Hussein had a
    history of pursuing and using weapons of mass destruction. It is true
    that he systematically concealed those programs and blocked the work of
    U.N. weapons inspectors. It is true that many nations believed that
    Saddam had weapons of mass destruction. But much of the intelligence
    turned out to be wrong. As your President, I am responsible for the
    decision to go into Iraq. Yet it was right to remove Saddam Hussein from
    power.
        He was given an ultimatum, and he made
    his choice for war. And the result of that war was to rid a--the world
    of a murderous dictator who menaced his people, invaded his neighbors,
    and declared America to be his enemy. Saddam Hussein, captured and
    jailed, is still the same raging tyrant, only now without a throne. His
    power to harm a single man, woman, or child is gone forever, and the
    world is better for it.
        Since the removal of Saddam, this war,
    like other wars in our history, has been difficult. The mission of
    American troops in urban raids and desert patrols, fighting Saddam
    loyalists and foreign terrorists, has brought danger and suffering and
    loss. This loss has caused sorrow for our whole Nation, and it has led
    some to ask if we are creating more problems than we're solving.
        That is an important question, and the answer depends on your view
    of the war on terror. If you think the terrorists would become peaceful
    if only America would stop provoking them, then it might make sense to
    leave them alone.
        This is not the threat I see. I see a global terrorist movement that
    exploits Islam in the service of radical political aims, a vision in
    which books are burned and women are oppressed and all dissent is
    crushed. Terrorist operatives conduct their campaign of murder with a
    set of declared and specific goals: to demoralize free nations, to drive
    us out of the Middle East, to spread an empire of fear across that
    region, and to wage a perpetual war against America and our friends.
    These terrorists view the world as a giant battlefield, and they seek to
    attack us wherever they can. This has attracted Al Qaida to Iraq, where

    [[Page 1873]]

    they are attempting to frighten and intimidate America into a policy of
    retreat.
        The terrorists do not merely object to American actions in Iraq and
    elsewhere; they object to our deepest values and our way of life. And if
    we were not fighting them in Iraq, in Afghanistan, in Southeast Asia,
    and in other places, the terrorists would not be peaceful citizens; they
    would be on the offense and headed our way.
        September the 11th, 2001, required us to take every emerging threat
    to our country seriously, and it shattered the illusion that terrorists
    attack us only after we provoke them. On that day, we were not in Iraq;
    we were not in Afghanistan. But the terrorists attacked us anyway and
    killed nearly 3,000 men, women, and children in our own country. My
    conviction comes down to this: We do not create terrorism by fighting
    the terrorists; we invite terrorism by ignoring them. And we will defeat
    the terrorists by capturing and killing them abroad, removing their safe
    havens, and strengthening new allies like Iraq and Afghanistan in the
    fight we share.
        The work in Iraq has been especially difficult--more difficult than
    we expected. Reconstruction efforts and the training of Iraqi security
    forces started more slowly than we hoped. We continue to see violence
    and suffering, caused by an enemy that is determined and brutal,
    unconstrained by conscience or the rules of war.
        Some look at the challenges in Iraq and conclude that the war is
    lost and not worth another dime or another day. I don't believe that.
    Our military commanders do not believe that. Our troops in the field,
    who bear the burden and make the sacrifice, do not believe that America
    has lost. And not even the terrorists believe it. We know from their own
    communications that they feel a tightening noose and fear the rise of a
    democratic Iraq.
        The terrorists will continue to have the coward's power to plant
    roadside bombs and recruit suicide bombers. And you will continue to see
    the grim results on the evening news. This proves that the war is
    difficult. It doesn't mean that we are losing. Behind the images of
    chaos that terrorists create for the cameras, we are making steady gains
    with a clear objective in view.
        America, our coalition, and Iraqi leaders are working toward the
    same goal, a democratic Iraq that can defend itself, that will never
    again be a safe haven for terrorists, and that will serve as a model of
    freedom for the Middle East.
        We've put in place a strategy to achieve this goal, a strategy I've
    been discussing in detail over the last few weeks. This plan has three
    critical elements.
        First, our coalition will remain on the offense, finding and
    clearing out the enemy, transferring control of more territory to Iraqi
    units, and building up the Iraqi security forces so they can
    increasingly lead the fight. At this time last year, there were only a
    handful of Iraqi army and police battalions ready for combat. Now, there
    are more than 125 Iraqi combat battalions fighting the enemy, more than
    50 are taking the lead, and we have transferred more than a dozen
    military bases to Iraqi control.
        Second, we're helping the Iraqi Government establish the
    institutions of a unified and lasting democracy, in which all of Iraq's
    people are included and represented. Here also, the news is encouraging.
    Three days ago, more than 10 million Iraqis went to the polls, including
    many Sunni Iraqis who had boycotted national elections last January.
    Iraqis of every background are recognizing that democracy is the future
    of the country they love, and they want their voices heard. One Iraqi,
    after dipping his finger in the purple ink as he cast his ballot, stuck
    his finger in the air and said, ``This is a thorn in the eyes of the
    terrorists.'' Another voter was asked, ``Are you Sunni or Shi'a?'' And
    he responded, ``I am Iraqi.''
        Third, after a number of setbacks, our coalition is moving forward
    with a reconstruction plan to revive Iraq's economy and

