How I would write the speech tonight...

[Hammer]

I wonder how close this will be:
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My fellow Americans,

It is my solemn duty this evening to inform you that a key time in history is occuring before our very eyes.
A different day dawned on September 12th 2001. Our large oceans no longer protected our homeland. It was painfully instructed to us that the forces of evil know no boundary, or sense of reason. Box cutters and four civilian airliners were bastardized to serve the will of murderers.
As I took my oath of office, I swore to defend the Constitution, and along with it, the people it governs. Acting upon my oath, my administration and the mighty United States armed forces have freed the good people of Afghanistan from a tyrannical regime of destruction and hate. Even now we help the good people of Afghanistan find true peace and prosperity as each one of them are now free of the bonds tyranny. I have committed to help them in every way possible to flourish and succeed.

Tonight, under my orders as Commander in Chief, we have, with our allies, accumulated over 250,000 troops just outside the borders of Iraq. Some call this a rush to war. But this is not a new conflict, as it has been a constant battle of words, posturing, and weapons for the last 12 years. Saddam Hussein has ignored and broken one cease-fire agreement and 18 UN resolutions. He continues to lie, posture, and evade the good people of the world as he hides his weapons of mass destruction. He continues his rampant killing of innocent Iraqi civilians, now numbering in the tens of thousands. Saddam has paid the families of known terrorists. Known terrorist camps reside within his borders. Known terrorists have sought shelter in his country. Considering his past, his allegiances, his capabilities, and his lies, I consider his regime a clear and present danger to the United States of America. Does one not question his willingness to use weapons of mass destruction after he has used them on thousands of Iraqi civilians? Does one not question his willingness to fund, equip, and profit both monetarily and personally from future terror attacks against the property and lives of the United States of America?

He has the capability, the willingness, the contacts, the associations, and most importantly, he has the weapons that can wreak havoc upon a peaceful people. We lived with blinders on before September 11th, 2001. Those blinders have been removed. We now see clearly. The U.S. government and our allies have agreed to remove this threat. We have, for years, attempted to resolve this issue through the world organization of the UN.
Unfortunately, the threat remains.

With today’s technology, it is much easier to detect a missile launch than to find someone carrying a small nuclear device. It is even possible to shoot down in incoming ICBM, but it is much harder to detect a suitcase on a transport ship in an American harbor.

Whether the weapon is chemical, biological, or nuclear in nature, the largest threat does not come from a high technology missile.
It can come from one evil, demented mind with a cursed cause.

Therefore, with the help of our Allies, this threat to the world will be eliminated, peacefully or militarily, not within months, weeks or days, but within hours.

Starting at this moment Saddam Hussein and his regime have 24 hours to leave the country of Iraq. The window for negotiation has closed, and the chance for peace is in Saddam’s hands.

May God be with our troops and allies in the coming days.

May God be with the Iraqi people who yearn for freedom.

May God be with the United States of America.

Goodnight