I promise this is something that you will never hear. In my head this has already happened but so have a lot of other things that have yet to happen.
Here’s hoping.
My fellow Americans. I come to you this evening with a heavy heart.
I came to you over four years ago and asked you to stand with me and our allies in waging a war on terror. With America having suffered a tragedy at the hands of terrorists I felt that a war on terror would best serve not only Americans but also the world in the hopes of helping to prevent anyone from having to experience a tragedy like September 11th ever again.
Since that time we have waged a brave and courageous fight in both Afghanistan and Iraq. However, with each passing day the news out of Iraq is increasingly dire and desperately grim. Americans continue to senselessly lose their sons and daughters to an enemy that has increasingly become more devious and deadly. An enemy that is made up of people we have liberated. An enemy that is not a traditional force but rather one made up of lone individuals armed with nothing more than hate and archaic but brutal weapons used to invoke the maximum amount of damage against not only American servicemen and women but their fellow countrymen as well.
Tolstoy once said , “Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” This evening I hope to do both.
Tonight I am first offering up my sincerest and most humble apologies to the American people. I apologize for the stubbornness with which myself and my administration have acted. I have continually ignored the advice of those officials whose guidance and expertise I initially sought out. From the United Nations to high ranking military officials, I have ignored them all. I have no excuse for these actions.
The most despicable result of my actions is the toll they have taken on the men and women who serve this country. My blatant disregard for their lives is something only God can forgive. I take full responsibility for the loss of life, both American and Iraqi that this war has caused. There is no one to hold accountable other than myself and those who decided to go to war with the limited information we had available to us.
Most of all I apologize to the families of those who served, and continue to serve, this country so bravely. Words cannot express the gratitude that this country owes you for the sacrifices you have made.
In an effort to redeem myself in the eyes of those I have so clearly hurt I am calling on congress to authorize an immediate troop withdrawal. This withdrawal will bring our troop presence in Iraq to pre-war levels by 2008.
This withdrawal is not an admission of defeat. We have liberated a country from tyrannical rule and the world is safer for it. However we must think to protect our country’s interests first. The greatest resource our country has is the brave men and women who make sacrifices beyond our expectations. To keep them in harm’s way for anything less than the protection of our freedom or the freedom of those who cannot defend it for themselves is an act of futility that I will no longer be a part of.
The time for partisan bickering and finger pointing stops now. The time to do what is best for this country and the world begins now. The world will see great change and we will help be that change. In order to best do that effectively I will need the support of the American people once again. No matter your skin color, political affiliation or religion, we are all Americans and as Americans we must get our people home and as soon as possible.
I am sorry.
May god bless America.
I thank you and good night.
- Joel David