thank you __PUNCT__
it is an honor to be here todai __PUNCT__
i alwai grate to be in the compani of american who have had the burden of serv our countri in distant land __PUNCT__ and the honor of have prove your patriot in difficult circumst __PUNCT__
your exampl is a constant remind to american that we have oblig to our countri that ar greater than our person ambit __PUNCT__ and that our self __PUNCT__ respect will ow more to how faithfulli we keep those oblig than ani other success we achiev in life __PUNCT__
among those oblig is to debat honestli issu that involv america futur secur becaus so mani american have sacrif everyth to keep us secur __PUNCT__
all that is ask of the rest of us is that we do not dishonor their sacrific by treat the caus thei serv so brave as an opportun to argu without wisdom __PUNCT__ to divid us without care for the consequ __PUNCT__ to advanc our individu or partisan interest at the expens of america secur __PUNCT__
at the begin of last year __PUNCT__ we were engag in a great debat about what to do in iraq __PUNCT__
four year of a badli __PUNCT__ conceiv militari strategi had brought us almost to the point of no return __PUNCT__
sectarian violenc in iraq wa spiral out of control __PUNCT__ life had becom a struggl for surviv __PUNCT__ and a full __PUNCT__ scale civil war seem almost unavoid __PUNCT__
al qaeda in iraq wa on the offens __PUNCT__
entir iraqi provinc were under the control of extremist and were deem all but lost __PUNCT__
face with the prospect of defeat __PUNCT__ we had two fundament choic __PUNCT__
we could retreat from iraq and accept the horribl consequ of our defeat __PUNCT__
or we could chang strategi and try to turn thing around __PUNCT__
it wa __PUNCT__ i believ __PUNCT__ a critic moment in our nation histori __PUNCT__ and a time of test for our nation polit leadership __PUNCT__
in the year that ha pass __PUNCT__ our nation show it strength __PUNCT__ and it deep sens of global respons __PUNCT__
instead of abandon iraq to civil war __PUNCT__ genocid __PUNCT__ and terror __PUNCT__ and the middl east to the destabil effect of these consequ __PUNCT__ we chang strategi __PUNCT__
we sent to iraq addit troop __PUNCT__ mani of them on their third or fourth tour __PUNCT__ and a great __PUNCT__ season gener to lead them __PUNCT__ with a battl plan that __PUNCT__ at long last __PUNCT__ actual address the challeng we face in iraq __PUNCT__
within six month __PUNCT__ the men and women who have made such enorm sacrific for the rest of us dramat turn around the situat in iraq __PUNCT__
from __DATE__ through my most recent trip last month __PUNCT__ sectarian and ethnic violenc in iraq ha been reduc by __NUM__ percent __PUNCT__
civilian death and death of coalit forc fell by __NUM__ percent __PUNCT__
the dramat reduct in violenc ha open the wai for a return to someth approach normal polit and econom life for the averag iraqi __PUNCT__
polit reconcili is occur across iraq at the local and provinci grassroot level __PUNCT__
sunni and shi'a chase from their home by terrorist and sectarian violenc ar return __PUNCT__
the __PUNCT__ son of iraq __PUNCT__ and awaken movement __PUNCT__ where former sunni insurg have now join in the fight against al qaeda __PUNCT__ continu to grow __PUNCT__
iraq polit order is also evolv in hope wai __PUNCT__
four out of the six law cite as benchmark by the u. __PUNCT__ have been pass by the iraqi legislatur __PUNCT__
a law on amnesti and a law roll back some of the harsher restrict against former employe of the iraqi govern have made it possibl for iraqi to find genuin reconcili __PUNCT__
thei should also encourag both sunni and shi'a to feel thei have a stake in iraq futur __PUNCT__
the legislatur ha devolv greater power to local and provinci author __PUNCT__ where much of the real work of rebuild iraqi societi is take place __PUNCT__
much more need to be done __PUNCT__ and iraq politician need to know that we expect them to show the necessari leadership to rebuild their countri __PUNCT__
for onli thei can __PUNCT__
the job of bring secur to iraq is not finish __PUNCT__
