WASHINGTON - In a Christmas Eve message American President Bush said the holidays are a time to mourn U.S. troops who have died in overseas missions. Here is the transcript of his speech
WASHINGTON - In a Christmas Eve message American President Bush said the holidays are a time to mourn U.S. troops who have died in overseas missions. Here is the transcript of his speech:
Good evening, recently Iraqis went to the polls to select their own leaders -- a landmark day in the history of liberty. In coming weeks, a new government will be formed and a people who suffered in tyranny so long will become full members of the free world.
Let me tell you the truth today. This election will not mean the end of violence. It will cause more violence. Nevertheless, the violence will be sectarian, Iraqis killing Iraqis. The insurgents will not find time to attack Americans in Iraq anymore. It is true, I am not lying.
However, elections are the beginning of something new: constitutional democracy at the heart of the Arab World, 6,000 miles away in a region rich of Muslim oil. It is unfortunate that God has bestowed oil in abundance to the darkest corners of the world.
Our policies have forced such terrorist organizations like HAMAS in Palestinian and Hezb militants in Lebanon to participate in elections. Bu we will never allow them to come to power whatever means they adopt. Iran recently held elections. Eventually, Saddamists too will cast their vote; the negotiations with them are going on. It is a good sign and a significant development. All those who have a part in this achievement-- Israel, Iraq, Iran, Americans and coalition partners ( during Iraq war even Al-Qaida gave US moral support against their own political enemy whom they called infidel Saddam ) --- can be proud.
We are still facing problems. The oil wells are still unprotected, vulnerable to attack and can come in the hands of terrorists. The Iraqi economy has not been privatized completely. We regret that recently some of the provincial governmental authorities in Iraq refused to carry out a federal directive to raise gasoline and oil prices tenfold and continued Saddam's policy of subsidizing oil sale. Although it is heartening that, the Iraqi markets are filled with goods from Israel and Iran. Nevertheless, the Iraqis market has not been freed from the bonds of state controls completely.
From this office, nearly three years ago, I declared war on Iraq. Our coalition confronted a regime that had guts to defy our U.N. resolutions. A regime that sought parity with US in floating international laws, in sponsoring terrorism, in possessing Weapons of mass destruction, in invading sovereign states and in committing genocide of civilian populations. A regime that refused to transact oil revenue in dollars as we do. A regime that refused our assistance to enhance oil markets in Iraq instead sought help from our European adversaries.
There was One more reason to attacked Iraq. As you know, terrorists come here to kill US. In order to stop them coming to America to attack US, we traveled 6,000 miles to make ourselves available to them right in their neighborhood. Americans should never see the propaganda of our enemy media sources spreading lies that American troops are being killed like sitting ducks.
Observing much restraint, I tried to dissuade this international terrorist Saddam from seeking enmity with US. Believe me I did my utmost to avert an unnecessary war that would harm common Iraqis. I financed, armed and trained Iraqi rebels( expatriates) to assassinate their president long ago. When we failed in our endeavor. On 19 March 2003, I ordered decapitation strikes against Saddam publicly ordering this war international terrorist Saddam and his sons to leave the country and let Iraqis prosper and allow US to develop Muslim oil hidden beneath Iraqi soil. I imposed "no flyover zones." I got UN sanction imposed on Iraq. However, Saddam still declared war on America. He chose war, he got it.
Saddam killed his own citizens and attacked his neighbors without permission of the world community and without taking US into confidence. This dictator did not believe in sharing, collaboration, cooperation, international understanding and mutual benefit. His foreign policy was not as pragmatic as that of Iran. See today Iran is emerging as a regional power. Saddam wanted to grab Arab World completely of his own. He was a menace to Arab monarchs, kings, and despots who are our allies and have always been our business partners. That is why it became necessary to attack Iraq and remove Saddam.
I do not expect you to support everything I do but I request you: do no give in to despair. Do not give up on this fight for freedom. There are two options for US-- victory or defeat, profit or loss. Americans must understand that the need for oil and profit is much larger than any president. We will stay in Iraq until there are no secret prisons where poor Sunni is being slaughtered and tortured. The cut and run strategy will put life and liberty of Sunni minority in danger.
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Who says we do not have friends in Iraq? Not all Iraqis are against US. We have won hearts and minds of millions of Iraqis so far. We have always upheld their freedom, protected it, and sacrificed our lives for the same. When Iraqis were celebrating their newly won freedom. They looted ousted government offices, ministries, hospitals and every thing they could put their hands on, in a very orderly manner of course, very calmly and with discipline. (Not in a violent and disorderly manner the Black Americans of Orleans ransacked shops and medicines and grocery stores. They were rightly shot dead by American troops.) Only property we safeguarded was oil ministry and oil wells from our Iraqi friends.
