Speech

The President goes in front of the American people tonight, live from Fort Bragg, and there are some prereleased excerpts out there.

"The work in Iraq is difficult and dangerous. Like most Americans, I see the images of violence and bloodshed. Every picture is horrifying - and the suffering is real. Amid all this violence, I know Americans ask the question: Is the sacrifice worth it? It is worth it, and it is vital to the future security of our country. And tonight I will explain the reasons why."

"The terrorists can kill the innocent -- but they cannot stop the advance of freedom. The only way our enemies can succeed is if we forget the lessons of September 11 ... if we abandon the Iraqi people to men like Zarqawi ... and if we yield the future of the Middle East to men like Bin Laden."

"We have more work to do, and there will be tough moments that test America's resolve. We are fighting against men with blind hatred -- and armed with lethal weapons -- who are capable of any atrocity. They wear no uniform; they respect no laws of warfare or morality. They take innocent lives to create chaos for the cameras. They are trying to shake our will in Iraq -- just as they tried to shake our will on September 11, 2001. They will fail. The terrorists do not understand America. The American people do not falter under threat -- and we will not allow our future to be determined by car bombers and assassins."

Not much that you wouldn't expect. Two September 11ths, a few terrorists, and a canny reference to insurgents not wearing uniforms (which I guess means we can do anything we want to them, and by extension any prisoners we take in the service of this war). Meanwhile, no mention of a military strategy for winning the peace, no mention of additional troop requests, no pleas for shared sacrifice or volunteer enlistment, no acknowledgement of mistakes made. Simply put, the speech appears to be Iraq=terrorists. Of course, this war is exactly how it got that way, but that's down the memory hole.

We are nearing dire straits in Iraq, and this calls for leadership. And just when I'm getting to my point, I have to go work again. I'll add to this after the speech...