With the anniversary of the onset of Operation Iraqi Freedom having just passed we have been treated to potpourri of opinions, finger pointing, who supported the war then but doesn’t now, dire predictions and even more dire headlines.

The former flower children seem to be trying to relive their glory days by insisting that this battle is comparable to the War in Vietnam.

All the while everyone seems to be ignoring what the troops are saying. No one is listening to what the people who are actually there have to say about what is happening.

Politicians are vying to position themselves for higher offices, journalists are scrambling to find something controversial (but not too dangerous to themselvs) to report in order to further their own careers and the loudest of the American people are waiting for ‘the Government’ to take care of everything for them.

Everybody is willing to offend anyone, but don’t offend the Muslims.

All of this at the expense of the liberties our fathers sacrifced dearly for throughout the history of our great Republic. All of this at the expense of our Soldiers who are fighting the good fight, but have to look over their shoulders constantly for the journalist who might want to make his career of an accusation or exageration of something that occurs in the fog of war.

Donald Rumsfield wrote an excellent piece in the Washington Post, What We’ve Gained in 3 Years in Iraq.

Some have described the situation in Iraq as a tightening noose, noting that “time is not on our side”and that “morale is down.” Others have described a “very dangerous” turn of events and are “extremely concerned.”

Who are they that have expressed these concerns? In fact, these are the exact words of terrorists discussing Iraq — Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and his associates — who are describing their own situation and must be watching with fear the progress that Iraq has made over the past three years.

The terrorists seem to recognize that they are losing in Iraq. I believe that history will show that to be the case.

Mr. Rumsfield goes on to outline some of the successes of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He adds:

The rationale for a free and democratic Iraq is as compelling today as it was three years ago. A free and stable Iraq will not attack its neighbors, will not conspire with terrorists, will not pay rewards to the families of suicide bombers and will not seek to kill Americans.

Though there are those who will never be convinced that the cause in Iraq is worth the costs, anyone looking realistically at the world today — at the terrorist threat we face — can come to only one conclusion: Now is the time for resolve, not retreat.

We have made promises we need to keep. We have promised to help the Iraqi people build a country they can live in. We would disgrace ourselves to back out now.

I don’t believe the majority of Americans would stand for us to say to the world that we don’t have the stomach or backbone to see this to it’s conclusion. Doing so would be weaken the United States horribly and open us up to every kind of unknown risks from those who would see us fall.

This battle in the War on Terrorism is of the utmost importance on so many levels. For the Iraqis, but also for the United States. Retreat should not be an option. The consequences of that are much more dire than I want to contemplate.

 

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