Following is the text of Dubya's speech given today at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Since you've already heard everything he said tonight in previous speeches, and since my time in Gitmo is now just a distant memory, I've decided to critically review this speech line by line for inconsistencies, flaws in logic, and outright lies (Uh, my comments are in red font).

A tale of two	different blowjobs

I know, I know, this should be the Main Stream Media's (MSM) job, but the last time the MSM went beyond simpy parroting the Administration's talking points was when they had their chones in a wad falling all over themselves to review line-by-line Clinton's blow job testimony.

To wit:

Good evening.

I am pleased to visit Fort Bragg, home of the airborne and special operations forces. <<Because you have all been forced, under penalty of court martial, to give me a "hoo-ah" any time I mumble the words "freedom," "democracy," or "progress.">> It's an honor to speak before you tonight.

My greatest responsibility as president is to protect the American people. And that's your calling as well. <<That's why I have deployed your fellow soldiers to a country on the other side of the globe that offered absolutely no threat to us while our Homeland Security department, which supposedly was created to protect the American people here in America, continues to flail along, underfunded and adrift.>>

I thank you for your service, your courage and your sacrifice.

I thank your families, who support you in your vital work.

The soldiers and families of Fort Bragg have contributed mightily to our efforts to secure our country and promote peace. America is grateful, and so is your commander in chief.

The troops here and across the world are fighting a global war on terror. The war reached our shores on September 11, 2001. <<You know this guy is completely ideologically bankrupt when he has to go to his big gun less than 15 seconds into the speech. He was bold and unapologetic about conflating Iraq and 9/11 tonight, but during the 2004 elections, Bush, Cheney, and their attendant mouthpieces completely denied ever linking the two during the run-up to the war. Now they have flip-flopped again. Their disdain for the public attention span, though completely warranted, has never been so blatant.>>

The terrorists who attacked us and the terrorists we face murder in the name of a totalitarian ideology that hates freedom <<Will somebody please remind me when it was that the terrorists announced that they hate freedom? It isn't freedom they hate, it's an occupying Western military force, a force that toppled a sovereign government in a Muslim country, that they hate. If anything, it is freedom they want, freedom to practice their religion, culture, and politics the way they want, not the way the West wants them to>>, rejects tolerance and despises all dissent. <<The balls this guy has. Note to kettle, the pot is calling you black. The Denver Three anyone? Lawrence Lindsey? Paul O'Neill? General Erik K. Shinseki? Richard Clarke? As a registered Democrat, how exactly do I go about getting tickets to a Social Security town hall meeting? And don't forget the open and accepting philosophies of Bush's good buddies Putey-Pute Putin, Prince Abdullah, and General President Pervez Musharef. If anybody has an ideology that rejects tolerance and despises all dissent, its G-dumb.>>

I wonder why?	Oh yeah.

To achieve these aims, they have continued to kill: in Madrid, Istanbul, Jakarta, Casablanca, Riyadh, Bali and elsewhere. <<So, it sounds like the War on Terror ain't going so well if they're continuing all this killing all over the world, eh? I thought we had them on the run? Can't have it both ways -- cre---dibill---it---eee gap.>>

The terrorists believe that free societies are essentially corrupt <<Which they are. Let us look no further than the American system of political campaign financing for evidence of this.>> and decadent <<Let's inspect the guest list of the latest Republican national fundraising event, the President's Dinner, which featured Republican poster child and third-rate porn star Mary Carey.>> and, with a few hard blows <<heh-heh, he said "blows", heh-heh>>, they can force us to retreat. They are mistaken. <<How quick the POTUS is to admit other people's mistakes, but his own mistakes, mmmnot so much.>>

After September the 11th, I made a commitment to the American people: This nation will not wait to be attacked again. We will defend our freedom. <<Riiiight. Defend by attacking. As Bush's favorite speechwriter George Orwell so astutely noted, "War is Peace, and Ingnorance is Strength, baby.">> We will take the fight to the enemy.

