SOTU preview- What a difference a year makes

Posted By Uncle Jimbo

I just finished a blogger's conference call with Brett McGurk, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Iraq and Afghanistan. He previewed the portions of the President's speech tonight dealing with those two countries. He noted that the President was going to invite Congress back one year when they  were howling for withdrawal and declaring the war lost. He will remind them that he told them of a change in strategy to Counter-Insurgency (COIN) and that he sent additional troops to help implement this policy. Then he gets to pull the judo throw of contrasting last year with our current situation.

Heck I spoke with Andrew Lubin from Camp Victory today and he is working on getting himself to Afghanistan so he has something to write about. Now that doesn't mean we have won in Iraq, far from it and that will be the President's point. We have made tremendous strides in security and even the start of some political progress with the Re-Baathification bill, but this is a Long War and we need to finish strong. Did you hear me Obama?

Pete Hegseth of Vets for Freedom also has some SOTU preview thoughts.

(Washington, DC) Last year, President Bush used his State of the Union address to make the case for a “surge” in Iraq, in order to regain the offensive and defeat Al-Qaeda.  One year later, sectarian attacks and deaths in Baghdad have decreased more than 90%, Iraqi civilian casualties have dropped 75% throughout the country, and monthly coalition casualties have dropped dramatically.  Political progress has sprung up at the local level, and national-level reconciliation is beginning to take place.  Without this bold move—and bold speech—America would not be succeeding in Iraq today.

As the President prepares to address the nation tonight, and as the brave men and women who wear our nation’s uniform continue to pursue victory in Iraq, Afghanistan, and all the battlefields of the Global War on Terror, Vets for Freedom proudly supports the Commander-in-Chief as he continues to do everything he can to pursue a more peaceful world, and a more secure America

“September 11th, 2001 marked a turning point for our country in which the necessity of confronting Islamic Extremism became a reality,” said Pete Hegseth, Executive Director of Vets for Freedom.  “President Bush has been a steadfast voice of freedom and democracy across the world, understanding that peace can only come through strength.  In order to ensure security in this country, it is necessary to take the fight to the enemy, and as veterans of the Global War on Terror, we are proud to have carried out the orders of our Commander-in-Chief.”

Vets for Freedom is a nonpartisan organization established by combat veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Its mission is to educate the American public about the importance of achieving success in these conflicts by applying our first-hand knowledge to issues of American military strategy. For more information, please visit www.vetsforfreedom.org.

For more information or to schedule interviews with Pete Hegseth or other Iraq/Afghanistan veterans, please contact Judy Mayka at (202) 338-4070 or Judy@VetsForFreedom.org.

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SOTU preview- What a difference a year makes

I just finished a blogger's conference call with Brett McGurk, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Iraq and Afghanistan. He previewed the portions of the President's speech tonight dealing with those two countries. He noted that the President was going to invite Congress back one year when they  were howling for withdrawal and declaring the war lost. He will remind them that he told them of a change in strategy to Counter-Insurgency (COIN) and that he sent additional troops to help implement this policy. Then he gets to pull the judo throw of contrasting last year with our current situation.

Heck I spoke with Andrew Lubin from Camp Victory today and he is working on getting himself to Afghanistan so he has something to write about. Now that doesn't mean we have won in Iraq, far from it and that will be the President's point. We have made tremendous strides in security and even the start of some political progress with the Re-Baathification bill, but this is a Long War and we need to finish strong. Did you hear me Obama?

Pete Hegseth of Vets for Freedom also has some SOTU preview thoughts.

(Washington, DC) Last year, President Bush used his State of the Union address to make the case for a “surge” in Iraq, in order to regain the offensive and defeat Al-Qaeda.  One year later, sectarian attacks and deaths in Baghdad have decreased more than 90%, Iraqi civilian casualties have dropped 75% throughout the country, and monthly coalition casualties have dropped dramatically.  Political progress has sprung up at the local level, and national-level reconciliation is beginning to take place.  Without this bold move—and bold speech—America would not be succeeding in Iraq today.

As the President prepares to address the nation tonight, and as the brave men and women who wear our nation’s uniform continue to pursue victory in Iraq, Afghanistan, and all the battlefields of the Global War on Terror, Vets for Freedom proudly supports the Commander-in-Chief as he continues to do everything he can to pursue a more peaceful world, and a more secure America

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