"They cannot stop the advance of freedom"

Tonight, President Bush addressed the Nation, and the World, on the topic of Iraq. I did not see all of the speech, but what I did see was well delivered and strong. I have since read the entire speech. The President addressed why we are there, who is resisting our efforts to spread freedom to the Middle East, what we are going to do, and the courage of our military at home and across the world. From what he saw, I thought he did an excellent job. I'm very glad he decided to speak up. He too often allows his critics to go unchallenged.

Here is a bit from the speech:

The troops here and across the world are fighting a global war on terror. This war reached our shores on September 11, 2001. The terrorists who attacked us — and the terrorists we face — murder in the name of a totalitarian ideology that hates freedom, rejects tolerance, and despises all dissent. Their aim is to remake the Middle East in their own grim image of tyranny and oppression — by toppling governments, driving us out of the region, and exporting terror.

To achieve these aims, they have continued to kill — in Madrid, Istanbul, Jakarta, Casablanca, Riyadh, Bali, and elsewhere. The terrorists believe that free societies are essentially corrupt and decadent, and with a few hard blows they can force us to retreat. They are mistaken. After September 11, I made a commitment to the American people: This Nation will not wait to be attacked again. We will take the fight to the enemy. We will defend our freedom.