« Previous · Home · Next »
Will We Fight This War?
By John
Looking back, I think the only thing that kept me from a bad case of the post-election bummers was Democratic assurances that they we not going to pop smoke and evac from the Iraqi theater. In fact, I was damn near encouraged. What better chance for the Dems to prove that they are strong on defense than for them to bolster defense spending, the size of our services, and the number of troops in Iraq?
Of course that was before folks started floating Rep. John Murtha's name for House Majority Leader. It's not that Mr. Murtha's personal politics bother me, they don't, it's just that his ideas for Iraq sound like they were dreamed up over a game of Candyland with my 6 year old cousin. John "Okinowa" Murtha anyone? Hell even the WaPo thinks Murtha's leadership would be one step short of the Democrat's pulling out a .45 and shooting themselves in the big toe.
Mr. Murtha's candidacy is troubling for several reasons, beginning with his position on the war in Iraq. A former Marine, Mr. Murtha deserves credit for sounding an alarm about the deteriorating situation a year ago. But his descriptions of the stakes there have been consistently unrealistic, and his solutions irresponsible. Just last week he denied that the United States was fighting terrorism in Iraq, though al-Qaeda is known to play a major part in the insurgency. He said the United States should abandon even the effort to train the Iraqi army and should "redeploy as soon as practicable," an extreme step that most congressional Democrats oppose. He claimed that "stability in the Middle East, stability in Iraq," would come from such an abrupt withdrawal; in fact, virtually all Iraqi and Middle Eastern leaders have said that it would lead to a greatly escalated conflict that could spread through the region.Mr. Murtha would also be the wrong choice as majority leader after an election in which a large number of voters expressed unhappiness with Washington business as usual. Mr. Murtha has been a force against stronger ethics and lobbying rules. He was one of just four Democrats whose votes helped kill a strong Democratic package of lobbying reforms this spring.
As a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, he has been an avid participant in the orgy of earmarking, including numerous projects sought by a lobbying firm that employed his brother. During the Abscam congressional bribery investigation in 1980, Mr. Murtha was videotaped discussing a bribe with an undercover FBI agent. ("You know, we do business for a while, maybe I'll be interested, maybe I won't, you know," Mr. Murtha said.) He wasn't indicted, but it's fair to say the episode raised questions about his integrity.
If Democrats prove that they can jump-start Iraq, then you can consider me a Democratic voter in '08. My vote goes to whoever can prosecute this war effectively. So far, my votes have gone to Republicans. If the Dems crown Murtha, it'll be going to Republicans for a long, long time.
Hotel Tango: Michelle
TrackBack
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://op-for.com/mt/mt-tb.cgi/610
Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Will We Fight This War?:
» Kia from Kia
Autonomous government body responsible for managing and admin [Read More]
Comments
That WaPo editorial just stunned me. It reminded me of the Beavis & Butt-head episodes where Beavis would kick Butt-head in the nuts.
'What better chance for the Dems to prove that they are strong on defense than for them to bolster defense spending, the size of our services, and the number of troops in Iraq?'
You have to be kidding. These people got into power on deception and moderate Democrats who the extreme left leadership can control. In their eyes they have nothing to prove, only to implement their plans for a quick withdrawal our defeat to get their modern day 'Vietnam' political win over the republicans.
Have you heard these people talking about victory and winning? NEVER. Maybe Joe Lieberman who was kicked out by that party.
So here is question for the guys and gals serving our great country over there. Are we winning? Here is what I see...
We have 3K+ KIA over there, and while any casualties are bad, but compare this to any other war and it is pretty darn good(don't get me wrong...I'm speaking in a relative context). Things are tough right now, but that is war. The American public needs to understand that this isn't as easy as ordering a pizza.
I hear these stupid damn politicians talking code words about 'redeployment' and changing the course like their talk to their constituents like they are a bunch of dummies who fell off the turnip truck.
'Changing the course'. So what, now Nancy Pelosi is going to put on her battle helmet and pink patton getup and make military decisions? Let me tell you, when politicians start making military decisions like they did in Vietnam, it is DANGEROUS.
My nightmare is that they cut off funds to the Iraq war and to the Iraqis. Just like the y abandoned the South Vietnamese. They were so concerned about the slaughter and death of the Vietnamese during the war, but turned a blind eye when the North Vietnamese slaughtered hundreds of thousands of people once they took control around '75. Not to mention Cambodia. What a shame.
If they get their way, be rest assured your children will be fighting a much bigger war than the one today and these people who made these poor decisions will be nowhere to be found.
Victory, Victory, Victory, and perserverance.
You'll never hear these words from people like Nancy Pelosi.
Seg-- You rate the progress of this war based on bodycount (ours) just as the Democrats do... except you say things are going well because it's only 3,000 KIA. You're both wrong.
In counterinsurgency, bodycount (both ours and theirs) is a horrible metric to use. We could lose 10,000 and we could be winning... or losing. We could kill 10,000 insurgents with the same result. In fact, when it comes to COIN, killing insurgents is NOT THE GOAL. Insurgents there are like cockroaches. You can kill one and five will take his place.
In my opinion, we are not doing well in Iraq. In our ultimate goal of achieving a stable, democratic gov't in that country, our first step needs to be security. We have not achieved it. Two of the most critical regions of the country (Anbar and Baghdad) are not secure. Our efforts to create an effective security force are not working, as evidenced by the poor performance (bordering really on ineptitude) of the Iraqi police forces. Not to mention the fact they are essentially a de facto Shi'ia militia and are involved in the sectarian violence in Iraq.
We could have lost one soldier KIA and I'd still say things are not progressing well.
I'm not advocating leaving, but I believe "Stay the course" is equal to "stay on the tracks" while a locomotive comes bearing down on you. It was a stupid mantra for a type of war that requires the utmost in flexibility and creativity. Our junior officers and NCO's are exhibiting this (inasmuch as the military permits them). Our senior military and political leadership are not. If you "stay the course" with an insurgent, you'll quickly find yourself on the business end of an IED and losing hard. Doesn't anyone remember Westmoreland's "light at the end of the tunnel" phrase?
We can win this... but the Democrats have got to stop playing politics with the war and the Republicans have to get their heads out of their asses and sniff the reality. I sincerely hope the elections were the wake-up call they needed.
On a domestic political note, Murtha was handily defeated in his bid for majority leader. This gives me hope that the moderates may be running things a little more than Nancy would like.
Post a comment
Potential comment conditions listed here. Oh, and you may use basic HTML for formatting.
There are plenty of kooky liberals. To be honest, they really don't bother me that much. The Congress still does not hold an ability to override vetos.
What does bother me is Murtha's ABSCAM involvement. I love the term "un-indicted co-conspirator".
Did you read how the judge ordered Abramoff to begin his jailterm immediately DESPITE the prosecutor's objections? Seems Abramoff was ready to rat out several Democrats who he had dealings with.