I happen to be able to sit here for a few minutes and live blog Bush’s war on terror “Plan for Victory” speech at Annapolis

UPDATE A good start, from an expectedly warm crowd. Governor Ehrlich from Maryland is present, as well as Senator John Warner.

UPDATE Bush starts by praising students at the Naval Academy for their role in winning the war. “The enemy must be defeated on every battlefield. The terrorists have made Iraq a central front…”

UPDATE A “clear strategy requires an understanding of the enemy.” He speaks of three enemies in Iraq, starting with the “rejectionists”, consisting of many Sunnis and Baathists who enjoyed the spoils of Hussein’s regime. Bush notes that most Sunnis now have formed political coalitions and are participating in the democratic process.

UPDATE The second group is “smaller but more determined”. Loyalists to Saddam (Saddamists), which seems to be a subgroup of the first group.

UPDATE The third group is “the smallest, but most lethal.” Consists of al Qaeda operatives from other countries, and who are responsible for the atrocities we see. Zarqawi (sp) is mentioned as the leader, desiring a power vaccuum to control the country.

Their desire is to create a “totalitarian Islamic empire that reaches from Indonesia to Spain.”

UPDATE The terrorists in Iraq share the same ideology as the terrorists that have attacked the United States, London, Jordan, Bali and Iraq.

UPDATE If we weren’t killing them in Iraq, they would not be idle. “We will never back down, we will never give in, and we will never accept anything less than complete victory.”

UPDATE Our strategy in Iraq is comprehensive. A free Iraqi society is our goal. Iraqi forces are assisting the effort, holding territory taken from the enemy.

UPDATE The main prong of the strategy is training Iraqi police and military, noting that Iraqis bring knowledge to the fight that we cannot. “They know who the terrorists are.”

UPDATE 80 Iraqi battalians are involved in the fight, with half of them leading where they operate.

UPDATE The message continues to be that Iraqi military are now effective in fighting for their own security. Bush uses a good quote from an Iraqi private that I was too slow to type, to the effect that the Iraqi soldier is not afraid, but only wanting to kill the terrorists.

UPDATE Forward operating bases are now under Iraqi control (over 12 so far), to include Saddam’s old digs in Tikrit, where a number of missions have been launched.

UPDATE We are also training the Iraqi army to protect against external threats. All Iraqi army recruits receive about the same amount of training as individuals in the US Army. Leadership training is also a focus. A new generation of Iraqi officers is being trained.

UPDATE Iraq has 6 police academies with 1 in Jordan, with 3500 new officers every 10 weeks. They are trained to conduct road blocks, diffuse IED’s, and function with AK-47s. Now Iraqis are training Iraqis, instead of coalition forces doing the job. There is no shortage of recruits. Fatwahs have been issued by Sunni clerics for young Iraqis to join the defense force.

UPDATE Mocks critics who say only one Iraqi battalion is independent from coalition forces. President explains that the standard the Iraqis are being held to by critics is a standard many Western armies could not meet. “They are in the fight today, and they will be in the fight for freedom tomorrow.”

UPDATERegional and base support units have been placed throughout the country. Iraq now has its own small air force. The new Iraqi navy is assisting in protecting ports. Intelligence schools have been founded. We are helping Iraq become self-supporting.

UPDATE Bush notes that some performance is uneven in some areas, but the units are getting better. Now the country takes the force seriously. He mentioned a Lt. from Richmond Hill, Georgia (where I was over Thanksgiving, near Ft. Stewart where the 3rd ID is) training Iraqi troops. They are far better trained and far better equipped than they once were. Our troops will return home to a proud nation.

UPDATE We will stay as long as necessary to complete the mission. Troop presence has been increased from 137,000 to 160,000 in preparation for the upcoming elections. We will increasingly move out of Iraqi cities and conduct fewer patrols and convoys as the Iraqi forces .

Decisions about troop levels will be based on facts on the ground, not by artifical timetables set by politicians in Washington. He quotes Joe Lieberman as saying that an aritificial timetable will discourage our troops, and the Iraqi people. Setting an artificial deadline to withdrawal sends a message of weakness to the world, and would vindicate terrorist tactics.

“America will not run in the face of car bombers and assassins as long as I am your Commander in Chief.”

UPDATE We are also helping them build a democracy worthy of sacrifice. We are 15 days away from a fully functioning constitutional government. Each vote cast sends a message – we will not be intimidated. “The future of Iraq belongs to freedom.”

(ed. this is a good speech)

UPDATE “If by stay the course, they mean we will not allow the terrorists to break our will, they’re right. ”

UPDATE To men and women in uniform, the debate over the war can be unsettling. What’s not in dispute is that the American people stand behind you. We shouldn’t fear the debate in Washington. “I will settle for nothing less than complete victory.”

Victory will come when the terrorists and Saddamists cannot threaten the Iraqi democracy.

UPDATE Mentions the prevailing of freedom over fascism in WWII. Freedom defeated communism in the Cold War. Today, these nations are allies in the war on terror. Today “the unstoppable power of freedom” will prevail over terrorism. By strengthening Iraq’s democracy, we gain an ally. This is a new generation’s call.

“Freedom is the destiny of every man, woman and child on this earth.”

UPDATE A time of war is a time of sacrifice. Corporal Starr who died in Iraq, “Others have died for my freedom, now this is my mark.” (note, if memory serves, the same fallen soldier taken out of context by the New York Times).

UPDATE Encouraging words to the cadets, before finishing up.

This was a fantastic speech. This is where Bush is good.

UPDATE TO POST Hugh Hewitt compiles a list of blogospheric reaction to the speech. Our own Bill Hobbs makes the list for his dismantling of the LA Times’ journalistic credibility.