Clinton Revises History; President Bush Responds

Those of us who wish ex-Presidents Carter and Clinton would honor American traditions and keep their thoughts to themselves once out of office are delighted that President Bush rebutted the attempts by ex-President Clinton to revise history this week. Here are President Bush's comments:

"Listen, there are differences of opinion about the way forward; I understand that. Some Americans want us to withdraw our troops so that we can escape the violence. I recognize their good intentions, but their position is wrong. Withdrawing our troops would make the world more dangerous, and make America less safe. To leave Iraq now would be to repeat the costly mistakes of the past that led to the attacks of September the 11th, 2001. The terrorists saw our response to the hostage crisis in Iran, the bombings in the Marine barracks in Lebanon, the first World Trade Center attack, the killing of American soldiers in Somalia, the destruction of two U.S. embassies in Africa, and the attack on the USS Cole.

The terrorists concluded that we lacked the courage and character to defend ourselves, and so they attacked us. Now the terrorists are testing our will and resolve in Iraq. If we fail that test, the consequences for the safety and security of the American people would be enormous. Our withdrawal from Iraq would allow the terrorists to claim an historic victory over the United States. It would leave our enemies emboldened and allow men like Zarqawi and bin Laden to dominate the Middle East and launch more attacks on America and other free nations. The battle lines are drawn, and there is no middle ground: either we defeat the terrorists and help the Iraqis build a working democracy, or the terrorists will impose their dark ideology on the Iraqi people and make that country a source of terror and instability to come for decades.

The only way the terrorists can win is if we lose our nerve and abandon the mission. For the security of the American people, that's not going to happen on my watch. We'll do our duty. We'll defeat our enemies in Iraq and other fronts in the war on terror. We'll lay the foundation of peace for our children and grandchildren."

I didn’t vote for President Bush because he was a great orator, but because of his character and his beliefs. I have often wished, however, that he would defend himself against the nay-sayers and the America-haters more often and more forcefully. There is no new and wondrous policy to be put in place; there is no withdrawal timetable to be announced. Those of us who are grownups recognize that this continues to be a long, hard fight, and even if Iraq calms down and truly establishes a working, peaceful democracy, American troops are going to have to stay there to protect the oilfields and the oil-supply routes until the hydrogen cars are coming off the line in large numbers.