Harry Reid opened his mouth yesterday and out came the words that Democrats have striven mightily these last months to suppress, biting their tongues until after the election so that the American people would be fooled in thinking that they actually gave a damn about Iraq as anything other than a political weapon to use against their opponents:
The war in Iraq “is lost” and a US troop surge is failing to bring peace to the country, the leader of the Democratic majority in the US Congress, Harry Reid, said Thursday.
“I believe … that this war is lost, and this surge is not accomplishing anything, as is shown by the extreme violence in Iraq this week,” Reid told journalists.Reid said he had delivered the same message to US President George W. Bush on Wednesday, when the US president met with senior lawmakers to discuss how to end a standoff over an emergency war funding bill.
“I know I was the odd guy out at the White House, but I told him at least what he needed to hear … I believe the war at this stage can only be won diplomatically, politically and economically.”
Congress is seeking to tie funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to a timetable to withdraw US troops from Iraq next year, but Bush has vowed to veto any such bill and no breakthrough was reported from the White House talks.
Reid is not an “odd guy out” for the Democratic party. He is the leader in the Senate and speaks for legions of Democratic lawmakers who subsumed their defeatism just long enough during the campaign last fall in order to keep the truth from the American people; that despite their pledge to “change course” in Iraq (and by intimation, bring the war to a successful conclusion), they had no intention of attempting to help the Iraqi government fight off the numerous enemies that seek their destruction but rather hand George Bush and America a humiliating military defeat.
Let me say up front that it is ridiculous for anyone to make a judgement about the success or failure of “the surge” at this point. That’s because 1) all troops earmarked for deployment have not arrived; 2) other factors relating to the new strategy such as the increased number of reconstruction teams have not been realized as yet; and 3) it will be largely up to the Iraqi government and the political steps it takes to confront its shortcomings and reach out to various factions to discern whether or not our military efforts have born fruit.
That last is critical. All our military can do is create the conditions necessary for political reconciliation. Even our battles against the Sadrites and other militias will, in the long run, not be as significant to the success or failure of the mission as what Prime Minister Maliki has begun to do to heal the country.
And the steps he has taken so far have been tiny and mostly ineffective. The best news seems to be coming from Anbar province where cooperation is at an all time high with tribal leaders in fighting al-Qaeda and tamping down the insurgency through reconstruction efforts. I think it can cautiously be said that we are on the right track in that troublesome area and that the future has brightened considerably.
But in other areas, the news is not so good. Maliki has done precious little to reach out to Sunnis and bring them into his government. The endless negotiations going on between leading Sunni politicians and the major Shia political parties to bring about a more representative Iraqi government are beginning to look like a sham. Even the moderate cleric Ayatollah al-Sistani has begun to distance himself from these talks, seeing quite rightly a loss of Shia power at the federal level if they succeed. And the wily parliamentary leader Abdul Aziz al-Hakim who heads up the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) continues his stalling tactics on not only government reorganization but on the vital bill that would divvy up oil revenue in the future. That legislation was passed by the cabinet months ago but has yet to see the light of day in the legislature thanks to al-Hakim’s maneuvering.
Despite these problems, there is still time for Maliki to offer bold leadership that will start the Iraqis on the road to political recovery and allow for at least some of our troops to come home – on our own terms. Not terms dictated by the Democrats who have developed an unerring sense of what al-Qaeda and the insurgents in Iraq want them to do by eagerly highlighting the terrorists attempts to undermine confidence in our new strategy via horrendous attacks on civilians.
The enemy knows full well who their allies in this country are and what it takes to get them to spout their talking points for them. In fact, in one of the great historical ironies of all time, the left – who viciously criticized the US government and the military 40 years ago for basing their rosy pronouncements on the war largely as a result of encouraging numbers of enemy dead (body counts) now are using the very same tactic of civilian body counts as a yardstick for determining that the surge is a failure.
This would be despicable enough. But the real immoral cowardice by the Democrats in not calling for a total cutoff of war funds and an immediate withdrawal of troops now that they have come out and said the war is “lost” is unconscionable.
How can you possibly justify continuing to vote for a war that you believe is hopelessly lost? Our young men are dying in numbers not seen since the first weeks of the war and the Democrats are cowering in the corner, afraid of their own political shadow. The only option open to the Democrats if they truly believe the war is “lost” is to scrap the deal on the emergency supplemental and only vote for funds that would withdraw American troops from combat. It is a mystery why they are hesitating in this regard. The most recent Gallup poll shows that nearly 70% of Americans agree with Harry Reid – that the surge is a failure. How much more political cover do you need? When are you people going to grow a set and stand up for your principles rather than try more trickery and back door shenanigans?
