Al-Qaedaqratic Party leaders and other liberals, please ignore this post.

e have a choice. We can either allow our hearts to grow dark or we can refuse to be defeated and use these experiences to make us unshakable." These words commemorating the life of a heroic defender of freedom, Specialist Robert Dixon, 1st Squadron, 4th United States Cavalry, by his commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel James Crider, speak to the values of Soldiers preserving and protecting the greatest nation ever formed by fallible humans, and to what ties them all together. They also speak to the common citizens of that uncommon nation, invigorating us again with a reminder that we have, time after time, overcome what to any other people would be considered impossible odds; that we are inherently capable of doing so now.

It's the reason many of us are disgusted by the discouraging words spoken far more frequently by some of our leaders which condemn not only themselves in the eyes of history and every future generation of such citizens, but that nation, those values, and those ties.

The American government is not helping, as it is playing its all-too-public political games. Though he may have thought of it as just being between him and his "friends" in the mainstream media and the fringe "Daily Kos" left, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's (D-Nev.) comment that "the war is lost" and "the surge... hasn't accomplished anything" was splashed on the front page of every news outlet from Al Jazeera to the Iranian state newspaper. Contrary to the beliefs of all too many Americans who seem tied to the notion that the Iraqi people are both blind and ignorant, Congress's votes to set a withdrawal date from Iraq — much like their other, similar votes and statements — were heard with perfect clarity by Iraqis, as well as by the insurgents who take heart from them. These statements encourage Iran to increase its involvement, as well, as they are seeing an increasing political return on their deadly investment in this war. (A Colonel within the MNF-I political apparatus told me that "if you take [Iran] out of the equation... we could probably reduce our casualties almost in half.")

"I had people coming up to me as we patrolled the neighborhoods saying, 'We heard you were leaving,' an officer with Quarter Cav told me. "They don't understand our process; they don't know that this is just rhetoric, or that it will be vetoed. All they know is that the leaders of our Congress said that it's a lost cause, and that our government has voted to pick up and go home."

Such statements by America's political leaders are "terrible," an Army public affairs soldier told me. She continued, "I understand political posturing... but it really is terrible. If the war is lost and we need to go home, then why do we need to stay here five more months, when I could die or my friends could die" for a lost cause? "The war is either over or it isn't; this just doesn't make sense.

"What we want is to keep helping the people here. The people at home who say these things, they don't understand that these are people who have to live here after we leave, whatever the situation is. These people and the things that happen here aren't real to them, and they can't understand unless they've been here and seen it."

Like many Americans at home, there are several soldiers who would like nothing more than to see the US end its involvement with Iraq as soon as possible. There are also many, though, who, having established a presence on the ground, and having spent time among the people of Iraq, want to see this mission through to a successful conclusion, not only for America's sake, but for the sake of the people of Iraq whom they have gotten to know during their time in country.

Our young combat leaders understand — better than senior political leaders at home — how we hold the lives of Iraqis in our hands.

By choosing to be discouraged — to allow our hearts to grow dark and be defeated — we encourage the enemy's leaders to come after us harder in both words and deeds;

In a 67-minute interview released on May 5, known terrorist Shaykh Ayman al-Zawahiri [al-Qaeda's second-highest ranking member] said [al-Qaedaqratic Party leaders'] legislation to tie war funding with a timetable for withdrawal, "reflects American failure and frustration."

to increase their expansionist efforts;

Zawahiri lamented that "this bill will deprive us of the opportunity to destroy the American forces which we have caught in this historic trap" but said it proved jihad "is moving from the stage of defeat of the Crusader invaders and their traitorous underlings to the stage of consolidating Mujahid Islamic Emirate." [emphasis added]

to jusitfy their sacrifices;

Zawahiri said the withdrawal legislation helped to "raise the banner of Jihad as it makes its way through a rugged path of sacrifice."

and to assess our "leaders" and nation as weak and soft.

[Zawahiri's] video was likely encouraged by comments from Democrat leadership. In an April 19 press conference Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D.-Nev.) told media, "This war is lost."

Two days later, in a statement issued from the Islamic State of Iraq, al Qaeda used Reid's declaration as evidence of their success. "In the past few days it became clear to every watcher and observer the magnitude of damage that hits the American administration and the defeated declarations of its leaders about the situation in the field in Iraq," it said. "A serious statement came from 'Harry Reid' the Democrat majority leader in the Congress who said: "'the war is in Iraq is hopeless and that the situation in Iraq is similar to Vietnam War.'"

It is up to us common citizens to refuse to be defeated and to demand that our real leaders refuse to be defeated themselves. In the words of uncommon citizen Nancy Wallace of Celina, Ohio ("Conservative Forum: Reid's Defeatist Democrats Bad for American Security," Human Events, May 14, 2007, p. 22):

Harry Reid is a loser! I am so sick of the Democratic non-agenda for America. How demoralizing for our troops, they should be ashamed!

Reid and his Democratic friends... criticize, bully and make mountains out of molehills for Republicans and show an utter lack of respect for the presidency. Dialogue is always welcome, but what Reid and his friends spew out is mean, full of hatred and not at all constructive. The Republicans are not perfect, but I support their agenda as an honest effort to respond to this crazy world we find ourselves in. The biggest shortcoming by the Republicans is they have not capitalized on what good they have accomplished in a way that average Americans can clearly see.

President Bush has accomplished a lot in his presidency, but the Democrats keep the Republicans busy defending themselves against the Democrats' silly accusations. Come on Karl Rove! You can package and publish an honest account of what President Bush has accomplished. Someone in the Republican Party please get us off the Democratic Party's inane merry-go-round and stand up with a brag sheet!

We, our Troops, and our country would find much to be proud of on that sheet:

Liberated 26.7 million Iraqis from a brutal dictatorship and turned over sovereignty of the country to an Iraqi government in 16 months.

Recruited, organized, trained, and equipped Iraqi Security Forces: 129,000 for Iraqi Ministry of Defense, and 165,100 for Iraqi Ministry of Interior.

Conducted safe and secure elections in Iraq: January 30, 2005 election (55 percent turnout), October 15, 2005 constitutional ratification (63 percent turnout), December 15, 2005 election (78 percent turnout), and permanent Iraqi Government — "the most representative government in the history of Iraq" — seated on March 16, 2006.

Senior leadership of America's enemies have been captured, killed, or made to run: Saddam Hussein’s sons—killed July 22, 2003, Saddam Hussein captured December 13, 2003, Ali Hassan Mahmud al-Tikriti (AKA Chemical Ali) captured August 21, 2003, leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq Al Zarqawi killed June 7, 2006, 45 of 55 of Saddam's top regime in the deck of cards have been killed or captured.

NATO's International Security Assistance Force conducting leadership training and mentoring for Iraqi security forces, with Canada providing a significant financial contribution towards that effort.

More Soldiers and citizens than any al-Qaedaqratic Party leader would ever care to acknowledge in his or her own "heart," much less publicly mention, are refusing to be defeated.

Labels: World War IV

	4:34 PM

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