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."
Precisely.
I'm beginning to think you're being deliberately divisive here. (Actually I've been suspicious of that from the beginnning).
What I have been talking about is the call to withdraw WIHTOUT victory. But you know that, don't you?
Just for the record, I make it a point to cease debate with those who deliberately misquote and mislead. That would be YOU, so this conversation is over.
You know what I do on threads that the folks babble on and don't (in my mind) make any sense? I ignore them (those threads)...it works...
It's nauseating and it's depressing me.
When I read people saying that to criticize the administration or America's roll in Iraq is to spit on the troops, it's time for me to go play in the real world and feel the sunshine and some sanity.
I am not surprised by the increase in violence. The terrorists increased their attacks because of the elections, and they are continuing to hit hard so that we will become discouraged and withdraw.
The now free country of Iraq is critical to our success in the war on terror. The terrorists know that, and so does President Bush.
We are not merely 'nation-building.' And it is simplistic to say that we are. We are building a critical ally in the Middle East as well as fighting the terrorists in Iraq to protect us from attack on our own soil. Both facets of the battle are critical to the safety of the American people.
We must have victory there, and if the American people give up on the effort because they are 'worried' (as you are), then the effort becomes more difficult.
I am praying as never before for wisdom for our leaders, political and military as well, that we might have victory soon. But I am not pessimistic because I make it a point to find out what's really going on there, without the hostile MSM filter that's obviously the main source of information of many freepers.
Perhaps it's time for us to move on.......
Yep...
Thank you! May God bless our troops!
Well, our toppling and capture of Saddam did inspire Khadaffi to turn over all his WMD. Which inturn showed us just how close he was to having a nuke. Investigations into where he got the technolgy lead to the discovery of A Q Khans nuclear network.
The dismantling of muslim nuke programs is probably beneficial to us.
I want to win it the right way, then leave. So far the politicians have not let that happen.
Don't ping me again. There are adult human beings on this thread and I'm not wasting my time with annoying insects like you.
Ping! for the Nice Laaady!
In years to come, the strategic balance of international power structures will be influenced by control of the SW Asian theater in the foreseeable future.
One method of control is by all nations abiding by international respect for the legitimate governance of their respective nations. When a foreign leader rebels from that most basic of international foreign policy, he threatens the entire international community with criminal behavior of international proportion.
Saddam Hussein lost. Pure and simple. He exhibited criminal and tyrannical behavior throughout his years of control in Iraq. He overstepped his bounds and over the course of time was removed from authority.
BTW, there have been far too many unpublicised terrorist acts pre-empted to pretend AQ and other Islamic extremeist operatives haven't nor are very busy in efforts to deploy unconventional weaponry to ignore the intelligence indicators.
If you choose to play along the rather inept socialist media campaign to discredit anything supporting the GWOT, then remain myopically absorbed on GW Bush and the Iraq Campaign. The situation is dynamic and that basically is old business.
hahaha...you can't buy some of this entertainment....
There has been a fundamental change on this forum since the election, and those of us who support the mission in Iraq are now in the minority and being mocked by others for it.
It cannot be ignored.
I'm glad I know that now.
Don't breed.
When I look at Iraq, here's what I see:
1)Remove the Baathist Dictator-tyrant from power? Check.
2)Assure ourselves that there are no WMD in Iraq? Check.
3)Help the Iraqis write a Constitution? Check.
4)Establish a democratic-republic and hold elections? Check
5)Pour billions into rebuilding Iraq's infrastructure? Check
6)Train & equip a 300,000 man military & police force? Check
Mission TRULY Accomplished: Time for a phased withdrawal.
That is because in Iraq, a prominent socialist leader was removed from power. That hasn't so occurred in the US.
In your dreams, dear maiden.
BTW, it's customary to ping someone if they are being referred to. Read the rules, darlin'.
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