    [[Page 1874]]

    infrastructure and to give Iraqis confidence that a free life will be a
    better life. Today in Iraq, 7 in 10 Iraqis say their lives are going
    well, and nearly two-thirds expect things to improve even more in the
    year ahead. Despite the violence, Iraqis are optimistic, and that
    optimism is justified.
        In all three aspects of our strategy, security, democracy, and
    reconstruction, we have learned from our experiences and fixed what has
    not worked. We will continue to listen to honest criticism and make
    every change that will help us complete the mission. Yet there is a
    difference between honest critics who recognize what is wrong and
    defeatists who refuse to see that anything is right.
        Defeatism may have its partisan uses, but it is not justified by the
    facts. For every scene of destruction in Iraq, there are more scenes of
    rebuilding and hope. For every life lost, there are countless more lives
    reclaimed. And for every terrorist working to stop freedom in Iraq,
    there are many more Iraqis and Americans working to defeat them. My
    fellow citizens, not only can we win the war in Iraq, we are winning the
    war in Iraq.
        It is also important for every American to understand the
    consequences of pulling out of Iraq before our work is done. We would
    abandon our Iraqi friends and signal to the world that America cannot be
    trusted to keep its word. We would undermine the morale of our troops by
    betraying the cause for which they have sacrificed. We would cause the
    tyrants in the Middle East to laugh at our failed resolve and tighten
    their repressive grip. We would hand Iraq over to enemies who have
    pledged to attack us, and the global terrorist movement would be
    emboldened and more dangerous than ever before. To retreat before
    victory would be an act of recklessness and dishonor, and I will not
    allow it.
        We're approaching a new year, and there are certain things all
    Americans can expect to see. We will see more sacrifice from our
    military, their families, and the Iraqi people. We will see a concerted
    effort to improve Iraqi police forces and fight corruption. We will see
    the Iraqi military gaining strength and confidence and the democratic
    process moving forward. As these achievements come, it should require
    fewer American troops to accomplish our mission. I will make decisions
    on troop levels based on the progress we see on the ground and the
    advice of our military leaders, not based on artificial timetables set
    by politicians in Washington. Our forces in Iraq are on the road to
    victory, and that is the road that will take them home.
        In the months ahead, all Americans will have a part in the success
    of this war. Members of Congress will need to provide resources for our
    military. Our men and women in uniform, who have done so much already,
    will continue their brave and urgent work. And tonight, I ask all of you
    listening to carefully consider the stakes of this war, to realize how
    far we have come and the good we are doing, and to have patience in this
    difficult, noble, and necessary cause.
        I also want to speak to those of you who did not support my decision
    to send troops to Iraq. I have heard your disagreement, and I know how
    deeply it is felt. Yet now, there are only two options before our
    country, victory or defeat. And the need for victory is larger than any
    President or political party, because the security of our people is in
    the balance. I don't expect you to support everything I do, but tonight
    I have a request: Do not give in to despair, and do not give up on this
    fight for freedom.
        Americans can expect some things of me as well. My most solemn
    responsibility is to protect our Nation, and that requires me to make
    some tough decisions. I see the consequences of those decisions when I
    meet wounded service men and women who cannot leave their hospital beds
    but summon the strength to look me in the eye and say they would do it
    all over again.

    [[Page 1875]]

    I see the consequences when I talk to parents who miss a child so much
    but tell me he loved being a soldier, he believed in his mission, and,
    ``Mr. President, finish the job.''
        I know that some of my decisions have led to terrible loss, and not
    one of those decisions has been taken lightly. I know this war is
    controversial; yet being your President requires doing what I believe is
    right and accepting the consequences. And I have never been more certain
    that America's actions in Iraq are essential to the security of our
    citizens and will lay the foundation of peace for our children and
    grandchildren.
        Next week, Americans will gather to celebrate Christmas and
    Hanukkah. Many families will be praying for loved ones spending this
    season far from home in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other dangerous places.
    Our Nation joins in those prayers. We pray for the safety and strength
    of our troops. We trust, with them, in a love that conquers all fear, in
    a light that reaches the darkest corners of the Earth. And we remember
    the words of the Christmas carol, written during the Civil War: ``God is
    not dead, nor does He sleep; the Wrong shall fail, the Right prevail,
    with peace on Earth, good will to men.''
        Thank you, and good night.

    Note: The President spoke at 9:01 p.m. in the Oval Office at the White
    House. In his address, he referred to former President Saddam Hussein of
    Iraq. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language
    transcript of this address.