(BTW, the only thing WinWord thought was important on the last of the 3 pages were the last 2 sentence at the end of this,
"Even if our new strategy works exactly as planned, deadly acts of violence will continue - and we must expect more Iraqi and American casualties. A democratic Iraq will not be perfect." Summary
The new strategy I outline tonight will change America's course in Iraq, and help us succeed in the fight against terror. We thought that these elections would bring the Iraqis together - and that as we trained Iraqi security forces, we could accomplish our mission with fewer American troops. The violence in Iraq - particularly in Baghdad - overwhelmed the political gains the Iraqis had made. Al Qaeda terrorists and Sunni insurgents recognized the mortal danger that Iraq's elections posed for their cause. The situation in Iraq is unacceptable to the American people - and it is unacceptable to me. Our troops in Iraq have fought bravely. It is clear that we need to change our strategy in Iraq. For the safety of our people, America must succeed in Iraq. The most urgent priority for success in Iraq is security, especially in Baghdad. Eighty percent of Iraq's sectarian violence occurs within 30 miles of the capital. Only the Iraqis can end the sectarian violence and secure their people. Our past efforts to secure Baghdad failed for two principal reasons: There were not enough Iraqi and American troops to secure neighborhoods that had been cleared of terrorists and insurgents. Our military commanders reviewed the new Iraqi plan to ensure that it addressed these mistakes. The Iraqi government will deploy Iraqi Army and National Police brigades across Baghdad's nine districts. When these forces are fully deployed, there will be 18 Iraqi Army and National Police brigades committed to this effort - along with local police. So America will change our strategy to help the Iraqis carry out their campaign to put down sectarian violence - and bring security to the people of Baghdad. This will require increasing American force levels. So I have committed more than 20,000 additional American troops to Iraq. Our troops will have a well-defined mission: to help Iraqis clear and secure neighborhoods, to help them protect the local population, and to help ensure that the Iraqi forces left behind are capable of providing the security that Baghdad needs. In earlier operations, political and sectarian interference prevented Iraqi and American forces from going into neighborhoods that are home to those fueling the sectarian violence. If the Iraqi government does not follow through on its promises, it will lose the support of the American people - and it will lose the support of the Iraqi people. Most of Iraq's Sunni and Shia want to live together in peace - and reducing the violence in Baghdad will help make reconciliation possible. A successful strategy for Iraq goes beyond military operations. So America will hold the Iraqi government to the benchmarks it has announced. To establish its authority, the Iraqi government plans to take responsibility for security in all of Iraq's provinces by November. To give every Iraqi citizen a stake in the country's economy, Iraq will pass legislation to share oil revenues among all Iraqis. America will change our approach to help the Iraqi government as it works to meet these benchmarks. In keeping with the recommendations of the Iraq Study Group, we will increase the embedding of American advisers in Iraqi Army units - and partner a Coalition brigade with every Iraqi Army division. We will help the Iraqis build a larger and better-equipped Army - and we will accelerate the training of Iraqi forces, which remains the essential U.S. security mission in Iraq. Al Qaeda is still active in Iraq. Al Qaeda has helped make Anbar the most violent area of Iraq outside the capital. Our military forces in Anbar are killing and capturing al Qaeda leaders - and protecting the local population. America's men and women in uniform took away al Qaeda's safe haven in Afghanistan - and we will not allow them to re-establish it in Iraq. Succeeding in Iraq also requires defending its territorial integrity - and stabilizing the region in the face of the extremist challenge. Iran is providing material support for attacks on American troops. We are also taking other steps to bolster the security of Iraq and protect American interests in the Middle East. We will work with the governments of Turkey and Iraq to help them resolve problems along their border. We will use America's full diplomatic resources to rally support for Iraq from nations throughout the Middle East. Even if our new strategy works exactly as planned, deadly acts of violence will continue - and we must expect more Iraqi and American casualties. A democratic Iraq will not be perfect.