WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush declared progress in the Iraq war Thursday, saying terrorists “are on the run” and a generally improved security environment should permit further U.S. troop reductions.

Standing on the Colonnade outside the Oval Office of the White House, Bush also announced that effective Thursday, the duration of troop tours in Iraq will be cut from 15 months to 12 months.

Bush said this reduction “will relieve the burden on our forces and it will make life easier for our wonderful military families.”

“The progress is still reversible,” Bush acknowledged. But he added, “There now appears to be a degree of durability in gains.”

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Bush declares significant progress in Iraq war

You can’t deny it, Iraq has shown great improvement, and it’s about time too. We have put in a lot of time, money, effort and, not to forget, many American lives to make this happen.

I never made any secret of the fact that I have always believed, and to this day continue to believe, Iraq wasn’t where we needed to go, especially at the time we went. I felt that Afghanistan was the REAL War on terror, I still do, and now we’re having to *ramp up* there once again because, after all, Iraq has become a much more peaceful place.

I still think that Iraq, in the early stages, after the Republican Guard was defeated and Saddam had been deposed, was the most ill managed excuse for an occupation that ever happened. Bush micromanaged Iraq and damned near caused this country to suffer the ultimate embarrassment, an *ass kicking* by a bunch of raghead insurgents.

It took several mission re-definitions, it took some catchy slogans, *The Surge*, and what it all boiled down to was this, someone finally got it through Bush’s thick head that he didn’t know his ass from 2nd base about war fighting and IF he seriously wanted to make his dream for Iraq come true, let the warfighters run the war.

This story, and the one just below it, tie in very well together, we must continue to fight the War on terror, we have NO choice, but that battle is going to always expand, soft targets will always be the ones that these terrorist look for. We can’t let the USA become that *soft target*.