iraqi forc recent battl in basra against radic shi'a militia __PUNCT__ support by iran __PUNCT__ a fight that show both the progress made by the iraqi secur forc __PUNCT__ a year ago __PUNCT__ thei could not have carri out such oper on their own __PUNCT__ and the continu need for coalit support __PUNCT__
the situat in southern iraq remain unsettl __PUNCT__
there continu to be a signific flow of monei and weaponri from iran into diyala provinc __PUNCT__ baghdad __PUNCT__ basra and elsewher in support of the iranian __PUNCT__ back special group __PUNCT__ the jaysh al mahdi __PUNCT__ and the badr organ __PUNCT__
sunni terrorist and insurg continu to maintain base in mosul and elsewher in ninewah provinc __PUNCT__
but there is no doubt about the basic realiti in iraq __PUNCT__ we ar no longer stare into the abyss of defeat __PUNCT__ and we can now look ahead to the genuin prospect of success __PUNCT__
success in iraq is the establish of a gener peac __PUNCT__ stabl __PUNCT__ prosper __PUNCT__ democrat state that pose no threat to it neighbor and contribut to the defeat of terrorist __PUNCT__
it is the advanc of religi toler over violent radic __PUNCT__
it is a level of secur that allow the iraqi author to govern __PUNCT__ the averag person to live a normal life __PUNCT__ and intern entiti to oper __PUNCT__
it is a situat in which the rule of law __PUNCT__ after decad of tyranni __PUNCT__ take hold __PUNCT__
it is an iraq where iraqi forc have the respons for enforc secur in their countri __PUNCT__ and where american troop can return home __PUNCT__ with the honor of have secur their countri interest at great person cost __PUNCT__ and help anoth peopl achiev peac and self __PUNCT__ determin __PUNCT__
todai these goal ar within reach __PUNCT__
__PUNCT__ never despair __PUNCT__ winston churchil onc said __PUNCT__
and we did not despair __PUNCT__
we were test __PUNCT__ and we rose to the challeng __PUNCT__
some polit leader close their ey to the progress that the surg ha made possibl __PUNCT__ and want onli to argu about the past __PUNCT__
we can have that debat __PUNCT__
i profoundli disagre with those who sai we would all be better off if we had left saddam hussein in power __PUNCT__
american should be proud that thei led the wai in remov a viciou dictat and open the door to freedom __PUNCT__ stabil __PUNCT__ and prosper in iraq and across the middl east __PUNCT__
but the question for the next presid is not about the past __PUNCT__ but about the futur and how to secur it __PUNCT__
our most vital secur interest ar at stake in iraq __PUNCT__
the stabil of the entir middl east __PUNCT__ that volatil and critic import region __PUNCT__ is at stake __PUNCT__
the unit state __PUNCT__ credibl as a moral and polit leader is at stake __PUNCT__
how to safeguard those interest is what we should be debat __PUNCT__
there ar those who todai argu for a hasti withdraw from iraq __PUNCT__
some would withdraw regardless of the consequ __PUNCT__
other sai that we can withdraw now and then return if troubl start again __PUNCT__
what thei ar realli propos __PUNCT__ if thei mean what thei sai __PUNCT__ is a polici of withdraw and re __PUNCT__ invad __PUNCT__
for if we withdraw hastili and irrespons __PUNCT__ we will guarante the troubl will come immedi __PUNCT__
our alli __PUNCT__ arab countri __PUNCT__ the un __PUNCT__ and the iraqi themselv will not step up to their respons if we recklessli retreat __PUNCT__
i can hardli imagin a more imprud and danger cours __PUNCT__
over the past year __PUNCT__ the counterinsurg strategi of gener petraeu ha been base on the premis that establish greater secur in iraq is indispens to advanc polit reconcili and econom reconstruct __PUNCT__ to make diplomat progress in the region __PUNCT__ and to prepar the iraqi militari to assum it respons to defend the sovereignti of iraq and the author of it elect govern __PUNCT__
should the unit state withdraw from iraq befor that level of secur is establish those goal will be infinit harder if not imposs to attain __PUNCT__
