Iraqi PM to Congress

In case you missed it, the Washington Post printed the transcript of the Iraqi Prime Minister's address to the U.S. Congress. Here are some excerpts:

Let me begin by thanking the American people, through you, on behalf of the Iraqi people, for supporting our people and ousting dictatorship. Iraq will not forget those who stood with her and who continues to stand with her in times of need.

Thank you for your continued resolve in helping us fight the terrorists plaguing Iraq, which is a struggle to defend our nation's democracy and our people who aspire to liberty, democracy, human rights and the rule of law. All of those are not Western values; they are universal values for humanity...

The war on terror is a real war against those who wish to burn out the flame of freedom. And we are in this vanguard for defending the values of humanity...

Thousands of lives were tragically lost on September 11th when these impostors of Islam reared their ugly head. Thousands more continue to die in Iraq today at the hands of the same terrorists who show complete disregard for human life.

Your loss on that day was the loss of all mankind, and our loss today is lost for all free people.

And wherever humankind suffers a loss at the hands of terrorists, it is a loss of all of humanity.

It is your duty and our duty to defeat this terror. Iraq is the front line in this struggle, and history will prove that the sacrifices of Iraqis for freedom will not be in
vain. Iraqis are your allies in the war on terror...

The fate of our country and yours is tied. Should democracy be allowed to fail in Iraq and terror permitted to triumph, then the war on terror will never be won elsewhere...

The transformation in Iraq can sometimes be forgotten in the daily, futile violence.

What used to be a state-controlled media is now completely free and uncensored...

What used to be a command economy in Iraq, we are rapidly transforming into a free market economy.

In the past three years, our GDP per capita has more than doubled. And it is expected that our economy will continue to grow. Standards of living have been raised for most Iraqis...

We have gone from mass graves and torture chambers and chemical weapons to a flourishing -- to the rule of law and human rights.

The rights chartered in the constitution will also help consolidate the role of women in public life as equals to men. And help them to play a greater role in political life.
I am proud to say that a quarter of Iraq's Council of Representatives is made up of women, but we still have much to accomplish.

It sounds as though the Prime Minister believes the worst thing we could do now is to cut and run. One thing is for sure. To leave the job half finished, before the Iraqis are truly ready for us to go, would be a mistake.

H/t: Right Wing News