President Bush’s Speech on Iraq

Earlier today President Bush delivered a very good speech on the occasion of Ambassador Bremer’s return to Washington to brief him on progress in Iraq, as well as the apprehension of Uday and Qusay Hussein. The full text is here.
President Bush summarized again the benefits of the successful war, and it is good to see that he did not back off any of the rationales that were offered before the war started:
“The families of our service men and women can take comfort in knowing that their sons and daughters and moms and dads are serving a cause that is noble and just and vital to the security of the United States.
“A free, democratic, peaceful Iraq will not threaten America or our friends with illegal weapons. A free Iraq will not be a training ground for terrorists or a funnel of money to terrorists, or provide weapons to terrorists who would willingly use them to strike our country or our allies.
“A free Iraq will not destabilize the Middle East. A free Iraq can set a hopeful example to the entire region and lead other nations to choose freedom.
“And as the pursuits of freedom replace hatred and resentment and terror in the Middle East, the American people will be more secure.”