An editorial from today's Indy Star, a ************ paper no less. Kind of reflects what I'd been saying before the election:




Today's Editorial
Explain vision for resolving Iraq war


December 22, 2004


Our position is: The president must better explain to the American public how the U.S. plans to prevail in Iraq.

Tuesday was another terrible day in Iraq.

An apparent mortar attack launched by insurgents killed at least 24 people and wounded more than 60 others at a U.S. military base near Mosul. The dead, according to an Army spokesman, included American troops, Iraqi soldiers and U.S. and foreign contractors.

In a White House news conference a day earlier, President Bush expressed confidence that "the terrorists will fail," but he also acknowledged that the challenges in Iraq remain formidable.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair, during a visit to Baghdad on Tuesday, called the struggle in Iraq a "battle between democracy and terror."

Indeed it is. The stakes are enormous for the U.S., its allies, the people of Iraq and the entire Middle East. In light of that fact, the U.S. has no acceptable option other than to prevail in helping to establish a stable Iraqi government.

But evidence increasingly indicates that the Iraqi army is far from ready to secure its own nation. Bush himself noted that some U.S.-trained Iraqi troops have run from enemy fire.

It's clear the interim government will need U.S. protection for months if not years to come, even if the elections scheduled for Jan. 30 are successful. With the war lingering, Bush and embattled Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld must do everything possible to ensure that all U.S. troops in Iraq are properly equipped. They also must address the strains the war has placed on National Guard and Reserve forces.

Bush, in addition, must regularly and clearly explain to the American public his plans for Iraq, the current situation on the ground and an overall vision for bringing the conflict to resolution.

It has been a deadly and disappointing year in Iraq for all who are struggling to secure freedom and establish democracy. The president must explain how the ******** will unfold with more promise.