We Cleared Many Of Their Towns And

I Am Neither A Pessimist Nor An Optimist. I Am A Realist, And The Reality In Iraq Is That It Has Been Very Hard And It Continues To Be Hard.

Al-qaida In Particular Remains Dangerous, And There [in Iraq] Is Some Residual Militia And Special Group Presence. There Are Still Between 20 And 30 Attacks Per Day, Still Periodic Car Bombs And Still Loss Of Innocent Civilians.

Every Civilian's Death Diminishes Us, Collectively.

When You Enlisted Into The Armed Forces You Swore To Support And Defend A Constitution That Did Not Yet Fully Apply To You. You Chose To Endure The Same Sacrifices As Your Fellow Comrades In Arms To Preserve The Freedom Of A Land That Was Not Yet Fully Yours. You Accepted That You Might Have To Pay The Ultimate Price On Behalf Of A Nation To Which You Did Not Fully Belong. Now, You Will Officially Become Citizens Of The United States, A Country To Which Each Of You Has Already Borne True Faith And Allegiance In Your Hearts And Your Deeds.

Afghanistan Has Other Enormous Challenges As Well, Including A Political System That Is Still Very Much Developing, Although There Has Been Some Progress In The Past Several Years.