al qaeda in iraq will proclaim victori and increas it effort to provok sectarian tension in iraq into a full scale civil war that could descend into genocid and destabil the middl east __PUNCT__
iraq would be a fail state that could becom a haven for terrorist to train and plan their oper __PUNCT__
iran influenc in iraq __PUNCT__ especi southern iraq __PUNCT__ and throughout the r egion would increas substanti and encourag other countri to seek accommod with tehran at the expens of our interest __PUNCT__
these like consequ of america failur in iraq would __PUNCT__ almost certainli __PUNCT__ requir us to return to iraq or draw us into a wider and far costlier war __PUNCT__
the american peopl deserv the truth from their leader __PUNCT__
thei deserv a candid assess of the progress we have manag to make in the last year in prevent the worst from happen in iraq __PUNCT__ of the veri seriou difficulti that remain __PUNCT__ and of the grave consequ of a hasti __PUNCT__ reckless __PUNCT__ and irrespons withdraw __PUNCT__
if we ar honest about the opportun and the risk __PUNCT__ i believ thei will have the patienc to allow us the time necessari to obtain our object __PUNCT__
that honesti is my respons __PUNCT__ and it is also the respons of senat obama and clinton __PUNCT__ as well as democrat and republican leader in congress __PUNCT__
do the right thing in the heat of a polit campaign is not alwai the easiest thing __PUNCT__
but when __NUM__ american have given their live so that america doe not suffer the worst consequ of our failur in iraq __PUNCT__ it is a necessari thing __PUNCT__
in such a grave matter __PUNCT__ we must put the nation interest befor our own ambit __PUNCT__
the fact is __PUNCT__ we now have a great opportun __PUNCT__ not onli to bring stabil and freedom to iraq __PUNCT__ but to make iraq a pillar of our futur strategi for the entir region of the greater middl east __PUNCT__
if we seiz the opportun befor us __PUNCT__ we stand to gain a strong __PUNCT__ stabl __PUNCT__ democrat alli against terror and a strong alli against an aggress and radic iran __PUNCT__
over the next __NUM__ month __PUNCT__ iraq will conduct two landmark elect __PUNCT__ for provinci govern and for the nation govern __PUNCT__
on my most recent trip to iraq __PUNCT__ i met dozen of shopkeep __PUNCT__ worker __PUNCT__ citi council offici and other __PUNCT__ who want iraqi from all background to elect local leader charg with make decis that reflect the need and desir of the local popul __PUNCT__ not the prefer of baghdad elit __PUNCT__
if we sustain the current progress __PUNCT__ those elect can be held in rel freedom and secur for the first time sinc the fall of saddam __PUNCT__
we should welcom a larger unit nation role in support the elect under the capabl leadership of it special envoi __PUNCT__ steffan de mistura __PUNCT__ who is alreadi plai a kei role in mediat disput in area like kirkuk __PUNCT__
throughout thi period __PUNCT__ we must continu to help the iraqi protect themselv against the terrorist and the insurg __PUNCT__
we must press ahead against the radic shi'it militia and the iranian __PUNCT__ back special group __PUNCT__ and support the iraqi govern effort to defeat them __PUNCT__
we must continu to support the sunni volunt of the iraqi awaken as thei stand up to al __PUNCT__ qaeda in iraq __PUNCT__ especi in the ongo battl for mosul __PUNCT__
and we must continu to build the capac of the iraqi secur forc so that thei can plai an increasingli strong and neutral role in suppress sectarian violenc __PUNCT__
all thi will requir that we keep a suffici level of american forc in iraq until secur condit ar such that our command on the ground recommend otherwis __PUNCT__
it also mean we must increas level of reconstruct assist __PUNCT__ so that iraq polit and econom develop can proce in the secur that our forc and iraqi secur forc provid __PUNCT__
abov all __PUNCT__ it mean we must onc again reject __PUNCT__ as we did in earli __NUM__ the call for a reckless and irrespons withdraw of our forc just at the moment when thei ar succeed __PUNCT__
econom progress is essenti if the secur gain in iraq ar to be sustain __PUNCT__
