(Letter from Barack Obama) "The war we need to win"

After September 11th, we had a calling to write a new chapter in American history.
Americans were united. Our friends around the world stood shoulder-to-shoulder with us. We had the opportunity to devise new strategies, build new alliances, safeguard our values, and serve a just cause.
If only we had seized that opportunity.
Unfortunately, we did not finish the job against al Qaeda in Afghanistan. We did not capture or kill Osama bin Ladin. And this administration drove us into war on the wrong battlefield with no appreciation of how many enemies we would create and no plan for how to get out.
Now, six years later, we are overdue for a major change of course in our foreign policy. America must stop fighting the wrong war and start fighting the war we need to win.
The next president must end the war in Iraq, refocus on Afghanistan and the Taliban resurgence, and pressure Pakistan to root out al Qaeda once and for all.
Most importantly, the next president must make sure that Osama bin Ladin and al Qaeda's core leadership are captured or killed. If Pakistan or any other nation wont act against bin Ladin and his cohorts, we will.
Sign on to my plan and spread the word:
http://action..barackobama.com/newleadership
The time has come to turn the page on a failed approach.
The next President of the United States must commit to getting our troops out of Iraq and taking the fight to the terrorists.
We must reinforce our mission in Afghanistan with additional troops. We must press Pakistan and President Musharraf to close down terrorist training camps and stop the Taliban from using Pakistan as a safe-haven.
If Musharraf acts, we will stand with him. But if Pakistan will not act against Osama bin Ladin and the terrorists who killed 3,000 Americans, we will.
These are achievable goals, and when I am president we will wage the war we need to win with a comprehensive strategy.
Read the plan, declare your support, and spread the word that its time to change direction:
http://action..barackobama.com/newleadership
The first step to making America safer is getting our troops out of Iraq and onto the right battlefields in Afghanistan and Pakistan. But thats not enough.
We must develop the military and intelligence capabilities to neutralize terrorist networks and secure the worlds most deadly weapons.
Recruiting, training, and equipping our forces to fight more targeted and agile counter-terrorism missions are central to our success.
President Bushs refusal to engage our enemies diplomatically has been a complete failure.
We must immediately reverse this strategy and begin the hard and sustained work of rebuilding peace and stability through the power of diplomacy. We must revive our international relationships and rebuild our moral stature in the world. And we must counter the extremists' message of hate with a program to advance hope in the most desperate corners of our interconnected world.
And we must remember that how we achieve these goals is as important as the goals themselves.
In the dark halls of Abu Ghraib and the detention cells of Guantanamo, we compromised our most precious values. The illegal wire-tapping of American citizens and the arbitrary suspension of habeas corpus undermined the foundation of our Constitution. The days of a stubborn executive branch changing the law to fit its whims must come to an end.
Read more about my commitment to protecting America without compromising our values:
http://action..barackobama.com/newleadership
If youre ready to write a new chapter in American history and redefine our role in the world, join our movement.
Were ready to turn the page.

Barack Obama