President George W. Bush at the Joint Armed Forces Officers’ Wives’ Luncheon: “Some observers look at the job ahead and adopt a self-defeating pessimism. It’s not justified. With every random bombing and every funeral of a child, it becomes more clear that the extremists are not patriots or resistance fighters — they are murderers at war with the Iraqi people, themselves. In contrast, the elected leaders of Iraq are proving to be strong and steadfast. By any standard or precedent of history, Iraq has made incredible political progress — from tyranny to liberation, to national elections, to the ratification of a constitution — in the space of two and a half years.”
– Transcript, “President Addresses Joint Armed Forces Officers’ Wives’ Luncheon,” George W. Bush- White House Archives online, Accessed on 9/2/2016