"General, the day is lost!"
"If you think so sir, you had best keep quiet about it.."
- (exchange between a retreating subordinate and General Stonewall Jackson on the field during the battle which ended in a Confederate victory at Bull Run, 1861)
Yesterday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid had a little tidbit for the press yesterday. The senator told the press that the Iraq war is `lost', that General Petraeus' strategy "isn't working" and bragged that he told the president "what he needed to hear, not what he wanted to hear."
The comments came after Reid emerged from the ongoing stalemate between the Democrat congress and President Bush over the Democrats' insistence on only approving a bill for funding the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan if it contains an ironclad pull out date.
Now, I think reasonable people could discuss how the war's been mismanaged by the Bush Administration, or even our motivations for going there in the first place - and I have, many times, as the members of Joshua's Army know.
But one has to wonder about Senator Reid's motivations in voicing this now, at this time, with our troops under fire in the field.
Was he trying to be helpful? Did he feel that he was somehow encouraging our forces, discomfiting our enemies and improving things on the ground?
Was this meant to discourage the sort of thugs who are firing at our troops and blowing up women and kids in Iraq?
Did he somehow feel that he was merely voicing his idea of `policy'?
No. It was merely his outsize mouth and ego in action, hellbent on aggrandizing himself and seeking a personal and political `victory' over a president he has a visceral and personal hatred for - even if he has to offer what amounts to aid and comfort to our enemies to do it. And yes, I'm using those terms with full knowledge of what they signify.
Senator Reid has a perfect right to his feelings about this war, and a right to formulate legislation and policies to support his views. He has no right to make widely publicized, irresponsible statements in the press that encourage our enemies and endanger the morale and lives of far better men and women who support his right to undermine his own country's efforts.
And what's more, by showing our enemies how the war effort, the commanding general and the troops have no support at home from the likes of Reid and his cronies, they merely make a difficult situation even worse and the likelihood of a withdrawal that ends in a somewhat stable Iraqi government and preserves our military's morale even less likely.
Reid, of course, could care less about that. He gives the game away by referring to what were the glory days of leftists like himself in the post Vietnam era, when a disaffected nation embraced a malignant narcissism that nearly destroyed our Republic. Senator Reid and those that think like him want our military defeated and humiliated..but they lack the courage to cut funds for the war outright and take the political responsibility that goes with it.
That at least I could respect, even if I disagree with it.
Senator Reid's actions and remarks are unconscionable, and he should be immediately censured by the Senate...and especially, by his own party if they are to have any future claims of patriotism in the least.
I can't help but wonder how the families of our military who live in Nevada and are represented by this dangerous and defeatist political animal must feel.
Like Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's trip to Damascus, this is a threshold moment when Americans need to think about what kind of nation we wish to become and who we are going to trust to lead it.
Whether we like it or not, we're involved in an existential struggle that goes far beyond Iraq, and that conflict is just beginning.
In the war ahead, are we going to embody the spirit of Stonewall Jackson, General Patton and Admiral Halsey or the craven spirits of people like Harry Reid? Which is more likely to preserve our Republic and our freedom?
3 comments:
The goals for Iraq should be as follows: 1.) An Iraq that is allied with the US in the war against the Islamic and Communists enemies who threaten its continued existentence. 2.) An Iraq that is stable. 3.) An Iraq that is Democratic. These goals are listed in the order of importance.
If the war is lost then this means we are unable to achieve those goals. Failure to achieve the first two goals will mean the end of the US as a major power and will probably place the survival of the country in grave danger.
It is difficult to fathom what Democrats like Reid and his fellow traverlers are thinking. Apparently they hate the President so much that they have lost the abiltiy to think rationally or perhaps they are traitors.
If we assume they are traitors, they clearly can't cut off funding ending the war right now. This would end the United States as a major power and would place the survival of the country in grave danger. This must be pinned on Republicans.
In times past, powerful people in countries who were about to conqured often cut deals with the conquering nations so they could have a level of power in the new system of government. This may be what Reid and his cronies are trying to do. When the Islamists led by their Communists allies in Russia and China conquer the US they wish to be in a position to capitalize. Already things look very promising for Russia and China. In its current state, the US military is inadequate to defeat either Russia or China. The enemies of the US and Western civilization must be licking their collective chops with anticipation.
I wish I could be more optimisitic. Unfortunately with the current situation it is hard to find much cause for optimisim.
It is true that in order to preserve our civilization we need more people like General Patton, Stonewall Jackson, and Admiral Halsey. As I see it there is currently no one like this who holds any meaningful position in either major political party. Even if people like Stonewall Jackson, General Patton, and Admiral Halsey existed today, it seems unlikely that any of them would be allowed to serve in today's politically correct military.
As things stand right now, the Iraq war may well be "lost." This is not becuase we cannot win but becuase the effort lacks the support of the American people, the news people who play a significant role in shaping public opinion, and most of the American elites.
Given this situation, the best course of action for President Bush and the GOP is probably to immediately withdraw American troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. Granted this will end America's position as a major world power, it will probably wreck the US economy, and it will likely place the survival of the US in grave danger. Failure in Iraq and Afghanistan will result in all of those things. At least by withdrawing now, we could save some of what is left of our strength to fight the ensuing war for our survival on our home land. This enemy will follow us home.
After withdrawl from Iraq and Afghanistan we should immediately begin to work on securing the homeland. This will at least give us a chance to defend ourselves.
Finally, President Bush should aggressively explain the stakes that are involved. To date, he has not done this. Presient Bush has allowed his enemies to completely control the debate. While they have relentlessly opposed him and the actions of the American military in Iraq, he has done nothing.
Why the President and his advisors have done nothing to counter the Democrats propaganda is puzzling to me. If the President were to point out that the enemies we are facing in Afghanistan and Iraq pose an existential threat to the US, the facts would be on his side. He should be more aggressive. He should have been more aggressive early on.
As it stands right now, the only way to win the Global War on Terror would be to take out the main suppliers of the Iraqi insurgency in Iran and Syria and to take out the Taliban strongholds in Pakistan who are supplying the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Unfortunately the political will to do this is lacking and it would not have the support of the American people. This seems to leave us with only one option. Withdraw from Iraq and Afghanistan without delay and work on fortifying the American homeland. At least by withdrawing now, we can preserve some of our strength for the coming fight. With our current strategy we are only being worn down while our enemies are continuing to grow stronger.
Sorry about the triple posts here. Another prudent course of action would be to encourage Israel to crush the "Palestinians" once and for all. This business of a Palestinian state is ridiculous. Such a state would serve as an existential threat to Israel, the US, and Western Europe. The only reason the "Palestinians" are not attacking Europe or the US is becuase Israel is in the way!! Israel acts as a buffer between the free world and its enemies. Wthout this buffer the US and Western Europe would be much harder to defend. We should be encouraging and assisting Israel in expanding its territory. This will strengthen the buffer between us and our enemies. A Palestinian state is an incredibly dumb idea and should be abandoned.
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