VOA常速英语2008年-Bush: Iraq 'Is a Fight America Can and Must Win

President Bush marked the fifth anniversary of the start of the war in Iraq with a speech at the U.S. Defense¹ Department.  VOA White House Correspondent Paula Wolfson reports Mr. Bush took on his critics, saying the war is worth fighting and winning.

Looking at an audience of men and women in military uniform, the president said the past five years have seen moments of triumph and tragedy.

"Five years into this battle, there is an understandable debate over whether the war was worth fighting, whether the fight is worth winning, and whether we can win it," Mr. Bush said.  "The answers are clear to me.  Removing Saddam Hussein from power was the right decision - and this is a fight America can and must win."

He spoke² of the thousands of Americans and Iraqis who have lost their lives in the war.  But he said freedom is taking hold in Iraq, and the extremists and terrorists are losing ground.

"In Iraq, we are witnessing the first large-scale Arab uprising against Osama bin³ Laden⁴, his grim ideology⁵, and his terror network," he said.  "And the significance of this development cannot be overstated."

The president focused largely on developments during the past year, and the impact the deployment⁶ of an extra 30,000 American troops has had on the conflict.

He said before the so-called troop surge, the fight in Iraq was faltering⁷, and extremists were succeeding in their efforts to plunge⁸ the country into chaos⁹.

"The surge has done more than turn the situation in Iraq around," Mr. Bush said.  "It has opened the door to a major strategic victory in the broader war on terror.  For the terrorists, Iraq was supposed to be a place where al-Qaida rallied Arab masses to drive America out.  Instead, Iraq has become the place where Arabs joined with Americans to drive al-Qaida out."

President Bush said the challenge is to consolidate¹⁰ gains, stressing this is not the time to call for retreat.  He acknowledged the costs of the war have been high, both in terms of lives and treasure.  But he said the cost of walking away would be much worse.

"If we were to allow our enemies to prevail in Iraq, the violence that is now declining would accelerate and Iraq could descend¹¹ into chaos," Mr. Bush said.  "Al-Qaida would regain¹² its lost sanctuaries¹³ and establish new ones - fomenting¹⁴ violence and terror that could spread beyond Iraq's borders, with serious consequences for the world's economy."

The U.S. presence in Iraq has become a big issue in the American presidential campaign, with both the top Democratic Party contenders - Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton - calling for a withdrawal¹⁵ of U.S. troops.

In his address at the Pentagon, President Bush made clear that he will not act hastily or under pressure to withdraw.

"Any further drawdown will be based on conditions on the ground and the recommendations of our commanders and they must not jeopardize¹⁶ the hard-fought gains our troops and civilians¹⁷ have made over the past year," Mr. Bush said. 

Next month, the top U.S. commander and diplomat¹⁸ in Iraq will come to Washington to present their latest assessments¹⁹ to the president.  General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker will also report to members of Congress.