US Presidency
2007

Even if our new strategy works exactly as planned, deadly acts of violence will continue and we must expect more Iraqi and American casualties. The question is whether our new strategy will bring us closer to success. I believe that it will. Victory will not look like the ones our fathers and grandfathers achieved. There will be no surrender ceremony on the deck of a battleship. But victory in Iraq will bring something new in the Arab world a functioning democracy that polices its territory, upholds the rule of law, respects fundamental human liberties, and answers to its people. A democratic Iraq will not be perfect. But it will be a country that fights terrorists instead of harboring them and it will help bring a future of peace and security for our children and our grandchildren. This new approach comes after consultations with Congress about the different courses we could take in Iraq.