Many terrorists who kill innocent men, women and children on the streets of Baghdad are followers of the same murderous ideology <<Except that it isn't their ideology that is murderous, only their tactics. Of course, this is the kind of difficult intellectual nuance that Bush is incapable of wrapping his pea brain around. Killing is not their ultimate objective. Political, cultural, and spiritual autonomy is their ultimate objective. Maybe if we left them alone, they wouldn't hate us so much. Unfortunately, in the face of flagging poll numbers, only inflammatory, hollow, non-sensical, and disingenuous rhetoric will do.>> that took the lives of our citizens in New York and Washington and Pennsylvania.

There is only one course of action against them: to defeat them abroad before they attack us at home. <<Yup, only one course of action, killing. Don't make any effort to understand their true motiviations or figure out how to circumvent future conflict. Just continue the self-propagating rationale: piss them off with petro-chemical based imperialistic mercantilism; they "defend themselves" by attacking us [attacking as a defense tactic can work both ways Georgie boy]; under the cloak of defense, attack them back in response; they get mad and attack us . . . and on and on. It seems that as the strongest country in the history of the world, we might be able to take the high road and show a little restraint and diplomatic ingenuity. Of course, that would hurt the profits of Republican puppet masters in the Military-Industrial complex like UnoCal, Exxon-Mobil, and Haliburton, so kill them abroad it is!>>

The commander in charge of coalition operations in Iraq, who is also senior commander at this base, General John Vines, put it well the other day. He said, We either deal with terrorism and this extremism abroad, or we deal with it when it comes to us. <<Blatant, unconscionable pandering. Nice shout-out to the commander of the base from which you're giving this speech [you have to build in those guaranteed applause lines, right?]. But is Vines' alleged quote from "the other day" supposed to represent some new insight? Haven't you been reprising this "fight them over there so we don't have to fight them over here" line for at least a year now?>>

The work in Iraq is difficult and it is dangerous. Like most Americans, I see the images of violence and bloodshed <<from the comfort of his couch, just like he did during Vietnam>>. Every picture is horrifying, and the suffering is real <<sadly true>>.

Amid all this violence, I know Americans ask the question: Is the sacrifice worth it? <<Who, except for soldiers and their loved ones, has made any kind of sacrifice at all for the war effort?>>

Some of the violence you see in Iraq is being carried out by ruthless killers who are converging on Iraq to fight the advance of peace and freedom <<Actually, I think they're converging there, in their minds, to fight for peace and freedom. Just like you GB. It's pretty messy when you actually think about it, isn't it?>>

Our military reports that we have killed or captured hundreds of foreign fighters in Iraq who have come from Saudi Arabia and Syria, Iran, Egypt, Sudan, Yemen, Libya <<What! No North Korea?>> and others <<Oh, OK>>.

What's going on with North Korea these days?	Terrorist gang bang!

They are making common cause <<Republican code for they're having massive gay sex orgies and even engaging in the unholiest of sins, flag burning, no, wait, gay weddings!>> with criminal elements, Iraqi insurgents and remnants of Saddam Hussein's regime who want to restore the old order.

They fight because they know that the survival of their hateful ideology is at stake. <<There miiiight be some other reasons.>>

And when the Middle East grows in democracy and prosperity and hope, the terrorists will lose their sponsors, lose their recruits and lose their hopes for turning that region into a base for attacks on America and our allies around the world <<leaving things wide open for us to continue with our plans to turn the entire region into our own personal military base of operations that we can use to protect our only true interest in the region: luscious, dark, sweet, sweet crude. It's ours, all ours, mmmhhaaaa-haa-haaaaaaaaa, mmmhhaaaa-haa-haaaaaaaaa . . . >>.

Some wonder whether Iraq is a central front in the war on terror. Among the terrorists, there is no debate. <<Not now. Weren't no terrorists in Iraq three years ago.>>

Here are the words of Osama bin Laden: This third world war is raging in Iraq. The whole world is watching this war. He says it will end in victory and glory or misery and humiliation <<sounds about right>>.

