DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE WAR

It seems daily that we are inundated with a constant stream of criticism and protest over the war in Iraq. Politicians, political activists, and ordinary Americans alike unite in their unabashed detestation of a conflict that has been raging for 5 years now. “No blood for oil”; “end the occupation now”; “Bush lied, people died.” We’ve heard these rants so often that we’re almost immune to them now. No longer do we stop to consider the sheer stupidity of what these people say. No longer do we feel the need to question these naysayers and stand up for a war that has promoted freedom and quelled tyranny. No longer do we defend the bravery and honor of a great American President. It as if we’ve just given in and accepted the notion that the war has been a miserable failure and our President a lying criminal. It’s as if we’ve surrendered to the defeatists and political opportunists who habitually deny the success and justice of the Iraq war. Well I for one am fed up with it all. So today I endeavor to reignite a support for this war. I seek to convince anyone willing to listen that the war in Iraq was completely justified and wholly necessary.

Now I’m sure some of you are thinking, “what an old topic…haven’t we heard enough about the war…what about the election, the economy, or Sarah Palin for crying out loud?” To you I say this: we must never forget that the war in Iraq and the overarching war against Islamic terrorism is the single most significant issue facing our country. Sure the latest election poll or Palin speech might be a heck of a lot more entertaining, but lest we forget that 7 years ago today 3,000 American’s died in the worst attack in our nation’s history, and the cowards that carried out those attacks have innumerable comrades lurking in the shadows waiting for the next opportunity to shed American blood. These men are spineless and detestable excuses for human beings and they want nothing more than to see you, me, and our families dead. So listen up…



Over five years ago the aptly named “shock and awe” campaign began as U.S. airmen kicked of the Second Gulf War with a pummeling of strategic positions inside Iraq. It’s been over five year since images surfaced of Iraqi citizens joyously trampling and spitting on a statue of the newly-deposed dictator and menace Saddam Hussein. And today, as U.S. service men and women continue the fight in Iraq, five years seems like a lifetime. Looking back there certainly are many mistakes that were made in the course of the conflict and there is most definitely a lot to learn from. We can easily say that we should have done this better or done that sooner, but looking back it is absolutely vital to prevent doubts and protest to overcome the truth of what the Iraq war is and the purpose it is serving. There are two FACTS about this conflict that every American must know: (1) The war was/is just and necessary (2) We are winning the war.

(1) The War Was/Is Just and Necessary – when we talk of the Iraq war we must remember its larger context. We must remember that it is just one of many fronts that make up a much broader struggle against traditionalist Islamic terrorists who would stop at nothing to inflict pain on America and her infidel citizens. The overarching mission of this war on terrorism is to seek out the enemy and kill or capture them before their able to satisfy their thirst for American blood. Essentially, we must stick it to the enemy before the enemy can stick it to us. Success means safety for you and me, while failure will undoubtedly bring about deadly repercussions.

How can I say this, you might ask. I can say this because I can flashback 7 years and remember watching, as a terrified 13 year old, as the World Trade Center crumbled into the streets of New York City. Make no mistake about it, the only people to blame for the attacks on September 11, 2001 were the gutless madmen who hijacked and crashed those planes. However, the imminent threat they posed was by no means a surprise. As a country we let our guard down, failed to deal with the threat of Islamic terrorism seriously, and we paid the price. These men had, after all, attacked before: the World Trade Center in 1993, US Embassies in Nairobi and Tanzania in 1998, the U.S. Cole in 2000. The mission we are currently fighting for in Iraq and Afghanistan held no prevalence, and our failure to pursue our enemies before they could attack again proved a fatal mistake.

