Posted on 11/24/2006 6:46:08 PM PST by kristinn
I'm reading an astonishing number of comments on Free Republic these days by posters who have joined the ranks of the anti-American left in calling for an immediate withdrawal from Iraq. Some claim to have military experience, some claim to be patriotic Americans and some claim to be smarter than the rest.
These posters are joining the Murtha-Rangel-McDermott treason caucus. Oh, they say they love the troops, but their decision to abandon them in the field speaks otherwise.
Three years ago, the United States led an international coalition to rid the world of one of the worst regimes on the planet. Saddam Hussein was an international terrorist: He financed terrorism, he trained terrorists and he harbored terrorists. He waged war on Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Israel. He waged war on the people of Iraq, including genocidal campaigns against the Kurds in the north and the marsh Arabs in the south.
Saddam successfully subverted the Oil-for-Food program and was wearing down support for continuing the sanctions keeping him in check.
He had numerous contacts with al Qaeda over the years. He tried to assassinate a former U.S. president. He maintained research capabilities to implement nuclear, chemical and biological weapons as soon as the sanctions were lifted. There is evidence that some of these programs would have been operational within a year even with the sanctions in place.
The decision to remove Saddam and his regime as part of the Global War on Terror was correct.
Three-and-a-half years after Iraq and the world were liberated from Saddam and his terrorist regime, there are those on Free Republic who are clamoring to give up, surrender, cut and run, stab the troops in the back, betray the Iraqis, betray our allies in the GWOT, spit on the graves of our fallen heroes and join Cindy Sheehan, Medea Benjamin and Ramsey Clark in bringing about America's defeat in the GWOT.
It's only been three-and-a-half years--only six months since the freely elected government in Iraq was formed. In that time, what has been called a mini-Marshall Plan of construction and reconstruction has come to fruition. The Iraqis have held three national elections, they have held numerous local elections, fourteen out of eighteen Iraq provinces are relatively peaceful and stable.
Six months ago, when the Iraqi government was formed, the experts said the war would be taken to Baghdad because our enemies in the region could not abide the example of a free, democratic society in the Middle East. For once, the experts were right. The battle of Baghdad has been a prolonged Tet Offensive style operation of headline-grabbing attacks intended to sap the morale of Americans and Iraqis alike.
From what I've been reading on Free Republic lately, a lot of Freepers have fallen for the enemy's ploy and are howling like barking moonbats for our immediate withdrawal from Iraq. Some of that talk is couched in talk of 'we're fighting a PC war like Vietnam!' The soldiers I met in Iraq recently told Debra Argel Bastian to pass on a message to the Vietnam vets criticizing the war: With all due respect to your service, this is not Vietnam. It is not being fought like Vietnam. Please let us finish our mission.
But our enemy is playing the Vietnam ploy to great benefit. They know they can count on the American and world media to broadcast their propaganda. They work with leftist Americans to sabotage the war effort at home. They know these leftist Americans have allies in the Democratic party. They know they do not need a military victory--only political and psychological victories are needed to defeat America.
You guys are playing right in to their hands. Congratulations.
There are those who argue that murder and dictatorship is the mindset of the Middle East and that will not be changed by our actions. Funny how those who smugly denigrate the Arab peoples' capacity for freedom forget the wholesale slaughter of millions of Westerners by Westerners at the hands of Western dictatorships just a few generations past.
I hear complaints that the Iraqis aren't standing up. Yet, to use one common example, when police recruits are slaughtered in bombings, Iraqis line up the next day at the same recruiting center. The insurgency is small in number, but they are able to do enough damage on a daily basis to stretch out the time it will take to secure the whole of Iraq.
At this time of our testing, the American people are starting to go wobbly. Sadly, many Freepers are too. Our troops and their Commander-in-Chief are not, thank God. It's only been three-and-a-half years. The progress made has been phenomonal. Throw in the towel now, and you'll just have the terrorists follow us home. Everyone knows that, including you. I'm not willing to pay that price, not now, not ever, but you are.
Let me close by offering similar sentiments recently offered by two men 'in the know' on the situation in Iraq who are not giving up. First, Kurdish Regional Government Prime Minister Barzani: "When I was in the United States recently and read the negative news in the Washington Post, New York Times and in the network TV broadcasts, I even wondered if things had gotten so bad since I had left that I shouldn't return."
