I do not advocate fighting a war to make the soldiers feel better about themselves.

I advocate the successful conclusion to this war to keep the Iraq women and children safe from the butchers hands. We OWE it to them. WE OWE them a chance. Because a nation held in bondage its entire life does not know how to embrace freedom does not mean they are not entitled to some leeway.

The antiwar wants to cut and run and return these people to the hands of butchers because they are clueless to grasp what we take for granted.

i would not fight a war to make them feel better about the outcome, however.
Soliers do a an honorable job for the sake of the nation. The nation does not fight a war to privide job opportunities for soldiers.

Let’s just keep our priorites straight.

http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=12233

Special thanks to my nephew, Chris, who today is fighting with the U.S. Army in Baghdad. Come home safe.

With the internet there is no such thing as NON election season.

As a veteran of Vietnam I have many good and decent stories to tell. Helping hands extended. People who loved us and worked hard to help us. Moments where I talked to mothers and fathers and sons and daughters who hoped for something better then dirt farming.

People who had hopes and dreams like I had hopes and dreams but because of where they were born they were relegated to having their lives dictated to them because it was thought they could not decide for themselves.

I see so many parallels with Iraq. Now those same people are standing up and saying Iraqis cant think for themselves. They cant make peace so they should have a dictator running their lives and destroying their chance at freedom. Because they cant make freedom work they do not deserve freedom.

In Vietnam the forces opposed to democracy was Communism. They murdered, beheaded, tortured and did all manner of vile things to the people to dissuade them from any attempts at even daring to hope for freedom.

In Iraq the Enemies of Freedom are the insurgent Jihadists/Caliphatists who will murder, behead, torture and do all manner of vile things to the people to dissuade them from any attempts at even daring to hope for freedom.

Yes the parallels with Vietnam are mindboggling and once again the forces are United working feverishly to insure the US fails once again. Not only fails herself but fails Iraq. Failure is the hope and prayer of The democrats and the antiwar.

It is what they work night and day fervishly to see happen. Why? Who knows. But because people die trying to earn freedom as many if not more will die living in Tyranny.

Which is the better way to die? Trying to earn freedom or attempting to hide from Tyranny?

When veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan tell their stories to their children, will they be able to do so with the same pride as World War IIVietnam veterans? If not, why not?

In the end will this be seen as a bigger Fiasco than Vietnam?

This is a four month trend toward less violence. Surely, that’s reason for at least guarded optimism. I suppose that’s too much to ask, though, during an election season.

I believe the Dems would be in a stronger position if they were to acknowledge the progress on the ground in Iraq.

There’s not problem acknowledging progress, but you must point out the fact that it’s simply not sustainable and has done nothing to affect the reconcilliation it was designed to allow for.

And can we also acknowledge that while there has been progress 2007 is still the bloodiest year of the war for both the US and Iraqis?

In the end, we have an unsustainable surge that has reduced violence to the level of 2006 and a government no more interested in reconcilliation than Musharef is interested in eliminating the Taliban.

Your post honors the troops, but dishonors the war they fought. That’s a fine balance, is it not?

From what I can see from listening to the Democratic candidates for President, they no longer mention Iraq. They want to speak only of Iran. Why is that? Senator Joe Lieberman answered this question in a little reported speech:

Even as evidence has mounted that General Petraeus’ new counterinsurgency strategy is succeeding, Democrats have remained emotionally invested in a narrative of defeat and retreat in Iraq, reluctant to acknowledge the progress we are now achieving. . . .

I believe the Dems would be in a stronger position if they were to acknowledge the progress on the ground in Iraq. Then, they can take the language of pre-emption and show how they would pre-empt an unnecessary war in Iran. Bush’s rhetoric could be turned back on him, if they have the savvy to do so.