Whose Side Are They On?
Politics/Col. Bob Pappas, USMC (ret.)
November 26, 2005
It is notable that instead of seeking victory, the SPPA (Socialist Pacifist Party of America, a.k.a. Congressional Democrats) are seeking partisan political advantage in their shrill public attacks on the Commander-in-Chief, seeking to undermine the US effort and bring about a defacto defeat (again) by forcing a military withdrawal from the fight against terrorism.
First, the SPPA played its hand in the Senate, then despite his considerable credibility, John Murtha, House Democrat form Pennsylvania took it further, recommending immediate redeployment that has stirred the domestic political conflict even more. Unfortunately, SPPA thinking fails to address the issue of how to eliminate the threat of Islamofacist terrorism, like to the proverbial ostrich and head-in-the-sand.
Where it is true that things might gone better had the President not declared: "mission accomplished," "bring them on," "they tried to kill my Daddy" and other ill chosen expressions; or had Paul Bremer, US Occupation Administrator not summarily disbanded the Iraqi Army with no sustained effort to reeducate the Army "professionals," left them without compensation, without care for their families and no job prospects, and barred them from further military service; and, had Secretary Rumsfeld heeded, now retired Army Chief of Staff John Shinseki's advice about the level of forces required for Occupation, it all might have gone differently.
The SPPA's most vociferous cacophony that had we not embarked on the mission of removing Saddam Hussien using Weapons of Mass Destruction as the salient rationale, in the first place, and concentrated US efforts on seeking Osama bin Laden, everything would have been "hunky-dory." But, there's a problem with that.
This writer has repeatedly noted, "Osama bin Laden is dead;" and, as the saying goes, the proof (of his death) is in the pudding. If he was alive, he would be on "Arab National Television," Al Jazeera, with regularity disparaging Coalition efforts, issuing Fatwahs, and generally cheerleading and directing the terrorists efforts; in short he would be "in your face." Despite a couple of releases timed with last year's general election that were reputed to be bin Laden, they were of dubious credibility. In the alternative, it is Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, referred to as bin Laden's number two man, who leads the so called, "insurgency."
This writer is satisfied that bin Laden is dead but anyone who cares to chase his ghost in the hills and mountains of Afghanistan and Pakistan is welcome to do so. Of course, the SPPA has used that red herring as its rallying cry since before the last general election. "We should have been trying to find bin Laden rather than invading and occupying Iraq." "Hussein was not a threat to us."
If the US had continued to pursue bin Laden's ghost for the past two and one half years, the SPPA would now be crowing that taxpayers money is being wasted. (That is, money that could be used better by them for vote buying.) And, isn't it interesting that suicide attacks in Israel have dropped to nearly zero now that Hussein isn't funding that grizzly project?
Right, wrong or indifferent, we are where we are and thoughtful dialogue is in order, unlike the desperate, death throe sounds of the increasingly irrelevant SPPA.
Where does the so called, insurgency get its funding? There's a lot of conjecture including from bin Laden. But maybe it's from people like George Soros, Michael Moore and Al Franken. Nothing is impossible. For example, consider George Soros' so called, charitable contributions which are on the order of billions of dollars. This writer wouldn't be surprised to learn that a stream of that money has gone to the "Muslim Health and Safety Foundation." The same for Moore, Franken and the entire group of SPPA ignobles.
For the past number of weeks the SPPA has been in the attack mode against the Administration and the President with regard to "How pre-war intelligence was handled and manipulated." That bogus charge is utter nonsense to anyone who is paying the least bit of attention and the writer disemboweled it in the last missive.
But, emboldened by the Senate vote to develop a plan for withdrawal of US forces Representative John Murtha gave a major policy speech which included the following statement:
"My plan calls:
To immediately redeploy U.S. troops consistent with the safety of U.S. forces.
To create a quick reaction force in the region.
To create an over- the- horizon presence of Marines.
To diplomatically pursue security and stability in Iraq
This war needs to be personalized. As I said before I have visited with the severely wounded of this war. They are suffering.
Because we in Congress are charged with sending our sons and daughters into battle, it is our responsibility, our OBLIGATION to speak out for them. That's why I am speaking out.
Our military has done everything that has been asked of them, the U.S. can not accomplish anything further in Iraq militarily. IT IS TIME TO BRING THEM HOME."
Whereas the writer agrees with a number of the Representative's points, his lead point is not only wrong, it would be a strategic disaster and logically negates the others. One was evidently mistaken to believe that Murtha was a military authority of note. His recommendation is totally out of step with the American people that the House vote of 403 to 3, with even Murtha voting against "immediate withdrawal" despite his own recommendation to that effect, cements it.
For all the noise, political gamesmanship and shrill rhetoric from the SPPA over the course of the past months, when their wishes were put to a vote, they yapped like a pack of miniature Chihuahuas, then cowered like beaten dogs when put to the test.
So, just who is it that has been making the President the whipping boy for their own political aggrandizement? The vote reveals it all to any thinking American. They should be ashamed, go home and not come back after the Thanksgiving Holiday, their evil political game is revealed, even if it isn't over.
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