Next, Gen. Abizaid: "When I come to Washington, I feel despair. When I'm in Iraq with my commanders, when I talk to our soldiers, when I talk to the Iraqi leadership, they are not despairing."
U.S., Iraq to Discuss Security Handover
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1744788/posts
Excellent post!! You, jveritas, and a few others are the only posters I read on FR anymore.
I'd rather spend my time doing something for our troops than giving audience to those who want to discourage my faith in and love of this country and its military.
Thank you again for posting this.
Thanks for the ping. I have read bits and pieces of this thread when I had the chance.
yes, but how do we get rid of Maliki? the options are pretty slim, and the good ones are very blunt.
yes, but how do we get rid of Maliki? the options are pretty slim, and the good ones are very blunt.
--yes, but how do we get rid of Maliki?--
If Maliki meets with Bush, Sadr and his cronies may quit the govt. and cause it to collapse. Talabani would then be forced to call for new elections. Slim chance, agreed.
I was really hoping Democracy would succeed. It doesn’t seem that it will work.
Sure it is when they are literally fighting for our freedom and security, and ultimately civilization.
We have an ALL VOLUNTEER Military. By definition that means; members of the armed forces, relating to war. Our troops, knew what they were signing up for. They knew war was a possibility. Many enlisted after 9-11 and KNEW they would be going to war. Many others are re-enlisting in record numbers. They WANT to complete the mission and they know what that mission is.
We have wounded warriors fighting the military to go back to Iraq. They are fighting being med-boarded. They are fighting to heal and go on with their lives.
It is not up to you or I to demand the troops come home. That is the Commander-in-Chief's job. The troops support their CIC and their mission!
I now understand why we are where we are today. There were days I literally cried at the way they editorialized what was happening in Iraq. If all I did was listen to 20 minutes of news a day, from an MSM source, I'll tell you right now I'd hate Bush, think Iraq was in the MIDDLE of a civil war and that the Democrats are ready to fix everything.
It was truly maddening, sad, and distressing.
It never materialized.....the Sunni's were their primal selves....and soon the Shia were mirror of them in murder-death-kill.
Iraqi's are not as sophisticated as the Turks....so its likely they will have to tire them selves out like the Balkans.
Iran is a different animal all together.....kinda like a rodent which just needs a hole to get in.
Chew on things inside the walls in the dark.....such is Hizbullah and Tehrans way of getting in like a tick in a skull.
Is the doctrine of pre-emptive strike relevant now,...seeing that Israel was given 4 weeks to root out rats which had a decade headstart.
If leadership is off the table via assassination or some strike package,....how do you alter their thinking and choices..when so much of their terror infostructure is left in place,....which operates easily within U.N. babysit terror framework?
I watch WW-2 footage of Bulge and Hurtgen to remind myself what engagement in combat and victory really means.
Today....Islam is swimming intoxicated in extortion.
Israel to be carved like a roast soon....and thats just the beginning....as Muslims will demand surely that Israel disclose its nuclear arsenal and be made to reduce.
Iraq could become Balkanized into 3 Federal zones with U.S. forces on the periphery [In the western Desert/Kuwait etc].
Israel chews on its dissapointment...just as Americans chew on Azatlan/Bronze Empire inside the wire.
I think U.S. intelligence is working O.K.....its more a mater of Political imperative which see's concession as the best solution.
Sean Hannity has this the one liner correct.......We do live in times of great dissapointment.
Thank God I finally reached the end of this thread ping.
Thanks. At least I finally got a laugh out of this mess.
I have nothing to say, I just want to be the last post on a 2,000+ post thread.
Well, you're going to have to work for it...
I say arm the slavs to the hilt: Serbs, Russians, etc. and let them TCOB. How about an international mercenary corps that is not tied to the antiquated and obsolete geneva conventions.
Since these things and some of your ideas won't happen through the traditional chain of command - we need to go outside the system.
We are at war and we are not sacrificing enough...and I don't mean our heroes over there.
ok.
How about we settle this like gentmun...
Ticktacktoe or Rock-Paper-Sizzors
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