John Boehner, February 17, 2006

One year ago the people of Lebanon took to the streets in the "Cedar Revolution." The massive protest began as a response to the assassination of a former Lebanese Prime Minister and it ended with the complete withdrawal of Syrian forces from Lebanon. On a practical level, it was a successful effort to reduce the influence of the Syrian government in Lebanese politics. On a fundamental level, it represented the nation’s first fragile steps toward freedom. It was, quite simply, a call for an end to tyranny.

According to many Lebanese themselves, this chain of events was sparked by American action in Iraq. Walid Jumblatt, a leading Lebanese politician -- and a man who despised President Bush and Operation: Iraqi Freedom -- stated flatly: "It's strange for me to say this, but this process of change has started because of the American invasion of Iraq ... [W]hen I saw the Iraqi people voting three weeks ago, eight million of them, it was the start of a new Arab world."

While America’s call to arms for freedom and democracy may have been the catalyst, the fact is ordinary citizens took responsibility for their future -- and they chose freedom. The story is very much the same in Iraq, Ukraine, Egypt and elsewhere.

The terrorists consider Iraq the central front in their war against the civilized world. Their hope has been to turn the country into the same sort of training and recruitment center that Afghanistan had been for al Qaeda prior to September 11th. Abu-Musa’ab al-Zarqawi, al Qaeda’s point man in Iraq, has been clear about their aims and their ambitions:

"First, expelling the invaders from our land in Palestine and Iraq and the rest of the land of Islam. Second, establishing God’s Shari’ah [Islamic law] on Earth, spreading the justice of Islam, and eliminating the injustice of [other] religions. We will not stop the raids until Islam triumphs and Shari’ah is established or we perish while doing that..."

Al Zarqawi and his cohorts may talk a good game, but they haven’t had much luck. Why? Because everyday Iraqis are taking responsibility for their freedom.

In August 2004, only a handful of Iraq Army battalions were fighting along side Americans. Today there are some 100 Iraqi Ministry of Defense combat battalions in the fight. In November 2004, there were about 115,000 trained and equipped Iraqi Security Forces. Today there are over 227,000.

The experience and ability of the Iraqi forces has also increased. According to General Peter Pace, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, "In December, the Iraqi armed forces had more independent operations than did coalition forces."

In the Palestinian territories, the story is a little different. While I am encouraged by the open, free, and fair elections held by the Palestinian people, Hamas -- a terrorist organization -- won a majority of the seats in their parliament. Because Hamas continues to call for the destruction of Israel, I recently voted to support withholding U.S. assistance from the Palestinian Authority.

Until the Palestinian people take responsibility and force Hamas to change course, dismantle its terrorist organization, and agree to work towards a peaceful settlement with Israel, no taxpayer money should be provided to support the Palestinian government. Our message is clear: The United States does not and will not support terrorist organizations.

Of course, we will continue to support the Palestinians’ democratic reform efforts. And I look forward to the day we can welcome them as a free, open, and responsible member of the international community.

As we celebrate President’s Day and take stock of the freedoms we cherish, let us take a moment to thank the American men and women serving us at home and overseas. And let us say a prayer for those in the Middle East and elsewhere who have accepted responsibility for their future, and joined us in the ongoing struggle between freedom and tyranny. It’s a battle we’ve won before, and we’ll surely be victorious again.

Congressman John Boehner, a Republican, represents Ohio's Eighth Congressional District, which includes Miami, Butler, Preble, Darke, and Mercer Counties.