[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 43, Number 38 (Monday, September 24, 2007)]
[Pages 1215-1216]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
The President's Radio Address

September 15, 2007

    Good morning. This week, General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan 
Crocker testified before Congress on the progress of America's strategy 
in Iraq, including the surge in forces. They agreed that our coalition 
faces formidable challenges. Yet they also said that security conditions 
are improving; that our forces are seizing the initiative from the 
enemy; and that the troop surge is working.
    Because of this progress, General Petraeus now believes we can 
maintain our security gains with fewer U.S. troops. He's recommended a 
force reduction of 5,700 troops in Iraq by Christmas, and he expects 
that by July we will be able to reduce our troop levels in Iraq further, 
from 20 combat brigades to 15. He's also recommended that in December we 
begin a transition to the next phase of our strategy in Iraq, in which 
our troops will shift over time from leading operations to partnering 
with Iraqi forces, and eventually to overwatching those forces.
    I have accepted General Petraeus's recommendations, and I have 
directed that he and Ambassador Crocker deliver another report to 
Congress in March. At that time, they will provide a fresh assessment of 
the situation in Iraq and of the troop levels we need to meet our 
national security objectives. The principle that guides my decisions on 
troop levels is ``return on success.'' The more successful we are, the 
more troops can return home. And in all we do, I will ensure that our 
commanders on the ground have the troops and flexibility they need to 
defeat the enemy.
    Anbar Province is a good example of the progress we are seeing in 
Iraq. Last year, an intelligence report concluded that Anbar had been 
lost to Al Qaida. But local sheiks asked for our help to push back the 
terrorists--and so we sent an additional 4,000 marines to Anbar as part 
of the surge. Together, local sheiks, Iraqi forces, and coalition troops 
drove the terrorists from the capital of Ramadi and other population 
centers. Today, citizens who once feared beheading for talking to our 
troops now come forward to tell us where the terrorists are hiding. And 
young Sunnis who once joined the insurgency are now joining the Army and 
police.
    The success in Anbar is beginning to be replicated in other parts of 
Iraq. In Diyala, a Province that was once a sanctuary for extremists, is 
now the site of a growing popular uprising against the extremists. In 
Baghdad, sectarian killings are down, and life is beginning to return to 
normal in many parts of the city. Groups of Shi'a extremists and 
Iranian-backed militants are being broken up, and many of their leaders 
are being captured or killed. These gains are a tribute to our military, 
to Iraqi forces, and to an Iraqi Government that has decided to take on 
the extremists.
    The success of a free Iraq is critical to the security of the United 
States. If we were to be driven out of Iraq, extremists of all strains 
would be emboldened. Al Qaida could find new recruits and new 
sanctuaries. And a failed Iraq could increase the likelihood that our 
forces would someday have to return and confront extremists even more 
entrenched and even more deadly. By contrast, a free Iraq will deny Al 
Qaida a safe haven. It will counter the destructive ambitions of Iran. 
And it will serve as a partner in the fight against terrorism.
    In this struggle, we have brave allies who are making great 
sacrifices to defeat the terrorists. One of these Iraqis was a man named 
Sheikh Abdul Sattar. He was one of the tribal leaders I met on my recent 
visit to Iraq, who was helping us to drive Al Qaida out of Anbar 
Province. His father was killed by Al Qaida in 2004. And when we met 
Sheikh Sattar, he told me, quote, ``We have suffered a great deal from 
terrorism. We strongly support the

[[Page 1216]]

democracy you have called for.'' Earlier this week, this brave tribal 
sheikh was murdered. A fellow Sunni leader declared, ``We are determined 
to strike back and continue our work.'' We mourn the loss of brave 
Iraqis like Sheikh Sattar, and we stand with those who are continuing 
the fight.
    If Iraq's young democracy can turn back its enemies, it will mean a 
more hopeful Middle East and a more secure America. So we will help the 
Iraqi people defeat those who threaten their future and also threaten 
ours.
    Thank you for listening.

Note: The address was recorded at approximately 7:50 a.m. on September 
14 in the Cabinet Room at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on 
September 15. In his remarks, the President referred to Gen. David H. 
Petraeus, USA, commanding general, Multi-National Force--Iraq; and 
Jubeir Rashid, member, Anbar Salvation Council. The transcript was made 
available by the Office of the Press Secretary on September 14 but was 
embargoed for release until the broadcast. The Office of the Press 
Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of this address.