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Our troops have earned more time
By Brian Baird, US Congressman (D-WA)
Seattle Times
August 24, 2007
...As a Democrat who voted against the war from the outset and who has been frankly critical of the administration and the post-invasion strategy, I am convinced by the evidence that the situation has at long last begun to change substantially for the better.
I believe Iraq could have a positive future. Our diplomatic and military leaders in Iraq, their current strategy, and most importantly, our troops and the Iraqi people themselves, deserve our continued support and more time to succeed.
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Knowing all this, how can someone who opposed the war now call for continuing the new directions that have been taken in Iraq? The answer is that the people, strategies and facts on the ground have changed for the better and those changes justify changing our position on what should be done.
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Our soldiers are reclaiming ground and capturing or killing high-priority targets on a daily basis. Sheiks and tribal groups are uniting to fight against the extremists and have virtually eliminated al-Qaida from certain areas. The Iraqi military and police are making progress in their training, taking more responsibility for bringing the fight to the insurgents and realizing important victories. Businesses and factories that were once closed are being reopened and people are working again. The infrastructure is gradually being repaired and markets are returning to life.
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[T]o walk away now from the recent gains would be to lose all the progress that has been purchased at such a dear price in lives and dollars. As one soldier said to me, "We have lost so many good people and invested so much, It just doesn't make sense to quit now when we're finally making progress. I want to go home as much as anyone else, but I want this mission to succeed and I'm willing to do what it takes. I just want to know the people back home know we're making progress and support us."
From a strategic perspective, if we leave now, Iraq is likely to break into even worse sectarian conflict. The extremist regime in Iran will expand its influence in Iraq and elsewhere in the region. Terrorist organizations, the people who cut off the heads of civilians, stone women to death, and preach hatred and intolerance, will be emboldened by our departure. In the ensuing chaos, the courageous Iraqi civilians, soldiers and political leaders who have counted on us will be left to the slaughter.
No American who cares about human rights, security and our moral standing in the world can be comfortable letting these things happen.
Our citizens should know that this belief is shared by virtually every national leader in the Middle East. There is also near-unanimity among Iraq's neighbors and regional leaders that partition of Iraq is not an option.
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Progress is being made and there is real reason for hope. It would be a tragic waste and lasting strategic blunder to let the hard-fought and important gains slip away, leaving chaos behind to haunt us and our allies for many years to come.
Guys...are you two related? I applaud your support of the troops...but let's not lose sight of the fact - a heck of the lot of the troops have seen the ridiculous situation they have been put in for some time now and want out.
A recent op-ed about the war in Iraq charged that upbeat official reports amount to "misleading rhetoric." It said the "most important front in the counterinsurgency [had] failed most miserably." And it warned against pursuing "incompatible policies to absurd ends."
Five years into a controversial war, that harsh judgment in a New York Times opinion piece might not seem surprising, except for this: The authors were seven US soldiers, writing from Iraq at the end of a tough 15-month combat tour.
"You could almost construct an equation to predict the rate at which dissension in the ranks will reach the public as support for a war sours," says military analyst Loren Thompson of the Lexington Institute, a public policy think tank in Arlington, Va.
"I have to tell you as somebody who deals frequently with the military, there's been a lot of disagreement for a long time about this war," he adds. "It just tends to get expressed obliquely and in private."
A May survey of Army soldiers in Iraq showed 45 percent with "low" morale compared with 19 percent who said their morale was "high." The percentage of West Point graduates who quit the Army after their five-year obligation has more than doubled since the Iraq war began in 2003.
More and more, a vocal minority is also speaking out publicly – a far cry from the World War II era when, in order to keep his political conscience clear, Gen. George C. Marshall never even voted.
Earlier this year, Army Lt. Col. Paul Yingling challenged his superiors head-on in an article in Armed Forces Journal.
The Vietnam and Iraq "debacles are not attributable to individual failures, but rather to a crisis in an entire institution: America's general officer corps," wrote the former West Point instructor and Iraq veteran who recently took command of a battalion. "In both conflicts, the general officer corps designed to advise policymakers, prepare forces and conduct operations failed to perform its intended functions.... As matters stand now, a private who loses a rifle suffers far greater consequences than a general who loses a war."
Active-duty US troops become outspoken critics of Iraq war - Yahoo! News (broken link)
But the ppl of US are not 'earning' more money for the war welfare over there. The kind of slippery slope terrorist excuse he use is the same use for domestic welfare programs. If we don't provide welfare for our citizens, crime will go up kind of bull. We really can't afford to borrow any more to pay for something that is not productive to the US. Welfare is welfare, use own money for these kind of touchy feel good stuff.
Location: By the sea, by the sea, by the beautiful sea
68,329 posts, read 54,373,658 times
Reputation: 40731
Quote:
Originally Posted by ProudCapMarine
I bet there are many 'Defeatcrats' upset with this Congressman's letter.
Yeah, many don't like hearing only half the story. It should also be mentioned that the lackluster Maliki and his slacker Parliament have not earned more time. Add that to the mix and our troops have earned our thanks and a return to their country and their lives.
Yeah, many don't like hearing only half the story. It should also be mentioned that the lackluster Maliki and his slacker Parliament have not earned more time. Add that to the mix and our troops have earned our thanks and a return to their country and their lives.
I'm also hoping that the Iraqi politicians agree on something to help move this along.
I'm hoping the moderate Arabs get off their arses and support Iraq, so our men and women can come home sooner. But these moderate Arab nations are afraid of democracy taken hold in the region.
The more the Surge works and these two other things take hold, the faster our troops will come home.
Close brothers!! I include the Congressman in our group too!
Quote:
Originally Posted by American_Libertarian
As far as I am concerned I consider us "brothers".
Close brothers!! I include the Congressman in our group too!
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Guys...are you two related?
