Surrender Is Not Victory

April 24, 2007

Once was the time that when America was involved in a war, we fought it with everything we had. Democrat or Republican, we came together to face a common enemy to us both and did what was needed to defeat that enemy.

In both World Wars, our Troops had the support of the home front. Women entered factories to manufacture the tools needed for battle. They took over many farm responsibilities. Even 4F’s who couldn’t fight in the wars worked in munitions factories, airplane factories, tank factories and the like. Citizens sacrificed luxuries and recycled whatever they could to supply our soldiers with food, bandages and weapons.

Most importantly, they had the support of the normally bickering political parties. They didn’t worry about the minority party, or even the majority party, throwing in the towel and making a mockery out of their sacrifice. The home front had their backs and our Troops didn’t disappoint us. They gave the country and the allied nations stunning victory after victory until the enemies of free societies were utterly vanquished

They returned home victorious to parades and kisses from their wives and girls. Women that entered the Military shared in those victories, as did the women who made the needed tools for the Troops.

That was then, this is now.

Shortly after the horrific attacks against us on September 11, 2001, it was determined that those who planned, executed and financed the attacks were housed in the country of Afghanistan, their government refusing to turn over the bad guys. With what seemed like full support, our newly inaugurated president launched counter attacks on October 7, 2001, in Afghanistan, deposing the Taliban. October 31, 2001 saw the New York Times publish an article, A Military Quagmire Remembered: Afghanistan as Vietnam. Even earlier, the Asian Times was publishing editorials like, Afghanistan quagmire or strategic deception?

Mere weeks into this war and the opposition starts.

March 2003 saw the war enter another phase with the invasion of Iraq over, amongst many reasons, the refusal of Iraqi leader, Saddam Hussein’s refusal to allow confirmation of the disposal of his excessive WMD’s and the fear those same weapons would fall into the hands of the terrorists. Opposition began even before the March invasion and has been ongoing ever since, primarily from our own Democrat party.

This once great political party that helped lead us to a victorious defeat of enemies in the 1940’s has worked diligently to oppose defeat of the current enemy of Jihadists that has been attacking us ever since 1979. Complicit in this too is their willing accomplices in the American media who can’t seem to find any good to say about the war effort or our Troops. Still, they proclaim they “support the Troops, but not the war.”

In the 2004 campaigns, failed presidential hopeful, John Kerry (who did serve in Viet Nam, you know) stated over and over again, “wrong war, wrong time, wrong place.” Although, in November of 1997, he also made a speech before the Senate where he said, “In the final days of that conflict [first Gulf War], a fateful decision was made not to utterly vanquish the Iraqi Government and armed forces, on the grounds that to do so would leave a risky vacuum, as some then referred to it, in the Middle East which Iran or Syria or other destabilizing elements might move to fill.” Later in the Speech, after calling on then President Clinton to launch an attack on Iraq, Kerry stated, “This should not be a strike consisting only of a handful of cruise missiles hitting isolated targets primarily of presumed symbolic value. But how long this military action might continue and how it may escalate should Saddam remain intransigent and how extensive would be its reach are for the Security Council and our allies to know and for Saddam Hussein ultimately to find out.” Once an invasion of Iraq started, one that even Senator Kerry voted for, he labels it a “mistake.”

Ted Kennedy calls the Iraq battle "a misguided war." Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi says of Iraq, "It is a radical doctrine of preemptive war unprecedented in our history" and "a war of choice.” Dick Durbin equated our Troops to, “Nazis, Soviets in their gulags, or some mad regime — Pol Pot or others.” Jack Murtha labels them “cold blooded murderers” before an incident is even investigated.

Lately, we have seen Harry Reid issue his now infamous “the war in Iraq is lost” comment and try to backpedal over it. Hillary Clinton demands this war be finished prior to her entry into the White House, assuming she has already won the next election.

House and Senate Democrats very vocally demand a timetable for our Troops to withdraw, telegraphing to our enemies a date certain they win. Funds for our Troops are being stalled while pork barrel projects are added to solicit votes for the bill.

Moderate Republicans, liberals at heart, jump on the bandwagon in sharing the opposition with the Democrats in a futile belief it will gain them votes to remain in office.

In some idiotic way this “cut and run” attitude from the battles is thought of as a victory in the war by the leftists. Asked what will happen if we pack up and leave Iraq, John Edwards answered, “I don’t know.” Yet, he too, after once labeling Iraq as an “imminent threat” waves the white flag of surrender calling Iraq a “bleeding sore.”

Our president and the Troops stand virtually alone while those of us who see this coming threat of International Jihadism are shouted down ridiculed and ignored by the “peace makers.”

Party leaders complain about an “open ended war.” Yet, isn’t that exactly what the Jihadists have been waging now for some 28 years?

It is time to Wake Up America. Surrendering to terrorists and waving a white flag is not victory, it is defeat.

Lew

UPDATE 1: A Wall Street Opinon Journal editorial sees that Democrats are taking ownership of a defeat in Iraq.

UPDATE 2: Meet the Iraqi Police in Kirkuk: “If America pulls out of Iraq, they will fail in Afghanistan.”

UPDATE 3: From Amy Proctors blog, “CNN War correspondents Michael Ware and Kyra Phillips called US troop withdrawal from Iraq ‘a disaster’ and the debate on the Hill ‘delusional’ in an interview after their return from Iraq.” CNN Reporters: Troop Withdrawal ‘Disastrous’ and ‘Delusional’