'As They Stand Up, We Will Stand Down'

In a speech filled with relevance, here are my thoughts:

There is only one course of action and that is to defeat the enemy abroad or deal with it when it comes to us. The President told us in the wake of 9/11 that we, as a nation, would not wait again to be attacked. Rather, we would take the fight to the enemy anywhere, anytime the Administration deemed the threats to be sufficient.

The domestic enemy, the Democrats, have been insisting lately that Bush set a date for troop withdrawal from Iraq, a ridiculous demand. Bush explained last night the three reasons why naming a date would be a mistake.

One, it would send the wrong message to the Iraqi people, that the US would leave prematurely.

Two, it would send the wrong message to our troops, that we were leaving without properly finishing the job.

Third, it would allow our enemy to simply wait us out.

He's absolutely correct. Imagine anyone advocating what the Democrats are advising.

One of the many poignant moments in the speech last night was when the President quoted Osama bin Laden. The terrorists understand the importance of what is going on in Iraq.

"This third world war is raging in Iraq and the whole world is watching."

That's true. The world is watching and if the terrorists are allowed to win, or to achieve anything resembling a victory, they will become emboldened and then free nations everywhere [first and foremost the United States] will be targets for Islamic radicals. We cannot allow our enemies at home and abroad.

When defeated, the terrorists will have no home, no recruiting pool and no sponsors. Nation after nation in the region will take the Iraqi lesson and demand freedom. Citizens of Iran, Jordan, Syria, maybe even Saudi Arabia, will stand up and take their countries back from oppressive regimes.

That's the goal. That's what we're doing in Iraq, that's the wisdom behind our mission.

Viva Bush.

Watch the webcast by clicking the headline of this post above.