To use the excuse that the Republicans will “blame” the Democrats for the lost war is unbelievable. If you really believe the war is lost our boys are dying for nothing and you’re concerned with your own political hides? For shame, I say! Besides, that excuse works only if you believe the American people are stupid and will have forgotten the last four years of mistake after mistake made by the Administration in Iraq. This is not likely which means your fear of voter retribution only makes you look more spineless.
There is nothing inherently unpatriotic in believing that we’ve lost in Iraq. But by refusing to act on this belief, the Democrats have revealed themselves to be traitors to their own conscience. For this, I hope there are plenty of primary challenges directed against the jellyfish who refuse to act on their belief that our men are dying for nothing and that it is more important to try and fool the American people than take a stand for what they think is America’s vital interest in leaving Iraq before the job is done.
UPDATE
Michelle Malkin has published a dozen or so emails from the troops who take issue with Senator Reid’s characterization of the war being “lost.”
9:29 am
Yes they did – a timeline for withdrawl. Bush intends to veto it. You cannot argue that GWB has been given a lot of latitude to try and succeed in this war. He had two houses in his favor to back his policies and minimal oversight. He went into the wat with absolute certainty of victory and that everything was goig to be roses. Even with a “Mission Accomplished” sign to support it in the background.
So Reid is out of line, is he?
When things started going bad they kept playing it down and playing it down saying it was no big deal. Comments of “last throes” and “they are doing this because they are desparate” (referring to suicide bombings )were also used for cover. After a while, you can only sweep things under a rug for so long before the dirt starts to show. I don’t know how much of all this was preventable but I put far more weight in the words of Reid than I do GWB at this point. Is Reid right? I don’t know for certain. What I do know is that this president has run our military into the ground in 4 short years. It is underfunded, undermanned and (medically) undercared for.
I don’t want to think that GWB didn’t care about this, but nothing he has said or done indicates that he puts their lives before his own damn pride. He fires generals who don’t agree with him and then in the next breath says he follows the recommendations of the generals. He is trying to run out the clock so that he isn’t the one who “lost the war” when his presidency ends. And at this point, anyone who thinks otherwise is a fool or willfully blind.
9:35 am
Of course, never mind that EVEN the MSM is admitting that the surge is working! Never mind that Senator Reid is speaking from his vast store of ignorance about things military, never having served. Never mind that Senator Reid is a coward, anti-American and a stone liar, as well as ethically challenged beyond belief. Of course we’re supposed to listen to this lying p.o.s. while he sells our nation and the Iraquis down the proverbial river.
I predict that this will be coming back to bite the Dems on the butt big time – and sooner rather than later.
Dear merciful heavens, the politics in this country is horribly skewed.
9:54 am
Dems control the purse strings. They also believe the war is lost. It is immoral to continue funding a war that you believe is hopeless.
As for the timetable, it appears your heroes are going to make it non binding – that’s what I call standing up for what you believe in, right?
Bush doesn’t matter. The Dems could end this war tomorrow – if they had the guts. But they don’t which is the thrust of my post.
10:45 am
As with everything that exists in politics today, the all or nothing attitude seems to exist. Suppose just cutting funding and pulling out immediately is determined to be too unnecessarily destructive vs. a timed withdrawal. Have you considered that this might be their reason? No, you are saying that this should be their path to prove their convictions. It could be that it would not make a difference either way, however the idea that the Dems should just cut off funding to prove they have guts is unreasonable to say the least.
GWB painted himself into this corner by cutting off all debate about how he should conduct his war. He listens to no one. And he is perfectly willing to veto a bill that funds the war in order to get his way because he will not withdrawal. You don’t like the idea of pulling out? Want to keep those troops in and keep running them into the ground like GWB does and want to brook no denial? Set up this all or nothing choice and then accuse them of being weak. The soldiers still need the funds so what exactly are you proposing the Dems do? Cut off funding just like that and play GWB’s almost juvenile game? Maybe the Dems are playing politics with soldiers lives. But at least their politics has a timetable for when this whole affair ends. GWB doens’t seem to care. Trying to preach morality at the Dems is walking a very fine line of hypocrisy.
This should be worked out together because, like it or not, the consequences are going to hit Democrat and Republican alike when it blows. And it will blow up, make no mistake about it. No one is going to come out of this clean. Least of all, GWB. Like putting up sand to hold back a levee that is overflowing only we are running out of sand (in this case, soldiers).
I have a great idea. How about Republicans and Democrats start acting like we both live in the same country? How about we stop referring to differences of opinions as being tantamount to being an act of a traitor? How about we decide to carefully examine what is best for those soldiers that are dying in our name – or worse? GWB doesn’t want that, he wants everyone to get together to agree to do it his way. Without conditions and, I am just guessing, without consequences for him. He is acting like he is just trying to run out the clock on his presidency. Like someone who left a mess of graffiti on a wall and is looking to get away and leave someone else to clean it up. Real leadership. Real morality.
