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WHY IRAQ IS BECOMING VIETNAM
Ediblog ^ | May 10, 2004 | Patrick Rooney

Posted on 05/10/2004 11:02:06 PM PDT by abigail2

Why Iraq Is Becoming Vietnam

Liberals have long dreamed of turning our occupation of Iraq into another Vietnam, a scar on the face of America that they could revel in. I believe in many ways, they are succeeding.

Their latest victory is their success in turning incidents of prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib prison into an indictment of American foreign policy and the President. Our Defense Secretary was dragged before a motley group of Senatorial inquisitors, many of whom don’t have the moral standing to tie his shoe, much less interrogate him.

The “scandal” is the Mai Lai massacre to this generation of liberals, and it reaches them like manna from heaven. They are hoping it is the turning point that allows them to toss dirt onto our Iraqi operation. It follows close on the heels of the Fallujah debacle, where America flinched instead of laying down the boot on crazy cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and his band of fanatical thugs.

America essentially let human scum get away with murdering our countrymen and desecrating their bodies on worldwide TV. Everyone knew the appropriate response would be to cordon off the city, allow the innocent to escape, and liquidate the terrorists. But we didn’t have the will to follow through, fearing the world would view too many civilian casualties on TV.

The failure cannot be blamed on liberals. After all, they’re not failing—they’re succeeding. It is the decent people of America who are suffering the failure of will. Our president is guilty of the same.

President George W. Bush has proven himself to be a very capable war president, but an uneven president in non-war matters. The reason is that he correctly perceived a need in war to do whatever it took to prevail. But once the hot war was finished in Iraq, he began to filter his decisions through the prism of political consideration. That is a recipe for failure.

When will we learn, I wonder. Vietnam was a humiliating defeat. Not because it was an immoral war, as liberals like to say, but because we failed to let the troops win due to political considerations. Iraq is no different. The Marines could have subdued Fallujah in days, if not hours, if they were given a free hand.

What has all of this political consideration gotten for Mr. Bush and for America? We are so worried about the “Arab street” and what they will think about everything. To hell with the Arab street! The Arab street are the same people who cheered on 9-11.

It is obvious to anyone with half a brain that America is a decent nation, and that terrorists are evil. When wrongdoing is found on our side, it is an anomaly. With terrorists it is their modus operandi. Yet CNN and their ilk continue to produce pieces spotlighting America’s errors in war, and not the daily routine of our bloodthirsty enemies.

President Bush had it right when he long ago called Iraq, Iran, and North Korea the “axis of evil.” We would have done well to quickly move as needed against these enemies. But indecision, weakness, and lack of preparation have caused the Iraq campaign to languish. Its overall slowness is killing whatever support and goodwill the administration may have had for future campaigns.

On September 11th, 2001, fanatical terrorists made clear that they had declared war on us. This would be a war of annihilation—either theirs or ours—there was no third solution.

Currently we have the world’s terrorists right where we want them—coming to us in Iraq. Would we prefer they come back to New York City. Or perhaps Los Angeles, or Chicago?

Are we naïve enough to think that if we walk away from Iraq, we won’t be followed home? That the world’s terrorists won’t correctly gather that we are running away with our tail between our legs? Look what happened when we left Vietnam—mass graves and lost prestige.

Lack of will was our true enemy in Vietnam. We must exorcize this demon, or we will be condemned to repeat history.

©2004 Patrick Rooney

Patrick Rooney is the Director of Special Projects at BOND, the Brotherhood Organization of A New Destiny, a nonprofit organization dedicated to “Rebuilding the Family By Rebuilding the Man.”

