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."
I must slightly disagree with my good FRiend here on this cut and run stuff. This war was won and over after the first 2 to 3 months of action. Our troops did a magnificient job, as always. Had we pulled our troops to the borders of Iran and Syria..sealed them and put REAL pressure the border countrys I believe things would be a lot calmer today.
Of course all hell would have broken out in the interior but wouldn't have lasted long. The arms supply would have been broken and our spec ops, snipers and black bag boys could have solved a lot of problems with their specific skills.
However, we did what we always do, try to help the "people" and do the right thing. Then the PC crowd got involved and now we see the results.
Never forget who we are dealing with....shi'ite and sunni mussies! That alone should tell us all something!
The Iraqi army will NEVER take any responsibility or control as long as we are in the interior. The Iraqi guv is beyond worthless and cannot be trusted.
I spent 17 yrs in the middle east, N. & W. Africa so my understanding of the the mindset may be somewhat tainted but it's real.
Let's continue to support our troops and their families. But a different approach is needed now and is long over due.
This is by no means cut and run.
A few hndred years ago one could've made that same argument about Christians. The inquisition wasn't a medieval game show for wayward Picts. Then there was that whole Crusade thing which turned out to be a bit more violent than your average tour of the Holy Land. Just a little food for thought.
Cindie
I will never forgive Reagan for not avenging our Marines. We might not be in the shape that we are today, if he had gone after the bad guys!
The people of Iraq came out to vote, came out to vote in huge numbers and against the ever present danger of being killed for doing so. And what do a whole LOT of your average American do? He/she stays home on election day.
You STILL haven't answered my question about native born Americans, whose families have been here for centuries, who are Muslims. HOW DO YOU KICK THEM OUT OF AMERICA?
Close our borders?
There are FOUR borders and all of them are breached every single day by planes and 2 1/2 of them by boat. Remember, you said that you still want commerce with the rest of the world, so just HOW is the USA to become FORTRESS AMERICA?
As to Christianity, for many centuries, oh hey, more than a millenia, forced conversion, murder, and war ruled the day. And even when that was no longer in fashion,internecine warfare was. When that too sort of died out, then there were other, not so visible nastiness against non-Christians.
Yes, that was a breif answer. It's late and to try to bring you up to speed, on this, obviously won't do a whole lot of good, since you imagine that you know everything and that everyone who doesn't agree with you is some kind of cretin. It must be wonderful to be as blissfully ignorant and arrogant as you. ;^)
MacArthur was a good general, but as far as Japan goes, he also really DID have an ace in the hole, which it is patently obvious you know nothing at all about. The Japanese had, for decades, been, as they are today, enamored of many things American; especially baseball. They were already quite familiar with quite a lot of American culture and loved it. That also helped quite a lot.
Oh and BTW, the canard about Mac in the Philippines, wrapping Muslims in pig skins isn't true.
Fight them there, or fight them here!!
Exactly, I just don't understand why people don't get the big picture!
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1743681/posts?page=37#31
Pretty good perspective...
Sir, you just been declared certifiable!
Freelance for antiwar.com?
No! I am not a ditto head!
We are an active duty military family, and maybe we have a clearer view of the war than you do.
No need for a long winded tirade. The simple fact is that "fight the terrorist over there, or fight them over here."
All of your fierce bloviation is not only not worthy of a reply, but for a self proclaimed 49 year old, you post with the acumen and ego of a 13 year old. All bluster and brash swagger, but no actual solutions.
How effective WAS Michael Collins, really? If he truly was as effective as you claim, then why is Ireland still part of Great Britain? Why is the IRA still blowing up buildings and people? Why are there still Protestants living in Ireland?
The ONLY reason that Nam was "lost", is because the American Commies got the upper hand. Our troops were actually WINNING. It was the MSM and a cadre of card carrying American Commies who turned a win into a defeat. Of course LJB and that flaming idiot McNamara and all of the "best and the brightest" ( yet another MSM myth and complete misnomer, if ever there was one! ) leftovers from JFK, were to blame as well.
Of course, your age doesn't help you, when it comes to this time period; though others, who are even younger than you are, can understand far better than you, because they know the subject. You don't!
You started out by saying that ALL Muslims, living in America MUST be expunged from our soil. You have now backpedaled and said those who traffic with known terrorist. Now, just WHY is that? Could it be because you are unable to answer by question about native born Americans, whose families have lived here for centuries, converting to Islam? And there is NO extant law, that can be used against such people, to deport them. Nor will there be one, because it would be be unconstitutional!
Oh goody.....besides being a blood thirsty armchair general, you're also a damned misogynist. I should have known. LOL
Try to leave emotion out of YOUR posts; not to mention blinkered bloviating and chest pounding. None of that is impressive nor does it win debates.
Because there are none so blind as those who will not see.
You have been nothing but a can't-do American on this thread.
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