End The War or Win The War?

June 9, 2007

In April 2007 Joe Biden (D. De) says, "Mr. President, you got to start moving combat troops out of harm's way now." In October 2002 Mr. Biden said, "We must be clear with the American people that we are committing to Iraq for the long haul; not just the day after, but the decade after."

In April 2007 Hillary Clinton (D. NY) says, “This is not America's war to win or lose. We have given the Iraqi people the chance to have freedom, to have their own country. It is up to them to decide whether or not they're going to take that chance.” In March 2007 she said, “I hope that the president will extricate us from Iraq before he leaves office. But let me assure you, if you doesn't, when I'm president, I will.” In September 2002 she said, "I can support the President, I can support an action against Saddam Hussein because I think it's in the long-term interests of our national security ..." In October 2002 she said, “…I believe the authority to use force to enforce that mandate is inherent in the original 1991 UN resolution, as President Clinton recognized when he launched Operation Desert Fox in 1998.”

In May 2007 Chris Dodd (D. Ct) said, “There is only one way to end this war responsibly. Congress must exercise its Constitutional responsibility to do what needs to be done to bring an end to our involvement in this civil war.” In March 2003 he said, “The current military action may only last a few days or a few weeks. But in the end, I have no doubt that our American service men and women will prevail in this conflict.” He added, “The United States is not the only nation that has a stake in rebuilding Iraq. The entire world has a huge stake in getting this right.”

In April 2007 former senator and failed vice-presidential candidate John Edwards (D. NC) said, “The withdrawal of all combat troops should be completed in about a year.” In February 2007 he said, “We need to be leaving Iraq. We need to start leaving now.” In February 2002 he said, “I think Iraq and Saddam Hussein present the most serious and most imminent threat.” In October 2002 he said, “It is in America's national interest to help build an Iraq at peace with itself and its neighbors, because a democratic, tolerant and accountable Iraq will be a peaceful regional partner, & such an Iraq could serve as a model for the entire Arab world.”

In April 2007 Barack Obama (D. Il) said, “…because of the distraction of Iraq, we have not finished the job in terms of making certain that we are driving back the Taliban, stabilizing the Karzai government, capturing bin Laden and making sure that we've rooted out terrorism in that region.” In October 2004 he said, “The War on Terror has to be vigorously fought… we have a deep national security interest in making certain that Iraq is stable. If not, not only are we going to have a humanitarian crisis, we are also going to have a huge national security problem on our hands…”

And on and on they go. One after another, every Democrat hopeful wishing to be president calls for an “end to the war,” even after speaking boldly on it at the outset of it, up until the 2004 campaign of failed hopeful, John ‘F’in Kerry (D. Ma) who is said to have served in Viet Nam.

Of the “don’t have a prayer” Democrat candidates, most all seem to have been solidly opposed and committed to their pacifist views then as now. Mike gavel, Democrat and former Alaska Senator said in February 2007, “… he [President Bush] can continue to believe in God or he can turn around and end the war.” Dennis Kucinich (D. Oh) said in April 2007, “We're in Iraq for oil. We're looking at attacking Iran for oil.”

I guess the thought of a rogue despotic regime as Iran with nuclear weapons is of no concern to Representative Kucinich. I also don’t think he has had to buy any gas in the past 30 years if he thinks all we are after is Middle East Oil. At the same time, he opposes our drilling our own oil in ANWR Alaska as well as he desires price controls on electricity and gas. Maybe he thinks the long gas lines of the 1970’s weren’t long enough.

Governor Bill Richardson (D NM) in May 2007 said, “…when we went into Iraq, I wanted to support the troops. But after incompetency, deceitfulness by this administration, the fact that there's no WMD, the link to al-Qaeda was enormously suspect--there is no basis for us to be there.” This is the same Bill Richardson who, 18 months earlier, wrote in his book, “At this point we must see this mission through [until] the Iraqis have achieved control over their own internal security. We owe them the opportunity to make their democracy work. We must not undermine their efforts now.”

Since the 2004 campaign season, the Democrat party, true to form, has stood for failure in Iraq and subsequently, whether they want to admit it or not, in the overall War on Terror. Not one ever mentions anything about winning the war, just ending it.

In some manner or another nearly all advocate a diplomatic ending. Negotiate with the insurgents. Does not diplomacy and negotiation entail compromise, give and take? Just what are they prepared to compromise on, to give up to a group of people that have no qualms high jacking passenger aircraft and flying them into occupied buildings? What possible middle ground could be found with people that slowly saw off a person’s head on video as they scream in pain and agony? What negotiations could be held with people that would line the walls of a school with explosives to blow up in the future, hoping to kill all the children inside just to instill fear in citizens of the area? What peace could Democrats possibly hope to find with such evil people as this?