The terrorists know that the outcome will leave them emboldened or defeated. So they are waging a campaign of murder and destruction. And there is no limit to the innocent lives they are willing to take. <<But of course we have no blood on our hands. Quick, Jimmy, what's the civilian death toll since we invaded?>>

We see the nature of the enemy in terrorists who sent a suicide bomber to a teaching hospital in Mosul. We see the nature of the enemy in terrorists who behead civilian hostages and broadcast their atrocities for the world to see. <<And we see the nature of the enemy in ruthless thugs who order the binding, gagging, and torturing of blindfolded "detainees" while allowing their subordinates to photograph and further humiliate the prisoners.>>

These are savage acts of violence, but they have not brought the terrorists any closer to achieving their strategic objectives <<But are they any further away?>>.

The terrorists, both foreign and Iraqi, failed to stop the transfer of sovereignty. They failed to break our coalition and force a mass withdrawal by our allies. <<Hold on a minute. Who's left? There's Britain, about 20,000 mercenaries, and like 12 guys apiece from Italy and Ukraine (both of which have announced they will pull out by year's end). Uh, Spain? One of the three original co-sponsors of the invasion? Buh-bye, withdrew more than a year ago. Portugal? Norway? Hungary? the Philippines? New Zealand? Thailand? Honduras? the Dominican Republic? Tonga? Nuh-uh. Gone. Germany? France? Never there in the first place. Nice "coalition.">>

The real "coalition"	Sometimes fuzzy math is a good thing

The lesson of this experience is clear: The terrorists can kill the innocent, but they cannot stop the advance of freedom. <<Yes, it is clear, 2 + 2 = 5.>>

The only way our enemies can succeed is if we forget the lessons of September the 11th <<Remember the Maine!>>, if we abandon the Iraqi people to men like Zarqawi and if we yield the future of the Middle East <<since when was the Middle East ever ours to be yielding?>> to men like bin Laden <<who we saw fit to aid and abet during the Soviet Afghanistan debacle>>.

For the sake of our nation's security, this will not happen on my watch. <<Nope. We'll muddle along in Iraq for a couple more years and then it will be the next President's problem. And when the crushing weight of the war costs, and the tax cuts, and the exclusively pro-business economic agenda, and the industry self-regulation eventually implodes the nation, it won't be on Bush's watch.>>

A little over a year ago, I spoke to the nation and described our coalition's goal in Iraq. I said that America's mission in Iraq is to defeat an enemy and give strength to a friend -- a free, representative government that is an ally in the war on terror and a beacon of hope in a part of the world that is desperate for reform.

We would hand authority over to a sovereign Iraqi government. We would help Iraqis hold free elections by January 2005. We would continue helping Iraqis rebuild their nation's infrastructure and economy. We would encourage more international support for Iraq's democratic transition. And we would enable Iraqis to take increasing responsibility for their own security and stability. <<Worked pretty well for South Vietnam, circa 1960-1964, so let's give it another shot.>>

In the past year, we have made significant progress. <<I'm listening.>>

One year ago today, we restored sovereignty to the Iraqi people. In January 2005, more than 8 million Iraqi men and women voted in elections that were free and fair and took time on -- and took place on time. <<How can anybody consider their country sovereign when there is an occupying military force of 135,000 troops? The Iraqis do not have control over those troops. Do Iraqis really have the political freedom to do whatever they want, or are they strongly urged to do whatever the US wants?>>

Our progress has been uneven, but progress is being made. <<What can you say?>>

We are improving roads and schools and health clinics. We're working to improve basic services like sanitation, electricity and water <<Two years after a three-month "surgical" invasion? What's taking so long? Can't keep blaming the decrepit infrastructure -- the shit worked before we got there. Could it be that the security situation is hindering progress?>>. And together with our allies, we will help the new Iraqi government deliver a better life for its citizens <<words and words>>.

In the past year, the international community has stepped forward with vital assistance. Some 30 nations have troops in Iraq, and many others are contributing non-military assistance <<Like a guarded thumbs-up signal from across the floor of the UN General Assembly hall>>.

