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The Minneapolis Daily reporting yesterday on President Bush's Iraq speech quoted Minnesota Democrat Representative Betty McCollum saying, "The president's speech sounded like a plan for indefinite occupation of Iraq, not a strategy for our troops to be successful."

The same day of the congresswoman's remarks, Samantha Quigley, writing for the Armed Forces Press Service reported that with only two weeks remaining for the terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi to derail the democratic process in Iraq, he is facing repeated setbacks.

Major General Rick Lynch, Multinational Force spokesman, reports great progress in military operations. The general claims everything is an increasing struggle for the terrorist leader. The hotel bombings in Jordan caused a backlash against Zarqawi. He has been hampered by the fact coalition forces have taken away large amounts of his munitions. He has been denied safe havens across the country and he has been denied freedom of movement.

Zarqawi has lost 117 of his network leaders since the beginning of 2005. His executive secretary Abu Ubaydah was killed in October.

Still, a member of the Democrat elite, Senator Ted Kennedy claims the president is attempting "to put lipstick on his failed Iraq strategy."

This strategy is so failed that 214,000 Iraqi security forces are trained and equipped and the country has re-established control of its borders, military sources have told reporters. On November 30 the Iraqi Defense Minister declared the Iraq border with Syria at Husaybah sealed.

But, Senator John Kerry charged the Bush Iraq strategy was rehashed remains of a failed administration policy and reasserted, "The strategy for exit is, in fact, part of the strategy for success. They go hand in hand."

On the war front coalition operations reduced car bomb explosions from 24 last week, to 11 during this seven-day period. Search operations have discovered and removed 301 weapons this past month and numerous munitions caches have been destroyed. One year ago there were 58 border forts. An additional 170 forts have expanded this number and it is expected there will be a total of 258 such forts by year's end.

Unconvinced, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is quoted by The Washington Times as remarking, "I'm endorsing what Mr. Murtha is saying, which is that the status quo is not working and that we need to have a plan that makes us safer and our military stronger and makes Iraq more stable."

However, what Pelosi sees as the status quo is changing by the day. On December 2 an all-Iraqi aircrew, members of the 23rd Iraqi Squadron, flew its first solo mission. New Al Muthana, the only Iraqi air base in the country, has been opened as the squadron's home.

At the same time, without offering any plan from his own party, Democrat Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island argued, "The question is, what is the president's plan to stabilize Iraq?"

This was said following a 17-day offensive in the cities of Husaybah, Karabilah and Ubaydi to prohibit al Qaeda in Iraq from operating in the Euphrates River Valley and throughout Anbar province. The operation conducted clearing missions in advance of a permanent Iraqi army security presence in the region. A total of 139 terrorists were killed and 256 captured.

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