Mike Pence: “I got a sense of what we have to show for it in Iraq this weekend. I joined a bipartisan delegation that toured the…”

“I got a sense of what we have to show for it in Iraq this weekend. I joined a bipartisan delegation that toured the metes and bounds of Iraq and Afghanistan. In the course of 4 days, we took off and landed 20 different times in four different types of aircraft. The one inescapable conclusion, after years of difficulty and setback in varying degrees, is freedom is winning in Iraq and Afghanistan. In northern Iraq, we saw firsthand the Kurdish region where security, political progress and economic growth are taking hold. In central Iraq, following the military surge, al Qaeda and insurgent violence are in steep decline. Violence across the country has been reduced in the last year by more than 60 percent. It is truly extraordinary. And the political progress is taking hold. There has been a surge in optimism in Iraq due to the passage of a de-Ba'athification law, and provincial elections could well be just around the corner this fall. As we practice freedom here at home, Americans of good will should be encouraged to know freedom is winning in Iraq and Afghanistan.”