Thus far, some 40 countries and three international organizations have pledged about $34 billion in assistance for Iraqi reconstruction. <<Let's see, $20 billion of that $34 billion for reconstruction is from us, and the rest of the money has either been used for security or has not been delivered. This despite the fact that the World Bank estimated in 2003 that Iraq would need $56 billion over the next five years.>>

More than 80 countries and international organizations recently came together in Brussels to coordinate their efforts to help Iraqis provide for their security and rebuild their country. And next month, donor countries will meet in Jordan to support Iraqi reconstruction. <<But there's always a catch, and that catch is, we're calling the shots, baby. You just leave your money on the table and we'll be sure it gets to where it needs to go. Thanks for coming.>>

Whatever our differences in the past, the world understands that success in Iraq is critical to the security of our nations. <<Bush to Chirac: "Dick.">>.

As German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said at the White House yesterday, There can be no question a stable and democratic Iraq is in the vested interest of not just Germany, but also Europe. <<Uh, anybody want to consider what's in Iraq's best interest. Remember Iraq?>>

Today, Iraq has more than 160,000 security forces trained and equipped for a variety of missions <<how many of these forces are unarmed "security guards" and logistical support, and how many are prepared battle troops? If there were 160,000 trained Iraqi troops, the situation would me much, much different. Common sense alone calls Bush's numbers into question.>>. Iraqi forces have fought bravely, helping to capture terrorists and insurgents in Najaf and Samarra, Fallujah and Mosul.

And in the past month, Iraqi forces have led a major anti- terrorist campaign in Baghdad called Operation Lightning, which has led to the capture of hundreds of suspected insurgents. <<Pretty easy to round up "suspected insurgents." "Suspected insurgents," it's this war's metric of choice. Cue General Westmoreland and the "body count" boys.>>

Like free people everywhere, Iraqis want to be defended by their own countrymen, and we are helping Iraqis assume those duties. <<As long as they do it our way. Now that's freedom.>>

The progress in the past year has been significant, and we have a clear path forward. <<But if you're moving down a path, and you come to a 1000-foot cliff, is it progress to continue forward, or is it progress to move away from the dangerous cliff and find another way around?>>

To complete the mission, we will continue to hunt down the terrorists and insurgents.

And the best way to complete the mission is to help Iraqis build a free nation <<in our image>> that can govern itself, sustain itself and defend itself <<but not think for itself. We'll be handling that job.>>.

So our strategy going forward has both a military track and a political track. <<Heh-heh, I like track. I like to pro-NUN-ci-ATE the word "track." Heh-heh, I used to run a little track in high school. Heh-heh.>>

The principal task of our military is to find and defeat the terrorists <<we'll get the insurgents, uh, later?>>. And that is why we are on the offense <I thought it was cuz we had the ball>>.

Our strategy can be summed up this way: As the Iraqis stand up, we will stand down. <<It's called Vietnamization. Worked pretty well.>>

We have made progress, but we have a lot more work to do. <<That's as open-ended as an Abu Ghraib detainee after a body cavity review.>>

Today, Iraqi security forces are at different levels of readiness. Some are capable of taking on the terrorists and insurgents by themselves. A large number can plan and execute anti- terrorist operations with coalition support. The rest are forming and not yet ready to participate fully in security operations. <<(In Heston voice) Damn it man give me some numbers. (Now Kirk) I've . . . got . . . to have . . . those . . . numbers. (Back to Heston) Without numbers we've got nothing, damn it all to HELL!. (Kirk) Ruuummmmmmssssss-Feeellllllllllllddddd!!!!>>

Our task is to make the Iraqi units fully capable and independent <<something Laura is still working on with me>>. We are building up Iraqi security forces as quickly as possible so they can assume the lead in defeating the terrorists and insurgents <<Hey Jimmy, found those missing insurgents, they're over here>>.

