John McCain

thank you for that veri gener introduct __PUNCT__

it an honor to appear at the hudson_institut __PUNCT__

your work in promot global_secur __PUNCT__ prosper __PUNCT__ and freedom is well known __PUNCT__

your founder __PUNCT__ herman kahn __PUNCT__ virtual invent the modern field of strateg studi __PUNCT__ and todai hudson scholar carri on hi tradit of honest __PUNCT__ origin and far __PUNCT__ sight think about america situat in the world __PUNCT__ and the challeng and opportun we find as we continu the work of preced american gener to make thi world less threaten to our secur and more hospit to our valu __PUNCT__

it ha been an interest two week __PUNCT__

gener_petraeu and ambassador crocker return from iraq and gave_congress and the countri an honest assess of progress in iraq and the problem we still face and a cogent explan of how the long_overdu chang in our tactic and object have produc greater success there than we had achiev for the first four year of the war __PUNCT__

but in a campaign season that ha __PUNCT__ regrett __PUNCT__ seen too mani occas when statesmanship ha surrend to pander __PUNCT__ lead_democrat and presidenti_candid spurn a clear __PUNCT__ ei assess of the opportun and difficulti ahead and a strateg grasp of the consequ of an american defeat for whistl past the grave yard altern __PUNCT__ which seldom rise abov the level of soundbit and that lack __PUNCT__ either by design or inexperi __PUNCT__ even a crude understand of the realiti of our situat __PUNCT__

thankfulli __PUNCT__ effort in congress to deni gener_petraeu and american_forc in iraq the support necessari to continu their counterinsurg success have lost support sinc the summer __PUNCT__

that is __PUNCT__ i believ __PUNCT__ larg attribut to the fact that it is becom clearer to american __PUNCT__ and to member of congress for whom our situat in iraq is a substanti greater concern than an elect that is more than a year awai __PUNCT__ that after four year of reinforc failur in iraq __PUNCT__ we ar begin to get thing right there __PUNCT__

that is a great credit to gener_petraeu __PUNCT__ the architect as well as the command of the counterinsurg __PUNCT__

it is an even greater credit to the men and women he ha the honor to command __PUNCT__ who have bid good __PUNCT__ bye again to their famili __PUNCT__ while no doubt direct some well __PUNCT__ deserv abus at those of us who have put them in thi situat __PUNCT__ and then shoulder a rifl and risk everyth __PUNCT__ everyth __PUNCT__ for our sake __PUNCT__

on thi point i hope we all agre __PUNCT__ republican and democrat __PUNCT__

it is an honor to live in countri so well defend by such brave patriot __PUNCT__

but democrat who aspir to the offic of command in chief ought to be abl to demonstr that their posit on iraq and the long_war against islam extremist ar the product of sober reason and their promis of more realist statecraft is base on __PUNCT__ well __PUNCT__ realiti __PUNCT__

instead __PUNCT__ thei argu we will mysteri have more leverag to induc difficult polit_reform in iraq when we announc we ar leav __PUNCT__

thei argu the war is lost just as we have final begun make_progress and al_qaeda fortun have taken a decid to turn for the wors in iraq __PUNCT__

thei argu noth ha chang in iraq over the last six month despit the incontrovert evid of improv __PUNCT__

thei argu we can fight al qaeda better by cede the battlefield to them in iraq __PUNCT__

thei refus to consid the consequ of defeat __PUNCT__ an empow iran __PUNCT__ a victori al qaeda __PUNCT__ a terrorist safe_haven __PUNCT__ civil_war __PUNCT__ genocid __PUNCT__ and a wider region war __PUNCT__

thei ar circumspect to the point of polit cowardic to the far left wing of their parti that smear gener_petraeu __PUNCT__ a man for whom person honor is no small_thing __PUNCT__

thei ar silent about syria export of suicid_bomber __PUNCT__ and iran export of train __PUNCT__ weapon and equip that is be us to kill and maim american_soldier __PUNCT__

thei offer noth other than gener base on a withdraw that amount to defeat __PUNCT__