the onc silent and desert market have come back to life in mani area __PUNCT__ but high unemploy rate continu to fuel crimin and insurg violenc __PUNCT__
to move young men awai from the attract of well __PUNCT__ fund extremist __PUNCT__ we need a vibrant __PUNCT__ grow iraqi economi __PUNCT__
the iraqi govern can jump __PUNCT__ start thi process by us a portion of it budget surplu to emploi iraqi in infrastructur project and in restor basic servic __PUNCT__
the intern commun should augment iraqi effort by broadli enhanc the proven success of microfin program to spur entrepreneurship at local level throughout the countri and iraq arab neighbor should invest in region stabil by us the fruit of their oil export to directli invest in iraq __PUNCT__
as these effort begin to take hold in iraq __PUNCT__ it will be __PUNCT__ as in all countri __PUNCT__ the privat sector that creat the va t major of job and propel the growth that will end relianc on outsid aid __PUNCT__
i do not want to keep our troop in iraq a minut longer than necessari to secur our interest there __PUNCT__
our goal is an iraq that can stand on it own as a democrat alli and a respons forc for peac in it neighborhood __PUNCT__
our goal is an iraq that no longer need american troop __PUNCT__
and i believ we can achiev that goal __PUNCT__ perhap sooner than mani imagin __PUNCT__
but i do not believ that anyon should make promis as a candid for presid that thei cannot keep if elect __PUNCT__
to promis a withdraw of our forc from iraq __PUNCT__ regardless of the calamit consequ to the iraqi peopl __PUNCT__ our most vital interest __PUNCT__ and the futur of the middl east __PUNCT__ is the height of irrespons __PUNCT__
it is a failur of leadership __PUNCT__
i know the pain war caus __PUNCT__
i understand the frustrat caus by our mistak in thi war __PUNCT__
and i regret sincer the addit sacrific impos on the brave american who defend us __PUNCT__
but i also know the toll a lost war take on an armi and on our countri secur __PUNCT__
by give gener petraeu and the men and women he ha the honor to command the time and support necessari to succe in iraq we have befor us a hard road __PUNCT__
but it is the right road __PUNCT__
it is necessari and just __PUNCT__
those who disregard the unmistak progress we have made in the last year and the terribl consequ that would ensu were we to abandon our respons in iraq have chosen anoth road __PUNCT__
it mai appear to be the easier cours of action __PUNCT__ but it is a much more reckless on __PUNCT__ and it doe them no credit even if it give them an advantag in the next elect __PUNCT__
we all respect the sacrific made by our soldier __PUNCT__
we all mourn the loss thei have suffer in thi war __PUNCT__
but let us honor them by do all we can to ensur their sacrific were not made in vain __PUNCT__
let us show an appropri humil by recogn that so littl is ask of us compar to the burden we impos on them __PUNCT__ and let us show just a small __PUNCT__ but signific measur of their courag __PUNCT__ resolv and patriot by put our countri interest befor everi person or polit consider __PUNCT__
war is a terribl thing __PUNCT__
you know that better than most __PUNCT__ you who have born the heartach and depriv of war so that our countri might be secur in it freedom __PUNCT__
i hold my posit on iraq not becaus i am indiffer to the suffer caus by thi war but becaus i detest war __PUNCT__ and believ sincer that should we fail in iraq we will face an even sterner test in the veri near futur __PUNCT__ an even harder war __PUNCT__ with even greater sacrific and heartbreak loss than we have suffer over the last five year __PUNCT__
it is everi veteran hope that should their children be call upon to answer a call to arm __PUNCT__ the battl will be necessari and the field well chosen __PUNCT__
but that is not their respons __PUNCT__
it belong to the govern that call them __PUNCT__
as it onc wa for you __PUNCT__ their honor will be in their answer not their summon __PUNCT__
whatev we think about how and why we went to war in iraq __PUNCT__ we ar all __PUNCT__ those who support the decis that place them in harm wai and those who oppos it __PUNCT__ humbl by and grate for their exampl __PUNCT__