For more information, please visit www.bondinfo.org, call 1-800-411-BOND (2663), or write to patrick@bondinfo.org.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: abughraib; bush; desperatedems; fallujah; iraqipow; liberals; mailai; muqtadaalsadr; rumsfeld; rumsfield; vietnam
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To: Howlin
That is why I don't believe their spin that Military Intelligence made them do it. My point is that IF MI needed information then the methods used were not out of line. If this had a genuine purpose that was life or death for our guys in the field then this entire thing takes on a completely different complexion. To this point, I just believe we had 7 very sick individuals having a little “fun”. What I worry about is the over-reaction that is taking hold and that legitimate techniques for interrogation will now be so restricted that we will be hamstrung in the future. It is the same over-reaction that caused the CIA to be so emasculated that they were working on diversity quilts instead of infiltrating terrorist organizations for 2 decades.
61 posted on 05/11/2004 12:51:29 AM PDT by Texasforever (The French love John Kerry. He is their new Jerry Lewis)
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To: leadpenny
The answer is obvious but there is a thing we call the "Chain of Command" that is responsible for seeing that those implied standards are complied with.

I agree but I don't want to let the "grunts" off that easy. The fact is that there will be a LOT of brass melted over this and it will include a Brigadier General.

62 posted on 05/11/2004 12:53:56 AM PDT by Texasforever (The French love John Kerry. He is their new Jerry Lewis)
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To: Texasforever
Well, what other explanation could there be for those pictures being interspersed with their other personal pictures?

I mean MI would want theirs on a separate disk, wouldn't you think? I don't think they'd care much about who this girl gave a blow job to.
63 posted on 05/11/2004 12:54:09 AM PDT by Howlin
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To: Howlin
Howlin I agree with you. I don't think this was an MI operation. I just brought up the fact that had it been a legitimate MI operation then it makes a world of difference.
64 posted on 05/11/2004 12:56:32 AM PDT by Texasforever (The French love John Kerry. He is their new Jerry Lewis)
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To: Howlin
You have mail.
65 posted on 05/11/2004 12:58:44 AM PDT by bonfire
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To: Texasforever
Oh, I agree; I was just bloviating about the stupidity of these people.
66 posted on 05/11/2004 12:59:32 AM PDT by Howlin
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To: TheLion
But first dop a millon fliers saying as such.
67 posted on 05/11/2004 1:01:14 AM PDT by Dec31,1999 (Capital punishment saves lives.)
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To: Texasforever
Fact or opinion?

That she was allowed by DOD to show up on a number of Talk Shows right after the pics hit the press tells me they are not sure what they have. She may take the fall but I don't believe her fall will be quiet.

68 posted on 05/11/2004 1:03:50 AM PDT by leadpenny
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To: leadpenny
Rumsfeld was asked point blank about her future in the Senate hearings. He stated very clearly that he could not comment because CRIMINAL investigations were on-going.
69 posted on 05/11/2004 1:06:19 AM PDT by Texasforever (The French love John Kerry. He is their new Jerry Lewis)
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To: abigail2
Time to get tough, Bush.

I agree.
__________________________

IronJack posted an excellent article that I think is somewhat related to this one, in that 'it's time to get tough and get on with the business at hand'.

There's Plenty of Shame To Go Around

(Reposted due to incorrect spelling in the title of the link.)

70 posted on 05/11/2004 1:09:28 AM PDT by Eagle9
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To: Texasforever
Replays of last night's FOX programs are on right now. Newt was on with Tony Snow and said, "Clearly, there is a failure of the Chain of Command." And, "Someone in Baghdad failed to do their job."

If she is part of a Criminal Investigation, why would they let her go on all those shows? I don't get it. The SecArmy and Army Chief of Staff have the muscle to tell her to shut up.
71 posted on 05/11/2004 1:12:59 AM PDT by leadpenny
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To: leadpenny
Why are they letting all of them on shows? It is mind boggling to me. Everyone of them are violating UCMJ with these interviews.
72 posted on 05/11/2004 1:17:10 AM PDT by Texasforever (The French love John Kerry. He is their new Jerry Lewis)
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To: abigail2
Sounds like you've found peace in your life since, which is good.