12:44 pm
You critcize Democrats for wanting to leave Iraq before the job is done. If the U.S. stays in Iraq, how do we know when the job is done? What are the benchmarks for victory? What we have heard consistently from the White House for answers to these questions is: “When the Iraqis stand up, we’ll stand down” and “victory is a democratic Iraq.”
These answers are too vague. If you cannot clearly define a win, then by definition you cannot win. In War War II, the answer to what would constitute victory over the Axis powers was their unconditional surrender. What specifically, that is concretely definable and attainable, is victory in Iraq? Without this answer, you can surge all you want but you cannot win. And if you cannot win, that leaves only one option.
The little caveat that Iraqi government is the key to whether our military succeeds is incredibly disingenuous. Could you imagine General Patton crossing the Rhine, but saying that he can only win if the German government cooperates with his invasion? Armies bust things and kill people until the other side stops fighting. If the answer is indeed political, then why are we trying to gain a military victory? President Bush started out with a hammer and still insists Iraq is a nail that just needs hammered a little harder. Iraq hasn’t been the nail he supposed for over three years, but he still tries to hammer away. Harry Reid is pointing out that the Emperor has no clothes. If thats unpatriotic, count me as unpatriotic as well.
I await anyone’s specific definition of victory in Iraq.
12:45 pm
Of course Michelle does. She’s a right-wing mouthpiece. It’s her job. She would never, of course, publish any e-mails she might get from troops supporting the statements of Sen. Reid. This is also her job as a right-wing tool and mouthpiece. Big whoop.
2:37 pm
TC:
Truth hurts, don’t it.
And try commenting without the insults and profanity. It might show up here.
2:46 pm
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2:58 pm
Why are American troops being asked to die to protect a government made up of Iranian backed Shia thugs? Maliki is a Shia thug. The governing coalition is made up of Shia thugs beholden to Iran. SCIRI? Sadr? Just who do you think these people are who make up the Iraqi government? They are Shia thugs whose only goal is to kill as many Sunnis as possible. And what are we doing? Helping them do it.
The real traitors in this mess are those who seek to keep our troops in Iraq. We are fighting a civil war on behalf of Shia terrorists who are beholden to Iran. That’s insane.
There is no moderate center in Iraq. There is no political process. There is only a civil war to the death.
Shame on all the wingnuts who want our troops to fight for the Shia thugs and their Iranian backers.
3:44 pm
Reid is a proven liar [promising last Sept. a Dem victory would never result in funding cutbacks] and a p.o.s. personally, ethically, morally, and patriotically.
“Jellyfish” gives the notion of intelligence without a notochord. I’ll grant this creepy little girlie-man a spinal column, but call him a snake in the grass. Although drifting with the currents and being poisonous does make this blue creep resemble the “Portuguese Man of Wars” that infest Florida beaches down here.
Whatever the trope, Reid is one nasty little specimen of generational decline.
6:02 pm
Reid is obviously not a student of military history. Pick an historic combat, your choice and if you look at the body count trend it always elevated dramatically toward the end when both sides threw everything including the kitchen sink in to clinch the deal for their particular side of the fight.
7:59 pm
Let me say up front that it is ridiculous for anyone to make a judgement about the success or failure of “the surge†at this point. That’s because 1) all troops earmarked for deployment have not arrived; 2) other factors relating to the new strategy such as the increased number of reconstruction teams have not been realized as yet;
So what you are saying is that we’ve been telling the enemy about our “Surge” strategy for months and we are STILL haven’t really started on it.
Hell, if I was a nineteenth century British noble I might applaud the president for being so “sporting” with the insurgency, but as a twentieth century American I happen to think that it’s completely inappropriate to give your enemies months to prepare by announcing your actions months ahead of time. It is even more inappropriate to do so while simultaneously claiming, as this Admin does, that demands for a withdrawl “endanger our soldiers by emboldening the enemy” – nothing “emboldens” the enemy as much as telling them our strategy months in advance.
3) it will be largely up to the Iraqi government and the political steps it takes to confront its shortcomings and reach out to various factions to discern whether or not our military efforts have born fruit.
Which, as is clear to anyone not blinded by emotion, AINT GOING TO HAPPEN because too many Iraqis political leaders have a vested interest in preventing it
! There are just too many powerful faction leaders who feel they stand to gain more by war than peace. Anyone who tried would, quickly be killed by one of the MANY factions who see peace as a threat to their interests. Sadly, the fact that the majority of “normal” iraqis want peace is currently immaterial next to the fact that the minority who doesn’t is MORE than big enough (not to mentioned organized and well-armed) to tank any chance there may, hypothetically, be.