Thousands of coalition troops are involved in the training and equipping of Iraqi security forces. NATO is establishing a military academy near Baghdad to train the next generation of Iraqi military leaders, and 17 nations are contributing troops to the NATO training mission. Iraqi army and police are being trained by personnel from Italy, Germany, Ukraine, Turkey, Poland, Romania, Australia and the United Kingdom. <<Sounds like there's more coalition troops involved in the training of Iraqi troops than there are Iraqi troops being trained.>>

Today, dozens of nations are working <<working hard, or hardly working?>> toward a common objective: an Iraq that can defend itself, defeat its enemies and secure its freedom.

First, we are partnering coalition units with Iraqi units. These coalition Iraqi teams are conducting operations together in the field. These combined operations are giving Iraqis a chance to experience how the most professional armed forces in the world operate in combat. <<Sounds like US troops doing the fighting to me. And what about logisitics, air support, etc.? Who's supplying that? And paying for that? I thought so.>>

Second, we are embedding coalition transition teams inside Iraqi units. These teams are made up of coalition officers and non- commissioned officers who live, work and fight together with their Iraqi comrades. <<"military advisors" sound familiar to anyone?>>

Under U.S. command, they are providing battlefield advice and assistance to Iraqi forces during combat operations. Between battles, they are assisting the Iraqis with important skills such as urban combat and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance techniques. <<And we have a pretty good record of bringing people up through our farm system. Let's see, there was Daniel Ortega and the Sandanistas, who we ended up fighting for several years. And there was, oh yeah, there was Osama Bin Laden, and, uh, we're having some problems controlling him lately. Our boy Saddam helped us for awhile, but then he got too big for his saggy briefs, so we had to cut him loose too. Hmm, I guess you reap what you sow, eh Bible thumpers?>>

Meet the new boss	Same as the old boss

Third, we are working with the Iraqi ministries of interior and defense to improve their capabilities to coordinate anti-terrorist operations. <<Translation: Iraqis, brush up on the lessons in Animal Farm, cuz you're about to kiss your civil liberties goodbye (or the terrorists win).>>

We're also providing them with civilian and military leadership training, so Iraq's new leaders can effectively manage their forces in the fight against terror. <<Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.>>

The new Iraqi security forces are proving their courage every day. More than 2,000 members of Iraqi security forces have given their lives in the line of duty <<and hundreds more have died while waiting in line for duty>>. Thousands more have stepped forward and are now training to serve their nation.

With each engagement, Iraqi soldiers grow more battle-hardened and their officers grow more experienced <<but we're not about to take the training wheels off just yet.>>.

We've learned that Iraqis are courageous and that they need additional skills. And that is why a major part of our mission is to train them so they can do the fighting, and then our troops can come home. <<Haven't we been hearing this since at least last summer? How long does it take?>>

Some contend that we should set a deadline for withdrawing U.S. forces. Let me explain why that would be a serious mistake.

Setting an artificial timetable would send the wrong message to the Iraqis, who need to know that America will not leave before the job is done. <<They'll know what we tell 'em to know, right Give 'em Hell Cheney?>>

It would send the wrong signal to our troops, who need to know that we are serious about completing the mission they are risking their lives to achieve <<but should we throw good money after bad?>>.

And it would send the wrong message to the enemy, who would know that all they have to do is to wait us out. <<Point conceded.>>

We will stay in Iraq as long as we are needed and not a day longer. <<And what are the metrics by which this day will determined to have arrived? Or would the Neo-Cons prefer that day never really come so that we can continue to justify our military presence in the country in perpetuity? I wonder.>>

Some Americans ask me, If completing the mission is so important, why don't you send more troops? <<I tell them to fuck off. I'm the Prez and I'll do it my way. Either you're with me or you're agin' me.>>

If our commanders on the ground say we need more troops, I will send them <<but none of them will, because if they did, I'd have them manning a radio tower in the Bering Sea faster than you can say Erik Shinseki>>. But our commanders tell me they have the number of troops they need to do their job <<see>>.