Most liberals, however, do not hate America. The problem with political debate in this country is that people can only see the other side as immoral or inhuman. Conservatives say liberals are weak, immoral peaceniks, liberals say conservatives are greedy, heartless warmongers. They both call each other anti-American.

Political labels are shackles that tie us to a black and white view of the world. I am liberal on some issues and conservative on others -- what does that make me? Liberal? Conservative? Do I have to choose? When we can move past our lockstep partisanship, maybe then we can truly start to have a meaningful dialogue.

73 posted on 05/11/2004 1:22:00 AM PDT by ggordon22
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To: ggordon22
Boy, am I glad I ran into you this evening/morning. When people call me a liberal or a conservative I always respond with, "What issue are you talking about." But even that tends to put me in a box because democrat and republican leaders have divided up the issues among themselves over the years - and even that changes from time to time.

Welcome to FR.
74 posted on 05/11/2004 1:29:53 AM PDT by leadpenny
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To: ggordon22
We did have a clearly defined objective pal. That was to remove Hussein. Get your story straight.
75 posted on 05/11/2004 1:30:49 AM PDT by driftless ( For life-long happiness, learn how to play the accordion.)
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To: driftless
We have removed him. We're still there...

76 posted on 05/11/2004 1:50:11 AM PDT by Trinity_Tx (Most of our so-called reasoning consists in finding arguments for going on believin as we already do)
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To: abigail2
Iraq is becoming Vietnam because the media is setting the agenda. Propaganda pure and simple.

I wonder what the masses will do when they realize they've been lied to by "the most trusted voice(s) in America"?

77 posted on 05/11/2004 1:52:14 AM PDT by weegee (NO BLOOD FOR RATINGS. CNN ignored torture & murder in Saddam's Iraq to keep their Baghdad Bureau.)
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To: driftless
Do you want to play semantics? That is an objective only in the most limited sense, pal, and even that objective is debatable. Were we trying to remove Saddam:
a) because he posed an imminent threat to U.S. security,
b) on humanitarian grounds,
c) because he possessed weapons of mass destruction
d) because he was linked to Al Queda?

Because it seemed to me the justification kept shifting. Sometimes it was one of the above, sometimes two, sometimes all the above. So now you're left with this: Saddam removed, and the war itself looking grim, despite the heroic efforts of U.S. troops.

The U.S. should have heeded the Powell doctrine, instead of the Rumsfeld fever-dream.

78 posted on 05/11/2004 1:54:44 AM PDT by ggordon22
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To: ggordon22
Conservatives say liberals are weak, immoral peaceniks, liberals say conservatives are greedy, heartless warmongers. They both call each other anti-American.

I don't say that liberals are weak peaceniks. I say that they are really socialists who aim to sell out our constitutional rights.

Right to bear arms? Don't "need" guns. Toss that out.

Right to property? Inheritance tax is a scheme to redistribute wealth (it doesn't really belong to you). Toss that out.

Right to freedom of religion? Freedom FROM religion to hear the left tell it.

I could go on.

The far left are admittedly anarchist-socialists (like Ted Rall). They may vote 'Rat now and then but they oppose our constitutional form of government (for the record, Ted Rall did support the impeachment of Bill Clinton, he knew that he was a perjuror. He also knew that Bill Clinton wasn't far enough to the left for him and thought Albert Gore Junior might advance his agenda more).

Look at AKpress.org if you don't have a Pacifica radio station (on the left end of your radio dial) to listen to. There are too many publications there to be "a fringe group". Too many academics follow this bile.

79 posted on 05/11/2004 2:00:07 AM PDT by weegee (NO BLOOD FOR RATINGS. CNN ignored torture & murder in Saddam's Iraq to keep their Baghdad Bureau.)
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To: leadpenny
Thanks, leadpenny. It's good to run into you too..and very nice to hear some validation of the idea that we are all independent agents, capable of deciding for ourselves. It is interesting to see the two parties claim issues over the years...makes me wonder about the viability of the two-party system.
80 posted on 05/11/2004 2:01:43 AM PDT by ggordon22
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