And so it is under that banner that we fight in Iraq – to stop the Muhammad Atta’s and Osama Bin Laden’s of the world from carrying out any more of their heinous and deadly acts against the innocent citizens of this country and any other. Included in such a mission is the search for and destruction of individual terrorist cells, and an effort to hold terrorist sponsoring and harboring governments accountable. And THAT is exactly why we invaded Iraq five years ago, and exactly why we are still there today continuing the fight. WMD’s or no WMD’s the tyrannical regime of Saddam Hussein was undoubtedly an enemy of this country and of freedom, and it had to be deposed with great force and determination. Nancy Pelosi and Barrack Obama can say all they want about how the threat in Iraq was a fabricated lie, but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that Saddam Hussein was an enemy of this country before he was ever our friend, and if given the choice between Islamic terrorists and the United States of America, he would choose the terrorists. And even if he hadn’t made that choice before 2003, we made darn sure that he was never given the opportunity, and for that I thank God. That is after all the overarching mission that I keep referring to (it is very important) – preventing terrorist and terrorist-supporters from achieving even the smallest of gains.

So in summary, the war in Iraq is fully justified because it is completely loyal to the mission of the war on terrorism. We have deposed an evil dictator and deprived him of the opportunity of contributing to the deaths of American citizens. And in addition to that (don’t miss this), we have drawn individual terrorists from their rat holes and caves and killed them by the thousands. We have killed them by the thousands on their soil, and not ours. We have never let these evil parasites rest and as a result, this country hasn’t seen an attack since September 11, 2001.

(2) We are winning the war – although many could legitimately argue that the time between the successful toppling of Saddam Hussein and the surge of 2006 was marked by American missteps and miscalculation, today no one in their right mind can deny the fact that we ARE winning in Iraq. Thanks to the perseverance of President Bush, the leadership of American generals, and the unmatched bravery of American service men and women, we are decimating the enemy and gradually bringing freedom and stability to Iraq. The major turning point in the war, of course, came when the President enacted a so-called surge strategy a little over 2 years ago. Under the surge, 30,000 additional U.S. troops swept into Iraq and furiously took on the insurgency, systematically dismantling Al Qaeda-in-Iraq and their allies. Under the leadership of General David Patraeus, a true American hero, U.S. forces swung the war back in our direction and today we are well on our way to victory. I don’t think anything speaks louder than the statistics recorded since the surge began (courtesy of Nile Gardner of the Heritage Foundation):
- Since June 2007, attacks in Iraq down more than 60%
- Since July 2007, civilian deaths down more than 70%
- Since May 2007, coalition deaths down more than 70%
- Since June 2007, overall ethno-sectarian violence down 90%
- Since joint operations launched in January, 26 senior Al Qaeda officials captured
- 2/3 of Al Qaeda forces in Iraq wiped out
- Since 2003, more than 30,000 private sector companies registered
- Inflation fallen from 65% in 2007 to under 5% in 2008
- Government budget doubled in past 3 years
- 11 of 18 provinces under Iraqi control (including, most recently Anbar province, once thought to be a hopeless cause)

Don’t let anyone ever tell you that we’re losing this war, because the simple fact is that we absolutely are not. Whether it’s Barrack Obama or your friendly neighborhood Move-On.org activist, they are dead wrong. We are winning this war, we are bringing our enemies to their knees, and we are ALL safer because of it. We are winning this war, and I have the facts to prove it (and now you do too).

Of course, as General Patraeus has said, the advancements in Iraq are “fragile and reversible.” The situation is still an extremely dangerous one and it requires our continued focus and resolve. Hasty withdrawal could easily set Iraq on a collision course with civil war and even greater bloodshed than before. But the facts are that this war is winnable, we are inching ever closer to attaining that goal, and ultimate victory will reap countless dividends for the United States and the world at large.


***A brief election note:
Barrack Obama has called the war in Iraq a “dumb war,” he has voted against troop funding twice, and has stubbornly stated that upon becoming President he will immediately begin withdrawing U.S. forces from Iraq. Barrack Obama is an idiot. In more academic diction, Barrack Obama clearly has little understanding of how this war on terrorism MUST be managed and his Presidency would spell doom for this country. I can’t tell you enough how dangerous this man is. Not only is he a socialist ideologue, but he’s a foreign policy lightweight and he CANNOT become President.

Also, I’m sure many of you want to hear about Sarah Palin. Well suffice to say that she’s a rockstar. She’s a true conservative, she’s tough-as-nails, and she represents a bright future for the Republican party. We still have yet to see how she does on her toes (i.e. debates), but I’ve got a hunch that she’s going to blow us away yet again.