[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 43, Number 29 (Monday, July 23, 2007)]
[Pages 963-964]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
The President's Radio Address

July 14, 2007

    Good morning. This week, my administration submitted to Congress an 
interim report on the situation in Iraq. This report provides an initial 
assessment of how the Iraqi Government is doing in meeting the 18 
benchmarks that Congress asked us to measure. This is a preliminary 
report. In September, General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker will 
return to Washington to provide a more comprehensive assessment.
    The interim report released this week finds that the Iraqis have 
made satisfactory progress in eight areas, such as providing the three 
brigades they promised for the surge, establishing joint security 
stations in Baghdad neighborhoods, and providing $10 billion of their 
own money for reconstruction. In eight other areas, the progress was 
unsatisfactory, such as failing to prepare for local elections or pass a 
law to share oil revenues. In two remaining areas, the progress was too 
unclear to be characterized one way or the other.
    Those who believe that the battle in Iraq is lost are pointing to 
the unsatisfactory performance on some of the political benchmarks. 
Those of us who believe the battle in Iraq can and must be won see the 
satisfactory performance on several of the security benchmarks as a 
cause for optimism. Our strategy is built on the premise that progress 
on security will pave the way for political progress. This report shows 
that conditions can change, progress can be made, and the fight in Iraq 
can be won.
    The strategy we are now pursuing is markedly different from the one 
we were following last year. It became clear that our approach in Iraq 
was not working. So I consulted my national security team, the Joint 
Chiefs of Staff, and military commanders and diplomats on the ground. I 
brought in outside experts to hear their ideas. And after listening to 
this advice, in January, I announced a new way forward: sending 
reinforcements to help the Iraqis protect their people; improve their 
security forces; and advance the difficult process of reconciliation at 
both the national and local levels.
    Our recent experience in Anbar Province shows what we hope to 
achieve throughout Iraq. As recently as last September, Anbar was held 
up as an example of America's failure in Iraq. Around the same time, the 
situation began to change. Sunni tribes that had been fighting alongside 
Al Qaida against our coalition came forward to fight alongside our 
coalition against Al Qaida. So I sent reinforcements to take advantage 
of this opportunity. And together we have driven Al Qaida from most of 
Anbar's capital city of Ramadi, and attacks there are now at a 2-year 
low.
    We are now carrying out operations to replicate the success in Anbar 
in other parts of the country, especially in the regions in and around 
Baghdad. We are starting to take the initiative away from Al Qaida and 
aiding the rise of an Iraqi Government that can protect its people, 
deliver basic services, and be an ally in the war against extremists and 
radicals. By doing this, we are creating the conditions that will allow 
our troops to begin coming home. When America starts drawing down our 
forces in Iraq, it will be because our military commanders say the 
conditions on the ground are right, not because pollsters say it would 
be good politics.
    Some people say the surge has been going for 6 months and that is 
long enough to conclude that it has failed. In fact, the final 
reinforcements arrived in Iraq just a month ago, and only then was 
General Petraeus able to launch the surge in full force. He and the 
troops who have begun these dangerous operations deserve the time and 
resources to carry them out.
    To begin to bring troops home before our commanders tell us we are 
ready would be dangerous for our country. It would mean surrendering the 
future of Iraq to Al Qaida,

[[Page 964]]

risking a humanitarian catastrophe, and allowing the terrorists to 
establish a safe haven in Iraq and gain control of vast oil resources 
they could use to fund new attacks on America. And it would increase the 
probability that American troops would have to return at some later date 
to confront an enemy that is even more dangerous.
    Most Americans want to see two things in Iraq: They want to see our 
troops succeed, and they want to see our troops begin to come home. We 
can do both, and we will. Our troops in Iraq are serving bravely. 
They're making great sacrifices. Changing the conditions in Iraq is 
difficult, and it can be done. The best way to start bringing these good 
men and women home is to make sure the surge succeeds.
    Thank you for listening.

Note: The address was recorded at 7:50 a.m. on July 13 in the Cabinet 
Room at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on July 14. The 
transcript was made available by the Office of the Press Secretary on 
July 13 but was embargoed for release until the broadcast. In his 
address, the President referred to Gen. David H. Petraeus, USA, 
commanding general, Multi-National Force--Iraq; and U.S. Ambassador to 
Iraq Ryan C. Crocker. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a 
Spanish language transcript of this address.