With few exceptions, Republican hopefuls seem to see the dangers of decades of ignoring this growing problem of Islamofascists and their terror tactics around the globe. Even John McCain, (R.Az) who doesn’t enjoy the support of Republicans as much as he thinks he does, said in May 2007, “We have to continue because it's not just the Iraqi vital national security interests that are at stake here, it's America's vital national security interests. If we fail in Iraq, we will see Iraq become a center for al Qaeda, chaos, genocide in the region, & they'll follow us home.”

Rudy Guliani, former mayor of New York City, in May 2007 said, in response to his calling the Democrats timetable for withdrawal fundamentally irresponsible, “I was talking about the timetable for retreat that the Democrats passed, in which they did something I've never heard of in the history of war, which is to give your enemy a schedule of how a retreating army is going to retreat.”

Former governor of Massachusetts, Mitt Romney in May 2007 said, “It is critical for us to remember that Iraq has to be considered in the context of what's happening in the Middle East and throughout the world. There is a global Jihadist effort. Violent, radical Jihadists want to replace all the governments of the moderate Islamic states, replace them with a caliphate. And to do that, they also want to bring down the West, in particular us.”

Tom Tancredo (R. Co), even though opposed to the troop reinforcements, said in May 2007, “…whether or not we were in the Iraq war or not, they would be trying to kill us because it's a dictate of their religion, at least a part of it, and we have to defend ourselves.”

Arkansas’s Republican governor, Mike Huckabee, in May 2007 said, “Those generals told us, early on, it would take 300,000 troops to successfully go in and stabilize Iraq. Instead we gave them a limited number of troops and a budget and said, you have to do it with this. I think that's something, now, we understand was a mistake. But rather than simply walking away and leaving the Middle East in a complete disastrous chaos that will spread to the region and to the rest of the world, it's important that we finish the job, that we do it right, rather than have to go back and some day do it over.”

Sam Brownback (R Ks) said in May 2007, “We've got to pull together here to win over there, and I think it is a way for us to pull forward. We've got far too many divisions in this government here. We will win if we can pull together, and we can win the war. It's difficult for us to win with one party for the war and one party against the war.”

An embarrassment is Libertarian, masquerading as Republican from Texas, Ron Paul, for suggesting in May 2007, “They attack us because we've been over there; we've been bombing Iraq for 10 years.” And, “If we think that we can do what we want around the world and not incite hatred, then we have a problem. They don't come here to attack us because we're rich and we're free. They come and they attack us because we're over there.”

As he says, “I'm suggesting that we listen to the people who attacked us…” perhaps he too should listen to what the terrorists keep saying. In 1996, Terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden said of the withdrawal from Somalia in 1993, “You have been disgraced by Allah and you withdrew. The extent of your impotence and weaknesses has become very clear.” “When people see a strong horse and a weak horse, by nature they will like the strong horse.”

At that time, bin Laden also said, “We have seen in the last decade the decline of American power and the weakness of the American soldier who is ready to wage Cold Wars, but unprepared to fight long wars. This was proven in Beirut in 1983 when the Marines fled after two explosions. It also proves they can run in less than 24 hours, and this was also repeated in Somalia.”

In May 2006, Iranian president Ahmadinejad sent a letter to president Bush that many saw as an invitation to join their radical interpretation of Islam or else.

Yes, Representative Paul, we listen to those who have been attacking us for three decades now. The question is, do you?

So far, of all candidates with their hats in the ring, one stands out as being the most consistent, Duncan Hunter (R Ca). He says, “At this critical point, the members of Congress who are engaging in political posturing, while our soldiers are carrying out their mission, are doing a real disservice to the troops.” Congressman Hunter, after a meeting with General Petraeus, said, “One thing that he reminded us of, is that this war is a test of wills; and he admonished us that what we say to the world, to our adversaries and our allies, is also listened to by the other side.”

Congressman Hunter, a decorated Viet Nam Veteran with a son who is a decorated Marine Officer currently having served multiple tours in Iraq, has a unique credibility on the war other candidates don’t share. Even this far out from the primaries, it is clear who advocates just “ending the war” and who desires to “win the war.”

America, you need to make a choice. Do we live in fear for more decades hoping the terrorists leave us alone? Or, do we finally confront them, destroying them and giving the oppressed Muslims that do not desire the oppression practiced by the bin Laden’s and Ahmadinejad’s a chance to step into the 21st century?

I’ve made my choice.

Lew