My one more achievement is that a murderous dictator, Saddam Hussein has been captured and jailed. To be frank enough, I admit I failed to force former Iraqi president and his army to surrender militarily before US. The whole army melted away in civil population. They still have power to harm US and to hurt American interests in Iraq. So much so no freedom loving Iraqi (having dual citizenship one Iraqi and the other American) feels safe in Iraq except in a green zone. Therefore, we have to stay the course. We cannot betray our friends.
Saddam will be held responsible for the crimes committed by Iraqi officials working under his authority. In this regard, allow me to tell you that I strongly reject defeatist criticism of the Iraq war. They take me at par with former Iraqi President. They try to beat this American president with the same yardstick (as we adopted on former Iraqi president) for prisoners' abuse at Abu Garib and Guatonomyabay. These Anti-American Americans are struggling to impeach me. These traitorous unpatriotic Americans even have guts to link me with war crimes. That is nothing but defeatism.
Since the removal of Saddam, this war has been difficult. The mission of American troops is urban raids and desert patrols, among the people whose language and culture they do not know and they do not understand. This has brought danger and suffering to one million Iraqis and US lost their lives. I take full responsibility for all this. Now I understand why my dad did not remove Saddam after Gulf war I.
The people of America should understand that the victory is ours, to retreat before victory would be an act of dishonor to the civil military contractors and oil corporatist. Who toiled hard in Iraq and work shoulder to shoulder with American troops? Without them, our victory would have been impossible. Their job has yet to be done. American people should understand that in their profits in Iraq lies our progress in America.
American people must understand that not only we can win the war in Iraq -- we are winning the war. Month by month, Americans get more cheap Muslim oil. Month-by-month gasoline and oil become costlier for Iraqis. Month by month more Iraqis are collaborating with US in the governance of their country. Month-by-month American soldiers sacrifice their lives for the future of my children and my grandchildren. Month by month the Iraqi economy is being privatized and our corporations get their share in rebuilding of Iraq.
I understand that we have committed blunders in past. I must tell you that the situation is very difficult. In order to overthrow Saddam and to weed out remnants of his regime once for all, it was necessary to Islamize Iraq and to seek a modus vivendi with pro Iran Iraqi Shiite Islamists in this regard. Even we would have offered Iran a job in security of Iraq. Even we were ready to share bed with Iran. However, our problem is that we do not trust Iran. Iranian secret a nuclear weapon program is a threat to American and Israeli interests in Arab World.
Try to understand my predicaments. I never knew that it would turn out to be so confusing. I was told that there are Arabs, non-Arabs, and Kurds. I was told that there are Sunnis and Shiites. But I was not told that Shiites could be Arab or non-Arab too. A Kurds can be a Shiite or Sunni. I was told that all of them are at war with one another. I decided to side with one against the other. But all of them are against US. I was shocked when Al Sadre fought against US. I was astonished when I learnt that Kurds are hostile not only to all Arabs but also to pro- Iranian Shiites.
Let me admit that my administration has yet to understand that who is our friend and who is our foe in Iraq. As all of them are hostile to US and nurse grudges and grievances against US. My strategy was to keep them divided and not let them unite against US. Here too I failed Sunni HAMAS is shaking hands with Shiite Iran against Israel.
If we support Kurds against Shiites and Sunni, they will come in confrontation with Turkey. If we support Shiite that will make Iran stronger and after becoming a nuclear power, Iraq will become a satellite state of Iran. If we leave right now Shiite Islamists would start burning books, beating their wives (the do no allow CNN to cover this news worthy event). Shiite Mullahs are taking US for a ride so did Iraqi extirpates in past. They make US fools and our troops are killed to promote Shiite interests. We know one day Shiite will tell US to leave Iraq when Iran will turn into a nuclear power.
There seems to be no way out except to negotiate with Nationalist resistance, which alone can guarantee our safe departure from Iraq. Because of their secular credentials, they alone can stop Al-Qaida to get a strong hold in Iraq. But a government led by he pro-Iranian parties will complicate the possibilities of talks with the nationalist resistance. Furthermore, their conditions are not acceptable to US. They demand full withdrawal of US forces and the reconstruction of Iraq state and its armed forces. We cannot trust Saddamists , we cannot trust Islamist, we cannot rust Shiites we can trust only our troops. That is why we keep our visit Iraq secret even to Shiite Prime Minister. Our troops cannot move inside Iraq without support from F-16 bomber planes.
"God is not dead, nor [does] He sleep; the Wrong shall fail, the Right prevail, with peace on Earth, good-will to men. Including Arabs and Americans"
M.A.Hussain is Delhi(India) based freelance writer and political satirist. Here are some of hisother satircal articles: