Mission: Accomplised III

Thank you all very much. Admiral Kelly, Captain Card, officers and sailors of the USS Abraham Lincoln, my fellow Americans: Major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed. (Applause.) And now our coalition is engaged in securing and reconstructing that country

I was a supporter of the War in Iraq until May 1, 2003. There was something fishy about Bush flying a plane onto an aircraft carrier that was only 30 miles of shore or so. That's when I began to take a look. My eyes were opened, so to speak. All quotes are from that speech, given 3 years ago today, and availiable on the White House website.

And tonight, I have a special word for Secretary Rumsfeld, for General Franks, and for all the men and women who wear the uniform of the United States: America is grateful for a job well done.

Heckofajob, Rummy.

We've begun the search for hidden chemical and biological weapons and already know of hundreds of sites that will be investigated. We're helping to rebuild Iraq, where the dictator built palaces for himself, instead of hospitals and schools. And we will stand with the new leaders of Iraq as they establish a government of, by, and for the Iraqi people.

And we're still looking for those weapons. And, well, we didn't like the government you supplied, so it's more like a government by us, not you.

The battle of Iraq is one victory in a war on terror that began on September the 11, 2001 -- and still goes on. That terrible morning, 19 evil men -- the shock troops of a hateful ideology -- gave America and the civilized world a glimpse of their ambitions. They imagined, in the words of one terrorist, that September the 11th would be the "beginning of the end of America." By seeking to turn our cities into killing fields, terrorists and their allies believed that they could destroy this nation's resolve, and force our retreat from the world. They have failed.

And he claims that he never claimed a 9/11-Iraq link.

Any person, organization, or government that supports, protects, or harbors terrorists is complicit in the murder of the innocent, and equally guilty of terrorist crimes.

Unless that person or government is Saudi. Then I'll gladly hold hands with them. Because you wouldn't want $3/gallon gas, would you?

{sigh}, I'm glad it only took me 3 hours to get home when my LDS Mission was accomplished. I'd hate for it to be 3 years.

-Bob