THE SENATE'S SHAME
NEW YORK POST
Editorial
November 16, 2005
Et tu, Bill Frist?
It's disturbing enough that Democrats have become so hostile to America's efforts to fight terror, particularly in Iraq.
But now Republicans — like Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist — also seem to be peeking at the polls and going all wobbly on the Iraq campaign.
It's pathetic.
And dangerous.
True, the resolution pushed by Senate Republicans yesterday, which passed 79-19, is non-binding — and far less feckless than what Democrats sought.
The bill demands that 2006 be "a period of significant transition to full Iraqi sovereignty, with Iraqi security forces taking the lead for the security of a free and sovereign Iraq, thereby creating the conditions for the phased redeployment of United States forces from Iraq."
The Dems, by contrast, wanted to set a precise timetable for a pullout of U.S. troops.
But both statements send a message to terrorists that U.S. resolve is waning. That Americans are tiring of the fight, recoiling from their losses and destined to get the troops out of Iraq — ASAP.
That is, it's just a matter of time for the thugs: If they can just hang on long enough, America will quit — and they'll win.
How sad. It is exactly that kind of wobbliness that encouraged the jihadists to launch their savage war in the first place.
They looked at America's withdrawal from Beirut. And Somalia. And Vietnam.
Indeed, the Vietnam War scenario is becoming all too relevant. In that fight, America agreed to provide arms and material to South Vietnam and to help defend it against the North.
But Congress eventually cut off that support (even though — contrary to the received wisdom — Saigon was doing quite well for itself by then). Not only did that sap the South's strength, it also sent a message to Hanoi that America had no stomach to repel an invasion.
The South was left to its own fate — and the North swept in. Carnage ensued. Remember the Boat People?
Yet America's stake in Iraq's survival is far, far greater than it was in South Vietnam's. If U.S. troops leave before Iraqis are able to kill the remaining thugs and assure their nation's future, the terrorists will rejoice, regroup — and re-attack.
In Iraq. Jordan. Maybe France.
And, eventually, New York.
In truth, the idea of pressuring President Bush to bring troops home defies all logic, save for political posturing.
Why would Washington want to trust hastily trained Iraqis to wage the War on Terror on America's behalf? Is this nation too soft to fight its own battles?
And make no mistake: Iraq is the most important battlefield today in the War on Terror.
Certainly Democrats, many of whom voted to invade Iraq, have been despicable on the subject. Yesterday, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid bragged about forcing the Senate "to change the policy of the United States with regard to Iraq."
But for the GOP — Frist and Armed Services Committee Chairman John Warner, who, in essence, recycled the Democrats' shameful plan, sans exact withdrawal deadlines — to go along is truly disheartening.
In the end, the War on Terror won't be dictated by polls or political jockeying, but by facts on the ground. Better that ground be in Iraq — than New York.
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