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A baptism of a lasting friendship and alliance, for many years to come, through thick and thin, we shall never forget the brave soldiers fallen while defending our freedom and future

Boy, from his lips to God's ears; but I have my concerns.

Hugh Hewitt was broadcasting from a voting location in California Friday. I heard oh, maybe 45-60 minutes of it. He spoke with a number of Iraqi's. Voter after voter said how great it was, how brave the Iraqi's are, how the Iraqi's have sacrificed, how happy they are.

NOT ONE of them (that I heard) said how great President Bush is, or how great the American troops are — until the last one. He did, bless him.

Now, let me say, maybe I missed it. It is a three-hour show. But I heard what I heard. Hugh even asked one about their feelings about American troops staying or leaving, and the answer was in terms of "international coalition."

Now, I don't want to be mean or unfair, but are are some undeniables:

The Iraqis did not free themselves. We did. And what's more...
... it was not an Iraqi who came up with the liberation plan: it was American President George W. Bush. And to add one more...
... no international coalition organized itself to liberate Iraq; President Bush organized an international coalition to liberate Iraq.

And he has taken a lot of heat for it, internationally and locally, and precious little credit.

I observe it to be a rule that foreign countries who benefit from our largesse as a rule are about as grateful as the ten lepers Jesus healed (read about it: Luke 17:11-19). It doesn't help that modest folks like W are reluctant to toot their own horn, and not great at promotion. So I fear that the knives are already being sharpened among SOME of our newly-liberated friends in Iraq, and choice portions of the collective American back are being targeted.

Dan
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foreign countries who benefit from our largesse as a rule are about as grateful as the ten lepers

You are correct. We had no aircraft carriers or Concordes from Europe when the WTC went down or when we've taken a major disaster. Even so, it is both Biblical to be a "Good Samaritan" and absolutely enlightened self-interest in preserving/creating democratic societies that undermine tyrants...and of course let us beware if our leaders indeed abandon or betray God's own Israel...we are periliously close to the latter....

NOT ONE of them (that I heard) said how great President Bush is, or how great the American troops are . . .

That is the anture of Transformational Leadership - it is not appreciated nor even recognized at the time.

Yet the very lack of awareness of the gift increases its merit and makes it the more sublime in its quality - how wonderful that we, as a result of our great good fortune to be Americans, can make this gift to a truly enslaved people, in the face of undaunting criticism and negative opinion, and go about our daily lives as if nothing has changed.

I suggest a daily moment of quiet contemplation and prayer of thanks to God that we are HERE, not THERE; that we can manke this gift; and accept the OUTCOME as all the thanks necessary from Iraq and Afghanistan.