Many Americans seem unaware that nearly every war that we've won has had major blunders, debacles, setbacks, unforeseen difficulties, and disasters.
We don't have to ignore policies we don't think are working or support them just because Bush is a Republican, but we needn't sound disappearing over every problem.
Soldiers and Marines, who are doing the bulk of the fighting in Iraq, are enlisting in record numbers. But to hear many people talk you'd think Iraq was an unrelenting meat grinder, like the Russian front became for the Germans in WWII. Why is it that those who are most in harm's way are optimistic and convinced that with time they can win this war and those whose connection to the war is at best far away observers are in so much despair? Could it be the steady drumbeat of bad news and hyper-criticism? Nothing is ever perfect, and when it is nearly perfect we work to make it better. The lack of perfection is not a reason to quit.
Victory may be hard to define in Iraq, but the president has stated it would be an Iraq able to defend itself, stable at home, and safe from foreign attack or influence. Defeat would surely be the opposite. Defeat would be an Iraq that's a safe haven for terrorists. It's certainly not a safe place for them now. Our defeat, as jveritas says, will inspire our enemies, and you cannot wish that away. They will intensify their efforts to destroy our way of live. Many who support a "redeployment" that is really a retreat, behave as if there were more options than victory or defeat, some third course. There are not more than two outcomes now anymore than there were in Vietnam.
Many of those who've called for more troops and more troops also supported the "peace dividend," less defense spending, and gutting our intelligence agencies. Fortunately, most of them are not here at Freerepublic to take that hypocritical position. But some here do act as if we had a much bigger army and marine corp than we have. We have as much as we have. If we need more, we need to build a bigger force. But we cannot conjure forces up that do not exist.
Dissent and freedom are important principles. The defeatist talk is like talking about your last bowel movement. You're free to do it, but no one wants to hear about it. And in the case of the defeatist talk, we all notice that talk rarely offers a realistic alternative or a better policy.
The Iraqis do need to know our support is not open-ended and that they must assume more responsibility for their own freedom. Many of them are dying as they do that. We should not betray those who are trying to win.
LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL.........since you put it that way!