As we determine the right force level, our troops can know that I will continue to be guided by the advice that matters: the sober judgment of our military leaders. <<Who have all done such a brilliant job of planning for and combating the insurgency thus far. And training the Iraqis. Might there be some ego involved here Georgie boy?>>

The other critical element of our strategy is to help ensure that the hopes Iraqis expressed at the polls in January are translated into a secure democracy. <<So I'm introducing a new slogan to help build momemtum for freedom, "Give democracy the finger">>.

The Iraqi people are emerging from decades of tyranny and oppression <<while the American people are suffering through their first decade of tyranny and oppression>>.

The challenge facing Iraqis today is to put this past behind them and come together to build a new Iraq that includes all of its people. <<Do as I say, not as I do.>>

They are doing that by building the institutions of a free society -- a society based on freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of religion and equal justice under law. <<All of which we used to support in the United States until the Republicans decided that dissent and differing opinions, values, and lifestyles were contrary to the all-guiding teachings of the Lord (JC).>>

The Iraqis have held free elections and established a transitional national assembly. The next step is to write a good constitution <<yeah, a darn good one, swell even>> that enshrines these freedoms in permanent law <<until such time as religious fundamentalists take over the government and start writing amdndments to the constitution that outlaw things like choice, love, and expression. Will Iraqis be free to burn their flag?>>.

The assembly plans to expand its constitutional drafting committee to include more Sunni Arabs. Many Sunnis who opposed the January elections are now taking part in the democratic process <<they're getting an introductory session over in Abu Ghraib right now>>, and that is essential to Iraq's future.

By taking these critical steps and meeting their deadlines, Iraqis will bind their multiethnic society together in a democracy that respects the will of the majority and protects minority rights. <<Unfortunately, 135,000 US troops are the bonding agent. Without them, the bondo in gone-do.>>

As Iraqis grow confident that the democratic progress they are making is real and permanent, more will join the political process. <<True, but not without extended US military presence. A new form of government artifically inserted into a country takes a long time to permanently take root. But of course, that was part of the plan all along.>>

And as Iraqis see that their military can protect them, more will step forward with vital intelligence to help defeat the enemies of a free Iraq. <<And if we all cross our fingers and toes and wish real hard, maybe everything will be all better.>>

Wishful thinking	Progress, such as it is

As Iraqis make progress toward a free society, the effects are being felt beyond Iraq's borders <<in a far-away land called America, where money for social services, healthcare, and infrastructure have been spent on tank fuel and Halliburton contracts. Also affected: countries hit by the tsunami, the Darfur region of the Sudan, African countries needing AIDS support . . .>>.

Before our coalition liberated Iraq, Libya was secretly pursuing nuclear weapons. Today the leader of Libya has given up his chemical and nuclear weapons programs <<which, it turns out, weren't all they were cracked up to be. But hey, we got good mileage out of hyping Iraq's WMDs, so we might as well milk this cow too. By the way, I wonder what North Korea is up to these days?>>.

Across the broader Middle East, people are claiming their freedom. In the last few months, we have witnessed elections in the Palestinian Territories and Lebanon. These elections are inspiring democratic reformers in places like Egypt and Saudi Arabia <<to undertake token "reforms" whose sole purpose is to release a little of the hypocritical hot air from Bush's "Democracy's a-blowin' in the Wind" gasbag>>.

Our strategy to defend ourselves and spread freedom is working. <<Criteria, benchmarks, milestones, and hard data. Only then can the public or even the shrunken heads in the White House have any hope of knowing if anything is working. Oh yeah, that's right, we can always trundle out the number of "suspected insurgents" rounded up.>>

The rise of freedom in this vital region will eliminate the conditions that feed radicalism and ideologies of murder and make our nation safer. <<The only thing rising in this region is the level of bullshit.>>

We are fighting against men with blind hatred and armed with lethal weapons <<as opposed to our "unlethal" weapons>> who are capable of any atrocity. They wear no uniform <<unlike our Special Ops troops>>; they respect no laws of warfare or morality <<which is quite different from the positions taken by Bush, Rumsfeld, and Alberto Gonzalez>>. They take innocent lives to create chaos for the cameras <<and of course our ruling junta would never orchestrate anything for the cameras. Nothing at all. Nothing like, this speech, or the one hegave under the "Mission Accomplished" banner aboard the USS Lincoln on May 2, 2003.>>.