if we choos to lose in iraq __PUNCT__ on of the mani dire consequ will be a surg of anther type __PUNCT__ a surg of al_qaeda into afghanistan __PUNCT__

the level of violenc will increas __PUNCT__ casualti will increas __PUNCT__ and polit_progress will slow __PUNCT__

how long will it then take befor the same advoc of surrend in iraq __PUNCT__ begin demand an end to our mission in afghanistan __PUNCT__ and a __PUNCT__ surg in diplomaci __PUNCT__ aim at a negoti stalem with the taliban __PUNCT__ it is no less true todai than it ha been in the past __PUNCT__ defeat will not bui peac in our time __PUNCT__

it will onli make our futur less secur and our world less safe __PUNCT__

thi week as well __PUNCT__ columbia_univers host iranian presid ahmadinejad __PUNCT__ the holocaust denier commit to the destruct of israel __PUNCT__ whose regim target american_soldier with i in iraq and afghanistan __PUNCT__

but while columbia welcom iran leader on campu __PUNCT__ on organ remain unwelcom on the columbia campu __PUNCT__ the rotc __PUNCT__

it is unconscion that columbia __PUNCT__ harvard and other great_american american_univers remain close to rotc __PUNCT__ whose graduat repres the bulk of the offic commiss into our arm_forc each year __PUNCT__

some academ_elit mai not like rotc __PUNCT__ and thei ar free to voic their object __PUNCT__

but thei ar wrong __PUNCT__ and i stand with the mani graduat of these institut who for year have been try in vain to bring rotc back to their campus __PUNCT__

i fear for our futur when terrorist leader ar welcom at our most prestigi center of learn __PUNCT__ univers conceiv to strengthen and nurtur the ideal of western liber_polit polit_thought __PUNCT__ and young_men and women who volunt to risk their live to defend those ideal ar not __PUNCT__

prevail in iraq and afghanistan ar critic to defeat the threat pose by radic_islam extremist __PUNCT__ but ar not the last battl in thi global challeng __PUNCT__

we ar in a long_war __PUNCT__ a war i am afraid the us govern is not adequ prepar to fight __PUNCT__

the next presid will need test experi __PUNCT__ polit_courag and strateg clariti to make sound and difficult decis __PUNCT__ even when those decis ar not __PUNCT__ as few critic decis ever ar __PUNCT__ immedi or decidedli popular __PUNCT__

tough talk or manageri success in the privat_sector aren't adequ assur that their author have the experi or qualiti necessari for such a singular respons __PUNCT__

we have to make far __PUNCT__ reach reform to our govern to prepar for the long threat our enemi plan for us __PUNCT__ and the cruel and desper mean thei will emploi to harm us __PUNCT__

you don't just talk about or manag such chang __PUNCT__ you lead them __PUNCT__

the natur of the threat confront america chang radic between the fall of the berlin_wall and the fall of the twin_tower __PUNCT__ and yet our government structur have not kept pace __PUNCT__

no on who ha visit our servicemen and women in iraq or afghanistan can doubt their skill __PUNCT__ their braveri __PUNCT__ or their dedic __PUNCT__

but it is equal imposs to doubt that __PUNCT__ as i have said for year __PUNCT__ thei ar overstretch and under __PUNCT__ resourc __PUNCT__

i am glad to see that troop increas ar in the pipelin but current plan ar not enough __PUNCT__

as presid __PUNCT__ i would bring the armi and marin from the current plan level of roughli___NUM__ to __NUM__ __PUNCT__

thi will cost real monei __PUNCT__ some addit billion annual __PUNCT__ but it will not requir a draft ani more than similar level did in the 1980 __PUNCT__

it is vital_import for the next presid to issu a call to servic __PUNCT__ to summon the young_men and women of america to defend their countri and it nobl ideal __PUNCT__

i am confid that thi gener will answer the summon just as so mani of us did in previou_gener __PUNCT__

along with more personnel __PUNCT__ the militari will requir addit equip for the expand forc __PUNCT__ to modern for the futur __PUNCT__ and to make up for loss suffer in the current war __PUNCT__

