It’s been a long and brutal war in Iraq, now in its third year. October has been a particularly deadly month for U.S. troops, with the death toll nearly 100. Rising numbers of Iraqi civilians are also falling victim to the sectarian fighting.
Even President Bush acknowledged dismay at the “unspeakable violence” in yesterday’s press conference. Still, he continues to talk about the goal of handing over control of the country to Iraq security forces, even though the year-old Iraqi government appears far from ready to take over that nation’s security. Let’s listen to a clip of Wednesday’s press conference:
President George W. Bush: I am confident we will succeed. The ultimate victory in Iraq, which is a government that can sustain itself, govern itself and defend itself, depends upon the Iraqi citizens and the Iraqi government doing the hard work necessary to protect their country, and our job is to help them achieve that objective. As a matter of fact, my view is the only way we lose in Iraq is if we leave before the job is done. Host Gloria Penner speaks to a military historian about what’s happening in Iraq.
Guests
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Abe Shragge
, military historian.
