“Major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed.” –President Bush, standing under a “Mission Accomplished” banner on the USS Lincoln aircraft carrier, May 2, 2003“I think they’re in the last throes, if you will, of the insurgency.” Vice President Dick Cheney, on the Iraq insurgency, June 20, 2005" And our plan is working. You notice I say “our plan.” Today, violence is down dramatically. Al Qaeda is driven from its safe havens. Sunnis, Shia, and Kurds are sitting together at the same table to part to peacefully chart the future of this country. There is hope in the eyes of Iraqis’ young. This is a future of what we’ve been fighting for a strong and capable democratic Iraq that will be a force of freedom and a force for peace in the heart of the Middle East; a country that will serve as a source for stability in a volatile region; a country that will deny a safe haven to al Qaeda. As a result of these successes, Mr. Prime Minister, the American people are safer. “”The agreement lays out a framework for the withdrawal of American forces in Iraq — a withdrawal that is possible because of the success of the surge.“”And we are leaving the next President with a stable foundation for the future, and an approach that can enjoy broad bipartisan support at home. " -President Bush during the Iraq Sign the Strategic Framework Agreement and Security Agreement with Prime Minister Maliki, December 14, 2008
“Major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed.” –President Bush, standing under a “Mission Accomplished” banner on the USS Lincoln aircraft carrier, May 2, 2003“I think they’re in the last throes, if you will, of the insurgency.” Vice President Dick Cheney, on the Iraq insurgency, June 20, 2005" And our plan is working. You notice I say “our plan.” Today, violence is down dramatically. Al Qaeda is driven from its safe havens. Sunnis, Shia, and Kurds are sitting together at the same table to part to peacefully chart the future of this country. There is hope in the eyes of Iraqis’ young. This is a future of what we’ve been fighting for a strong and capable democratic Iraq that will be a force of freedom and a force for peace in the heart of the Middle East; a country that will serve as a source for stability in a volatile region; a country that will deny a safe haven to al Qaeda. As a result of these successes, Mr. Prime Minister, the American people are safer. “”The agreement lays out a framework for the withdrawal of American forces in Iraq — a withdrawal that is possible because of the success of the surge.“”And we are leaving the next President with a stable foundation for the future, and an approach that can enjoy broad bipartisan support at home. " -President Bush during the Iraq Sign the Strategic Framework Agreement and Security Agreement with Prime Minister Maliki, December 14, 2008