we can partial offset some of thi addit invest by cut wast feder_spend __PUNCT__ includ unnecessari pentagon program and an often dysfunct procur system __PUNCT__

but we can also afford to spend more on our defens __PUNCT__

our defens_budget current consum less than __NUM___cent of everi dollar that our boom economi gener __PUNCT__ far less than we spent dure the cold_war __PUNCT__

while we enlarg the arm_forc __PUNCT__ we must also transform them __PUNCT__

to a larg_extent __PUNCT__ our militari is still configur to fight enemi that no longer_exist __PUNCT__

our stealth bomber __PUNCT__ aircraft_carrier __PUNCT__ and nuclear submarin mai make the differ in a futur conflict __PUNCT__ but thei do littl to win our current struggl against terrorist from the horn of africa to the hindu kush __PUNCT__

what we need todai ar more soldier and more civilian with the right kind of skill to fight a global counterinsurg __PUNCT__

the bulk of our effort must be direct toward help friendli govern and their secur_forc to resist our common foe __PUNCT__

toward that end __PUNCT__ i would immedi implement an idea offer by lieuten colonel john nagl __PUNCT__ a veteran of iraq and on of the armi brightest strateg thinker __PUNCT__

we should creat an armi advisor corp with __NUM___soldier that would work with friendli militari abroad __PUNCT__

i would increas the number of personnel in inform oper __PUNCT__ special_forc __PUNCT__ civil affair __PUNCT__ militari polic __PUNCT__ militari_intellig __PUNCT__ and other disciplin __PUNCT__

we must strive to enhanc our understand of foreign cultur __PUNCT__ the human terrain on which we fight __PUNCT__

we need to launch a crash program in both civilian and militari school to increas the number of expert in strateg languag such as arab and pashto __PUNCT__

we need to requir student at our servic academi to spend_time studi abroad __PUNCT__

and we need to enhanc the foreign area career field within the militari while creat a new field in strateg interrog __PUNCT__

in thi wai we could produc more interrog who can attain critic knowledg from detaine us advanc psycholog techniqu and not the kind of repugn tactic that ar rightli prohibit by the geneva_convent __PUNCT__

even as we increas our militari capac __PUNCT__ we must also increas our civilian capac so that an undu_burden doe not again fall on our soldier as it ha in afghanistan and iraq __PUNCT__ where the civilian agenc of our govern have too often been miss in action __PUNCT__

the state_depart and other agenc need to enhanc their abil to send more expert to rebuild war __PUNCT__ torn land __PUNCT__ or __PUNCT__ better still __PUNCT__ bolster peac develop to reduc the chanc of war break out in the first place __PUNCT__

to better coordin our dispar effort __PUNCT__ i would ask congress for a civilian follow __PUNCT__ on to the __NUM__ goldwat __PUNCT__ nichol act which foster a cultur of joint oper within the separ militari_servic __PUNCT__

todai we need similar legisl to ensur that civil_servant and soldier train and work togeth in peacetim so that thei can cooper effect in wartim and in postwar reconstruct __PUNCT__

as presid __PUNCT__ i would revit our public diplomaci __PUNCT__

in __NUM__ the clinton_administr and we in congress agre to abolish the unit_state inform agenc and put it public diplomaci function insid the state_depart __PUNCT__

thi wa a mistak __PUNCT__

dismantl an agenc dedic to promot america messag amount to unilater disarma in the struggl of idea __PUNCT__

commun our govern view on dai __PUNCT__ to __PUNCT__ dai issu is what the state depart doe __PUNCT__

but commun the idea of america __PUNCT__ our purpos __PUNCT__ our past and our futur is a differ task __PUNCT__

we need to re __PUNCT__ creat an independ agenc with the sole_purpos of get america messag to the world __PUNCT__ a critic element in combat islam_extrem __PUNCT__

the cold_war wa won not with a tank battl in the fulda gap __PUNCT__ but by win the heart and mind of the peopl that democraci wa better than commun __PUNCT__

