Campus reacts to president's Iraq plan

President Bush on Tuesday suggested the rise of democracy will be the ultimate triumph over radicalism and terror. Meanwhile, some members of the U.S. Senate and the American public still believe a legislated timetable for military personnel withdrawal will provide the ultimate triumph over the rising Iraqi insurgency. \n"This nation will not wait to be attacked again. We will defend freedom. We will take the fight to the enemy. Iraq is the latest battlefield in this war," Bush told the crowd of American soldiers from the Army's elite 82nd Airborne Division, stationed at Fort Bragg, N.C. "... There is only one course of action against them: to defeat them abroad before they attack us at home."\nBush further emphasized his administration's refusal to offer Americans a timetable for withdrawing U.S. military personnel from Iraq -- an occupied sovereign country as of a year ago to the day of Tuesday's speech -- calling any proposed exit strategy a "serious mistake." Instead, he offered American audiences an answer to the hypothetical social question: "Is the sacrifice worth it and vital to the future security of our \ncountry?" \n"Our mission in Iraq is clear. We're hunting down the terrorists. We're helping Iraqis build a free nation that is an ally in the war on terror. We're advancing freedom in the broader Middle East," Bush said, one of 26 references to "freedom" during his half-an-hour speech. "We are removing a source of violence and instability, and laying the foundation for peace for our children and our grandchildren." \nAt least 1,740 U.S. military personnel have died since the March 2003 American liberation of Iraq from Saddam Hussein, according to the Associated Press. An estimated 16,000 to 26,000 Iraqi insurgents have detonated 484 car bombs and used other urban warfare tactics during Iraq's occupation to kill at least 2,221 Iraqis and to injure more than 5,574 people. \n"Bush outlined exactly what Americans wanted to hear. Since day one he asked for resolve and dedication to the cause of war," said Andrew Lauck, chairman of the IU College Republicans. "He said our country is determined to find a solution and he made it very clear tonight he is not going to waver from that path ... We are over there for a reason and we are going to stay until our mission is completed."\nAn estimated 100,000 or more Iraqi civilians have died in the conflict as coalition collateral damage, although the Pentagon does not keep tabs. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqi refugees have fled to neighboring countries like Syria and Iran.\n"Like most Americans, I see the images of violence and bloodshed. Every picture is horrifying, and the suffering is real ... The terrorists do not understand America," Bush said, one of 26 references to "terrorism" Tuesday night. "... Hear the words of Osama Bin Laden: 'This Third World is raging' in Iraq. 'The whole world is watching this war.'"\nReferencing the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in New York a handful of times, Bush said military reports indicate the U.S. has killed or captured hundreds of foreign fighters in Iraq from Egypt, Iran, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. The president did not mention the more than $200 billion spent on the war already, nor did he indicate his administration's current stance in regard to Iran's theocracy, North Korea's nuclear weapons or Saudi Arabia's support of international terrorism -- home to 16 of the 19 Sept. 11 suicide hijackers.\nIU sophomore Daniel Reichwein, an Army reserve soldier and paralegal for the U.S. military's Justice Adjunct Group (JAG), said he missed Bush's speech because he was busy studying for summer classes followed by work commitments. He said he prefers the Bush Administration offer a "concrete" timeline, but he said guerilla warfare is often unpredictable. \n"Twenty years down the road I would hope some other countries will see the good we are doing right now and look at the U.S. in a better light -- helpful and doing the right things," Reichwein said. "After the insurgency is cleaned up in Iraq, the terrorists will probably try to attack more local targets -- hopefully not another 9-11. I'm confident in our intelligence agencies but I do see the risk of more terrorism happening in the U.S."\nLauck said he feels pride about having voted for Bush in the 2004 election and he feels prideful standing behind the decisions the president makes about the war in Iraq.\n"Every American and member of the international community needs to ask himself or herself: 'would I rather have a ruthless dictator or an insurgency struggling to stay alive?'" he said. "I think the student body saw a president that was resolved and resolute, and I think the best thing we could do is stand behind him and support the troops in Iraq."\nContrasting with Vice President Dick Cheney's claim a few weeks ago that the Iraq insurgency is "in the last throes" and Sec. of Defense Donald Rumsfield's claim Sunday that the insurgency might last up to 12 years more, Bush said the U.S. military is prepared to step down "as the Iraqis stand up." The president also said the Jan. 2005 Iraq election, in which about one out of five Iraqis voted, and the proposed Aug. 2005 drafting of an Iraq Constitution prove democratic progress is being made in the Middle East -- "the ultimate triumph over radicalism and terror."\nBloomington guest and Charleston, S.C., resident Zan Turvey said he respects Bush's resolve and he doesn't think America should show weakness toward the terrorists. He said he wishes the U.S. would have waited for increased international support from world governing bodies like the United Nations, although he said "there is no question Saddam had to go."\n"I disagree with the mess we are in today, but Iraq will be a better place when their government is established and their infrastructure is rebuilt," Turvey said. "I do agree with the fact we'll probably be attacked again, but we can't sit back and wait for it happen -- Iraq is the lesser of two evils I suppose. We strengthened Saddam and we trained his upper people on warfare, but he is an example of a dog gone rabid that needed to be put down. Unfortunately, a lot of his citizens throughout the decades suffered and continue to suffer from his leadership"