Defining Victory In Iraq

In his weekly radio address,  President Bush is quoted by The Washington Post as follows:

"The security of our country is directly linked to the liberty of the Iraqi people," Bush said. "We will settle for nothing less than complete victory."

President Bush also said that we will "finish the mission" and that "more fighting and sacrifice will be required". What does "victory" look like? And what "mission" are we currently engaged in? And why is our security directly tied to the liberty of the Iraqi people? These questions need answers – and not the same old talking points. Talking points cannot turn the tide of public opinion when the reality on the ground is so starkly different than the statements being made. This Administration needs to engage the American people in a forthright discussion of our mission and how we will redefine victory, and why we must subsidize the Iraqi people’s struggle for liberty.

The refrain "we will fight them there so we don’t have to fight them here" is beginning to ring hollow. Who is the "them" we are fighting? Surely, the vast majority of the insurgents are not the ones who attacked us on September the 11th. We need to narrow our definition of "them" and start engaging the right "them" if we are to mitigate the threat of terrorism on our shores. I can’t imagine that a single American wouldn’t support the President in going after the right "them" in the defense of America and most civilized peoples.