Real Coalition Building
A lot has been said about John Edwards’ contention that the Iraqis that are fighting in Iraq are not to be considered a part of the coalition. (This cartoon provides a vivid illustration of that view). I think Edwards’ statement presents an opportunity for Bush to make an excellent point. When we entered Iraq, the Iraqi government was obviouisly not on our side. The fact that in just over a year, we have removed a ruthless, murdering dictator and under our guidance, the Iraqis have formed a new goverment, which is supported by the majority of Iraqi citizens, is an incredible feat alone. That this new government is thankful to the U.S. and is training its citizens to fight against those in their country who supported Saddam and those foreign terrorists that want to kill Americans, is even more impressive.
John Kerry would be hard pressed to get the French and Germans to join the coalition in Iraq and would probably even have some difficulty maintaining the current coalition since he has insulted them all. President Bush, on the other hand, can say the U.S. worked to help the Iraqi people form a government that is fighting in America’s interest, thus making a strong ally out of the country in the world that hated America more than any other.
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