we know how littl ha been ask of other compar to their servic __PUNCT__ and the terribl sacrific made by those who have not return to the countri thei love so well __PUNCT__
thei now deserv the distinct of the best american __PUNCT__ and we ow them a debt we can never fulli repai __PUNCT__
we can onli offer the small tribut of our humil and our commit to do all that we can do __PUNCT__ in less try and costli circumst __PUNCT__ to help keep thi nation worthi of their sacrific __PUNCT__
the sacrific made by veteran deserv to be memori in someth more last than marbl or bronz or in the fleet effect of a politician speech __PUNCT__
your valor and devot to duti have earn your countri abid concern for your welfar __PUNCT__
and when our govern forget to honor our debt to you __PUNCT__ it is a stain upon america honor __PUNCT__
the walter reed scandal recal __PUNCT__ i hope __PUNCT__ not just govern but the public who elect it __PUNCT__ to our respons to the men and women who risk life and limb to meet their respons to us __PUNCT__
such a disgrac is unworthi of the greatest nation on earth __PUNCT__
as the greatest leader in our histori __PUNCT__ georg washington and abraham lincoln __PUNCT__ instruct us __PUNCT__ care for american who fought to defend us should rank among the highest of nation prioriti __PUNCT__
those who have born the burden of war for our sake must be treat fairli and expediti as thei seek compens for disabl or ill __PUNCT__
we ow them compass __PUNCT__ knowledg and hand __PUNCT__ on care in their transit to civilian life __PUNCT__
we ow them train __PUNCT__ rehabilit and educ __PUNCT__
we ow their famili __PUNCT__ parent and caregiv our concern and support __PUNCT__
thei should never be depriv of qualiti medic care and mental health care coverag for ill or injuri incur as a result of their servic to our countri __PUNCT__
as presid __PUNCT__ i will do everyth in my power to ensur that those who serv todai and those who have serv in the past have access to the highest qualiti health __PUNCT__ mental health and rehabilit care in the world __PUNCT__
the disgrac of walter reed must not be forgotten __PUNCT__
neither should we accept a situat in which veteran ar deni access to care due to great travel distanc __PUNCT__ backlog of appoint __PUNCT__ and year of pend disabl evalu and claim __PUNCT__
i believ that we should give veteran the option to us a simpl plastic card to receiv time and access care at a conveni locat through a provid of their choos __PUNCT__
i will not stand for requir veteran to make an appoint to stand in line to make an appoint to stand in line for substandard care of the injuri you have suffer to keep our countri safe __PUNCT__
whatev our commit to veteran cost __PUNCT__ we will keep them __PUNCT__ as you have kept everi commit to us __PUNCT__
the honor of a gre at nation is at stake __PUNCT__
as we meet __PUNCT__ in iraq and afghanistan __PUNCT__ american soldier __PUNCT__ marin __PUNCT__ sailor and airmen ar fight brave and tenaci in battl that ar as danger __PUNCT__ difficult and consequenti as the great battl of our arm forc __PUNCT__ stori past __PUNCT__
mani of them have had their tour extend longer than thei were initi told __PUNCT__
other who had alreadi serv two or three tour return to combat sooner than thei had been led to expect __PUNCT__
it is a sad and hard thing to ask so much more of american who have alreadi given more than their fair share to the defens of our countri __PUNCT__
few of them and their famili would have greet the new without feel greatli disappoint __PUNCT__ and without offer a few well deserv complaint in the direct of those of us who have impos on them thi addit hardship __PUNCT__
then thei shoulder a rifl and risk everyth __PUNCT__ everyth __PUNCT__ to accomplish their mission __PUNCT__ to protect anoth peopl freedom and our own countr y from harm __PUNCT__
it is a privileg beyond measur to live in a countri serv so well by such selfless patriot __PUNCT__
god bless and protect them __PUNCT__