They are trying to shake our will in Iraq, just as they tried to shake our will on September 11, 2001. They will fail. <<They, they, and they. Can there be any doubt that They are cynically waving the bloody 9/11 flag to purposely confuse the issue? Can there?>>

The terrorists do not understand America <<but we understand the terrorists sooooo well>>. The American people do not falter under threat, and we will not allow our future to be determined by car bombers and assassins. <<Instead, we will allow our future to be determined by neoconservative thugs and religiously motivated civil liberties assasins.>>

America and our friends are in a conflict that demands much of us. We accept these burdens because we know what is at stake. <<Invading a sovereign nation and deposing a country's leader by military force is not a burden one has to accept.>>

We fight today because Iraq now carries the hope of freedom in a vital region of the world <<just as Vietnam did in 1964. There will always be a reason why some country on the other side of the globe is vital to our national security. Long live the military-industrial complex!>>, and the rise of democracy will be the ultimate triumph over radicalism and terror.

And we fight today because terrorists want to attack our country and kill our citizens, and Iraq is where they are making their stand. <<Let's see, they want to attack America, so they are making their stand in Iraq. Whose peabrain thinking is that? Bush's or the terrorists'?>>

So we'll fight them there, we'll fight them across the world, and we will stay in the fight until the fight is won. <<Isn't this one of Kevin Costner's pompously overacted lines from The Untouchables?>>

America has done difficult work before. From our desperate fight for independence <<as rabble in arms waging a bloody insurgency against a self-proclaimed benevolent occupying force. Irony hurts.>> to the darkest days of a civil war to the hard-fought battles against tyranny in the 20th century, there were many chances to lose our heart, our nerve or our way.

But Americans have always held firm, because we have always believed in certain truths. We know that if evil is not confronted, it gains in strength and audacity and returns to strike us again. <<What is this, Lord of the Rings now? Can he dumb this down any further? Red states, listen up: "left hand, evil; right hand, good. Evil, bad. Good, good. Us, good. Them, evil.>> We know that when the work is hard, the proper response is not retreat, it is courage. And we know that this great ideal of human freedom entrusted to us in a special way <<clever us of passive voice to obfuscate the entruster here, Karl. Do tell, who can it be that is entrusting us with so solemn a duty?>> and that the ideal of liberty is worth defending.

I thank our military families. The burden of war falls especially hard on you. <<Agreed.>>

In this war, we have lost good men and women who left our shores to defend freedom and did not live to make the journey home. I've met with families grieving the loss of loved ones who were taken from us too soon. I've been inspired by their strength in the face of such great loss. <<Yet still I persist with my bullheaded warmongering.>>

We pray for the families. And the best way to honor the lives that have been given in this struggle is to complete the mission. <<Dirty pool. Tie support for the war to reverance for the dead. Cheap, dirty pool.>>

I thank those of you who've re-enlisted in an hour when your country needs you. <<Both of you.>>

We live in freedom because every generation has produced patriots willing to serve a cause greater than themselves. <<So, once every generation, whether it's necessary or not, we have to hold a war to keep the streak of patriot generations going.>> Those who serve today are taking their rightful place among the greatest generations that have worn our nation's uniform.

When the history of this period is written, the liberation of Afghanistan and the liberation of Iraq will be remembered as great turning points in the story of freedom. <<Along with the fall of Saigon, the Bay of Pigs, Grenada, the 1956 Hungarian Revolution . . .>>

After September 11, 2001, I told the American people that the road ahead would be difficult and that we would prevail. Well, it has been difficult and we are prevailing. <<Just because you mouth the words, that doesn't make them true.>>

Our enemies are brutal, but they are no match for the United States of America <<because we are more brutal>>, and they are no match for the men and women of the United States military.

May God bless you all <<Close big with props to G-Money>>.

(APPLAUSE)

Thank you very much. <<I'll give him this one.>>

Don't forget the lessons of 9/11