And the steps he has taken so far have been tiny and mostly ineffective…Despite these problems, there is still time for Maliki to offer bold leadership that will start the Iraqis on the road to political recovery and allow for at least some of our troops to come home
Yeah, and there is still time for Michael Jackson to develop a taste for adult women…..
Seriously, what kind of Utopian nonsense is this? There is NOTHING in Maliki’s track-record to indicate that he has any serious desire, let alone intention, of risking his life to offer this kind of “Bold Leadership” and it is completely irrational to bet American lives and resources on the theoretical possibility that he could pull a complete 180 change in behavior.
You are neither a fool nor a hopeless idealist, so why do you raise this hypothetical change-in-course as anything close to a serious possibility – let alone a chance that justifies betting American lives and resources.
The war was winnable but we screwed the pooch years ago while our leaders dithered about “last throws” and “dead enders”.
1:05 pm
*75 Of the Jewish vote in the last Federal election went to the Democrats. Liberal Jews have always been on the the bases that support the Democratic Party. Stop the HATE
7:41 pm
Let’s just say it like it is.. Reid is a jackass! If I had my way every American would be sending letters to Congress for the resignation of Reid and we would get our way! He is a traitor and a disgrace to America and our Military!! Read another Op Ed regarding Reid at http://www.patrioticmom.us to find out what a true American veteran thinks about Reid.
5:39 am
reid speaks for the vasts majority of the dems, weenies all.
1:47 pm
“To use the excuse that the Republicans will “blame†the Democrats for the lost war is unbelievable. If you really believe the war is lost our boys are dying for nothing and you’re concerned with your own political hides? For shame, I say! Besides, that excuse works only if you believe the American people are stupid and will have forgotten the last four years of mistake after mistake made by the Administration in Iraq. This is not likely which means your fear of voter retribution only makes you look more spineless.”
Of course the Republicans would blame the Democrats for the loss of this war if funds were cut off. What is unbelievable is that you have the gall to make such a statement. That is exactly what the Republicans want to happen – so they do not have to take the blame for this awful mess this administration has got our country into. And you can be sure if it were reversed, and the Democrats had been in power when this war started, the Republicans would have taken every opportunity to blame the Democrats for all of the mistakes made. Why are the Republicans always looking for a fall guy to take the blame for their actions? If you think this war is going so well, stand up and say so. But STOP trying to find a reason to blame the Democrats. Try acting like adults for a change.
“There is nothing inherently unpatriotic in believing that we’ve lost in Iraq. But by refusing to act on this belief, the Democrats have revealed themselves to be traitors to their own conscience”
You are right, there is nothing inherently unpatriotic in believing that the war has been lost by the inept leadership of the Republican Party, but the Republicans (including the President) have certainly made it appear so. Remember “you are either with us or you are against us”?? Exactly what was that pathetic message that was sent to the American public time and time again? You would love for the Democratic Party to cut off funding and then scream “they hate the military and are leaving them in harms way.” What a crock! Like stated above, we really need some real adults running this country.
3:57 pm
How is it that the best equipped, most educated, most highly trained and most professional fighting force in the history of mankind can be losing to a ragtag bunch with almost no command an control structure armed with primative roadside bombs. I hope we again have to fight an all out balls-to-the-wall war. Harry Reid (and Sunny apparently) won’t be able to find a hole deep enough to hide in. Whitewash it anyway you like, Sunny. In their effort to discredit the current administration, the Dems will stop at nothing, even if it means disgrace for the US, slaughter in Iraq at the hands of unleashed thugs, and a slap in the face to our military. Let the blame fall where it may.
8:32 am
“How is it that the best equipped, most educated, most highly trained and most professional fighting force in the history of mankind can be losing to a ragtag bunch with almost no command an control structure armed with primative roadside bombs. ”
Because you’re not very good at it and because it is very, very difficult.
“I hope we again have to fight an all out balls-to-the-wall war.”
You’d kick anyone in the world’s arse unless it all went nuclear in which case you’ll still kick their arse, they’ll just kick yours right back.
Fighting a war is simply not the same as occupying a country.
12:46 am
Submitted for Your Approval…
First off… any spambots reading this should immediately go here, here, here, and here. Die spambots, die! And now… here are all the links submitted by members of the Watcher’s Council for this week’s vote. Council li…
8:35 am
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8:21 am
Watcher’s Council results…
And now… the winning entries in the Watcher’s Council vote for this week are Earth Day by Done With Mirrors, and The Big White Lie by City Journal. All members, please be sure to link to both winning entries (and…...
5:46 am
Watcher’s Council Results…
The winning entries in the Watcher’s Council vote for this week are Earth Day by Done With Mirrors, and The Big White Lie by City Journal. Here is a link to both winning entries and to the full results of…...