The Current Iraq Debate: Do You Want To Win

Well, the Democrats are at it again. Not even waiting for September and already pronouncing our activities a failure. This is what the military calls a "shaping movement". There is nothing gained here but position for September. They are working to control the story line so that people will, hopefully, buy their story and pressure their Republican counterparts to jump on board for their next "let's withdraw" attack on the Battle in Iraq.

I recently read Gen. Conway's comments on Iraq where he rightly indicated that the entire Iraq combat situation had been misnamed. It should have been called the Battle in Iraq and the Battle in Afghanistan in the war on terror (or whatever you want to call it). The truth is, there is no loss in Iraq. It can't be lost. Not just because I say so, but because it is a fact. Al Qaida and other groups cannot hold Iraq. Not while we are there. They can continue to be a pain. They can continue to kill people. But, they can't hold Iraq, control Iraq or otherwise feel safe there.

They are continually and ever more quickly being forced from one area to another in a spiraling effect that keeps them from being able to establish anything permanent or truly effective. At least, in a battlefield perspective.

Unfortunately, what they can do is keep the yellow tails' tongues wagging and the sky is falling chickens clucking up on capitol hill. These, in turn, keep the American Public trying to figure out what is going on. For what? It is very clear, considering the truth about Iraq, that it is to shape the final "battle" for control of the government in November 2008. No one should be confused on that subject. There is no higher moral ground nor security nor defense which prompts such actions.

Here's the truth about what the American Public thinks: they want our boys to come home. Hell, I want our men and women to come home. But, when you get down to brass tacks, the American public is split into three groups. The adamant "anti-war" crowd that didn't want to be at war anywhere. The "we shouldn't have been there and we should leave" and the "when is this going to be over so our men and women can come home" folks. That last group is the largest group. They are waiting to be told that the right strategy, the right battle, the end, is coming up and our troops can leave Iraq or draw down.

They want it to be over sooner rather than later, but they aren't demanding precipitous withdrawal. They are just as fatigued as our military over the continued battle front.

No, this is not a scientific poll. This is me, going to support the troops rallies, to open events and other programs where, as soon as someone mentions support the troops, someone, at some point of the night, is going to bring up "the war" and the administration and the troops.

I am not shocked by the attitudes. It is a long war. Fortunately, I am informed by history that there were plenty of people through out the civil war, WWI, WWII, etc who felt the same way. No one wants to see the wounded or dead. No one wants to be at war for ever. But, looking back on history, even as we took Normandy, traveled on to Paris and towards Nazi Germany, some were wondering how much longer this would take. Were these the last battles? Was the German Army really every going to be defeated? Even to the point where many were willing to negotiate with the Germans to end hostilities, leaving the Nazis in control of some areas and Germany in particular. Some folks really didn't give a damn whether the Nazis kept Germany or not if we could end the war.

Fortunately, smarter and harder heads prevailed, knowing that there was no peace as long as Nazi Germany and Hitler existed.

There in lies the lessons of our history. It is not really whether any of these ideologies look the same, sound the same or act the same. Though, Salafist Islamists do give every appearance of fascistic maniacs. It is not about whether one battle or the next looks like a current battle or strategy. Neither whether anyone of them led to final victory. It is about how we view the end results and their importance to our existence and future peace. It is about whether we have the patience. It is about what we will accept as an outcome.

Apparently, some believe we have weathered the great menace of Communism, came out on top, thus there is no one and nothing that could destroy us. Thus, there is no one, no place, no ideology that can oppose us. Thus, there is no reason to put in such a great effort.

I completely disagree. Such thoughts are the product of 20th century imagination which died on 9/11/2001.

It reminds of a little story of the man who was trying to out run a tiger, climbed a tree, only to find it occupied by a snake; fell out of the tree, climbed into a cave, was immediately bitten by a tiny, poisonous spider, ran home to his wife and promptly died in her arms.

The moral of the story is, it is not the most obvious nor biggest menace that you can see that can kill you. Those, at least, you can see and take actions against. Sometimes, it is the smallest things that are the deadliest.

In conclusion, yes, we want our men and women home, but, more importantly, we want the war to be over which is completely different than outright retreat. "The war to be over" means ending this ugly menace that comes in sizes sometimes too small to know it is about to attack you. The only way you can end that is by eradicating the species. The only way that occurs is if you go to the places it nests and stomp it out using the most effective means available: freedom backed with the fire power to ensure it.

I don't imagine that Iraq is the end of the actual "war" by any means. It is simply the next battle, the next hidey hole where they exist and it is not one that we can leave unattended or undisturbed.

The real question to the American Public is not whether they want "our boys" home. The real question is: Do You Want To Win?

I for one don't believe that we should cede one iota of sand when it is clear the enemy has not earned it, can't hold it and can't keep it.

In the meantime, Dick Durbin was quoted as saying that our men and women have been losing sleep over in Iraq while they are fighting this war and working hard, so congress should be willing to lose some sleep over this debate. News flash for Dick, I think our men and women know exactly how much sleep they have lost and may believe that Big Dick is partially responsible considering they have to keep getting up at night and watching their backs from the knife on the home front. Thanks for helping the enemy perform the pincer movement and various "Tokyor Rose" psyops on our own troops.

The real question here is how much sleep are you losing over our troops?

I don't know what Dick has been doing, but I know what I have been doing and why this blog has been silent even up to the lead up of this little political theater. I have a mission. That mission is to provide direct, meaningful, material and moral support to our troops. Every week, I plan, develop, cooperate with a coalition of other people and support groups to execute at least one operation to obtain or boost that support. Not because somebody like Dick told me to. He certainly doesn't give a damn and very unlikely has not donated any of his kickbacks or personal earnings to any organization to do so. If I'm wrong, goody gum drops for Dick. I'll put an extra dollar in the hat at the next rally I'm at.

In the meantime, thousands of troops are daily looking for support from the home front. They are in the dust, the dirt, the mud, the bugs, the blood and the sweat. They are in Africa, Afghanistan, the Philippines, Iraq and deployed on ships at sea around the world in defense of our nation. I don't have time for these political hobgoblin dances and neither do our troops.

They are looking to us, to you and the rest of the citizens of our nation to provide the moral and material support they need while they are deployed, when they are injured and as veterans in our VA medical system.

I'm at Soldiers' Angels and our troops need your support!

Final question to Dick: Where'd you sleep last night?




Didn't think so. Now STFU because I have work to do!

PS...I note that the AP was good enough to mention that Moveon.idiots were staging a vigil to coincide with the congressional sleep over, but apparently couldn't mention that the Vets for Freedom were on capitol hill urging the senators not to give in. Talk about the third front in the war. Right here. In the media. What a bunch of crap.