Oh, Oh, Ayatollahs

US President George Bush addressed his nation (and by extension the world as well) on Wednesday night with a twenty minute speech on his plans for the US military in Iraq. An influx of some 21,500 troops will arrive in Iraq soon, to help try to quell the violence that is spiraling out of control in Baghdad and some rural provinces.

The speech dealt mostly with Bush’s plans, included a wee mea culpa over past mistakes and a dedication to see the job through though with more assistance from the current Iraqi government. He also endeavoured to try to draw a line between the current problems in Iraq to the global war on terror, which may be a hard thing to sell to a worried American populace.

Whether the now Democratically controlled Congress will agree with his wishes remains to be seen, but no doubt they will be going over every paragraph, line and punctuation mark to try and discern where things may be going as far as American Foreign and Military matters are concerned.

The speech is of the utmost importance to the American people, who by all accounts and recent polls are growing weary of the toll, which their time in Iraq is taking. But there may be a few more interested news junkies in the Middle East eager to try and read some tea leaves.

Two paragraphs from President Bush’s speech Wednesday night will have been of particular interest to the folks of Tehran and Damascus. While explaining what his plans were next for troop increases and governance in Iraq, the President included an interesting aside for the other nations of the region.

Succeeding in Iraq also requires defending its territorial integrity – and stabilizing the region in the face of the extremist challenge. This begins with addressing Iran and Syria. These two regimes are allowing terrorists and insurgents to use their territory to move in and out of Iraq. Iran is providing material support for attacks on American troops. We will disrupt the attacks on our forces. We will interrupt the flow of support from Iran and Syria. And we will seek out and destroy the networks providing advanced weaponry and training to our enemies in Iraq.

We are also taking other steps to bolster the security of Iraq and protect American interests in the Middle East. I recently ordered the deployment of an additional carrier strike group to the region. We will expand intelligence sharing – and deploy Patriot air defense systems to reassure our friends and allies. We will work with the governments of Turkey and Iraq to help them resolve problems along their border. And we will work with others to prevent Iran from gaining nuclear weapons and dominating the region.

Those paragraphs give one pause to think that the conflict in Iraq could soon expand to bring other players more into the open portion of the combat there. If nothing else, it serves notice on Iran and Syria that meddling in Iraq will soon be dealt with accordingly.

It could explain the recent moves by the US Government, replacing the Army Generals in the field in Iraq with military planners more in thinking with the Administrations latest plan for the region. It could also help explain why the Navy has been designated a greater role in an area that is of quite a bit of importance to the economy of the United States.

One thing is certain, with the speech Wednesday night, the President has indicated that events will continue on longer than many would have hoped. And that things may heat up even more in the short term, before any troops come home or Iraq resembles a more normal and peaceful place on the globe.

Here’s a sample of some of the reviews on the President’s address:

Newsday: Bush’s new call to Arms
Seattle Times: Congress the loyal Oppositon
The Guardian: Iraqi Government welcomes Bush Strategy
New York Times: Bush’s Strategy for Iraq Risks Confrontations
CNN International: Bush on Iraq: Commitment 'not open-ended'
National Post: Bush bucks widespread anti-war sentiment...
The Age: Bush, Democrats to clash over Iraq
ITV: 'Bush confirms Iraq troop plan'
Newsweek: A Crisis of Confidence
BBC: Bush boosts troop numbers in Iraq
Al Jazeera: Bush Iraq plans buck public opinion
Toronto Star: Bush admits `mistakes' in Iraq war
Fox News: Bush Says Failure in Iraq Would Be Disaster for U.S.
CBC News: New plan to secure Baghdad 'can work': Bush
Kansas City.com: Military experts question Bush strategy for Iraq
Globe and Mail: U. S. steps up the fight in Iraq
MSNBC: Admitting strategy error, Bush adds Iraq troops
Middle East Online: Bush strategy adds more troops to failing Baghdad campaign
Chicago Tribune: Bush concedes mistakes, sends more troops to Iraq
Boston Globe: Changes may not satisfy a restless public
Times On line: A last throw of the dice: Bush goes for bust...