You mean, you thought at one time it was?

Bush tells troops Iraq no longer 'hopeless':

EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska—President Bush said Monday that U.S. troops going to Iraq soon will find a country dramatically different from the one that was "hopeless" before his troop buildup.

Beginning a weeklong Asian tour with a refueling stop in Alaska, the president offered thanks to units from this base near Fairbanks and nearby Fort Wainwright that have done tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.

He also noted an Army Stryker brigade from Wainwright is about to deploy to Iraq, saying it will be "heading into a different situation."

"About a year ago people thought Iraq was lost and hopeless. People were saying let's get out of there, it doesn't matter to our national security. Iraq's changed -- a lot," Bush said. "The terrorists are on the run."

And he again asserted that fighting them was not a law enforcement problem. "If it's a law enforcement matter, that means you react after the crime. I think it's important ... to stop the crime from happening in the first place."

Love the pic the Boston Globe posted for this article:



And about that statement about law enforcement.... the law enforcement idea works, you know. You don't have to bomb everything flat to 'win'.