Terrorism continues in Iraq aimed mainly at Iraqis but also at foreign nationals. Vice President Dick Cheney says, "It is not hard to see why the terrorists oppose and rage against the rise of democracy in Iraq":
"They know that as liberty advances, as men and women are given a say in the affairs of their country, they turn their creative gifts to the pursuit of peace. People who live in freedom are able to choose their own destiny, and this gives them real hope for material progress in their lives, and a better future for their children."
In Iraq, says Mr. Cheney, "The war on terror is a fight against evil":
"Progress in Iraq has not come easily, but it has been steady. A short time ago, the Iraqi people had an appointed government, no popularly elected legislature, no permanent constitution and no recent experience with free national elections. In less than two years' time, they've voted for a transitional government, drafted a progressive, democratic constitution in the heart of the Arab world, then approved that document in a national referendum, and elected a new government under its provisions."
Supporting political freedom and peaceful change, says Mr. Cheney, is a long-term U.S. commitment:
"Over the past four years, other free nations have risen in the broader Middle East. America will remain on the side of democratic reformers, and the reformers are on the side of history. . . .One leader in Lebanon said, 'When I saw the Iraqi people voting, it was the start of a new Arab world. . . .The Syrian people, the Egyptian people, all say that something is changing'."
And the terrorists? "We must oppose them," says Vice President Cheney, "and we must defeat them."
The preceding was an editorial reflecting the views of the United States Government.