and so it must be in our struggl with islam_extrem __PUNCT__

we must win thi war by convinc the world that freedom is better than rule by terror __PUNCT__

we also need to develop a deploy polic_presenc to __PUNCT__ when necessari __PUNCT__ help maintain law and order where it is lack __PUNCT__ and to train foreign polic_forc to counter islam_extrem and other threat __PUNCT__

in the end __PUNCT__ dollar __PUNCT__ expert __PUNCT__ and polic must work togeth to address the interrel issu of polit_freedom __PUNCT__ good_govern __PUNCT__ and econom_develop __PUNCT__

i would also set up a new civil __PUNCT__ militari agenc pattern after the offic of strateg servic in world_war_ii __PUNCT__

a modern __PUNCT__ dai oss could draw togeth unconvent warfar __PUNCT__ civil __PUNCT__ affair __PUNCT__ paramilitari and psycholog __PUNCT__ warfar specialist from the militari togeth with covert __PUNCT__ action oper from our intellig_agenc and expert in anthropolog __PUNCT__ advertis __PUNCT__ foreign cultur __PUNCT__ and numer other disciplin from insid and outsid govern __PUNCT__

in the spirit of the origin oss __PUNCT__ thi would be a small __PUNCT__ nimbl __PUNCT__ can __PUNCT__ do organ that would fight terrorist subvers across the world and in cyberspac __PUNCT__

it could take risk that our bureaucraci todai ar afraid to take __PUNCT__ risk such as infiltr agent who lack diplomat cover into terrorist_organ __PUNCT__

it could even lead in the front __PUNCT__ line effort to rebuild fail_state __PUNCT__

a cadr of such undercov oper would allow us to gain the intellig on terrorist_activ that we don't get todai from our high __PUNCT__ tech surveil system and from a cia clandestin servic that work almost entir out of our embassi abroad __PUNCT__

these ar not measur that will pai quick dividend __PUNCT__

we must understand that we confront a lengthi struggl __PUNCT__ a long_war __PUNCT__ that will not be won quickli or easili __PUNCT__

but we will win it __PUNCT__

while our ultim victori is not in doubt __PUNCT__ the length and intens of thi struggl remain to be determin __PUNCT__

it up to us __PUNCT__

we have histor import choic to make __PUNCT__ all of us __PUNCT__ the american_peopl __PUNCT__ their presid __PUNCT__ and their member of congress __PUNCT__

we must recogn that our enemi ar in thi fight to win __PUNCT__ and so must we be __PUNCT__

we must us our strength __PUNCT__ our resourc __PUNCT__ our invent and our fortitud __PUNCT__ qualiti that have distinguish us through histori and which have never fail us __PUNCT__ to defeat our unpardon foe __PUNCT__

we must act boldli and with confid that histori ha not yet assign us a challeng that we cannot meet successfulli __PUNCT__

though we regret the mistak we have made in thi war __PUNCT__ thei must not caus us self doubt __PUNCT__

we must learn from them __PUNCT__ as american have alwai learn from our mistak __PUNCT__ and fight smarter and harder __PUNCT__

though we mourn the loss we have alreadi incur in thi war __PUNCT__ we must not let our grief weari us so that we cannot do the work that is our to do __PUNCT__

these ar the decis confront american_voter in thi elect __PUNCT__ and thei will confront the person you elect_presid __PUNCT__

in __DATE__ __PUNCT__ __NUM__ the american_peopl will decid with their vote how and where thi war will be fought or if it will be fought at all __PUNCT__

i have told you how i intend to fight thi war __PUNCT__

other candid will argu for a differ cours __PUNCT__

democrat_candid for presid will argu for the cours of cut our loss and withdraw from the threat in the vain hope it will not follow us here __PUNCT__

i cannot join them in such wish and veri danger think __PUNCT__

peac at ani price is an illus and it cost ar alwai more tragic than the sacrific victori requir __PUNCT__

i will stand where i stand todai and trust you to give me a fair hear __PUNCT__

there is too much at stake in thi elect for ani candid to do less __PUNCT__

thank you __PUNCT__