This Cannot Be The United States Being

Al-qaida In Particular Remains Dangerous, And There [in Iraq] Is Some Residual Militia And Special Group Presence. There Are Still Between 20 And 30 Attacks Per Day, Still Periodic Car Bombs And Still Loss Of Innocent Civilians.

Let's Remember That The Reason We Are There Is That We Have Vital Interests In Afghanistan, Hugely Important National Interests, As Do The Other Countries Involved.

First And Foremost Is To Not Allow The Reestablishment, If You Will, Of An Extremist Sanctuary That Can Export The Kind Of Terror That Ended Up With Terrorists Taking Down The World Trade Center And Plowing Into The Pentagon And A Field In Pennsylvania. That's The Point: We Started This War Because The Sept. 11 Attack Came From This Area. And We Do Not Fight Alone, But With Some 40 Allies Who Share That View.

The Fact Is That Iran Doesn't Want To See The Taliban Come Back Any More Than Do Most Afghan Citizens.

When You Enlisted Into The Armed Forces You Swore To Support And Defend A Constitution That Did Not Yet Fully Apply To You. You Chose To Endure The Same Sacrifices As Your Fellow Comrades In Arms To Preserve The Freedom Of A Land That Was Not Yet Fully Yours. You Accepted That You Might Have To Pay The Ultimate Price On Behalf Of A Nation To Which You Did Not Fully Belong. Now, You Will Officially Become Citizens Of The United States, A Country To Which Each Of You Has Already Borne True Faith And Allegiance In Your Hearts And Your Deeds.