Reply to Kevin Ferris on Iraqi pullout.
In reply to an Op-Ed in the Philadelphia Inquirer from July 1st.
Kevin Ferris urges Americans to remain stalwart, as our president has, in the face of "mistakes, setbacks, criticism and daily casualties" in the ongoing disaster in Iraq but his argument is fundamentally flawed when he argues a pullout of U.S. troops would fall right into Osama bin Laden’s master plan for American defeat.
If anything, our continued presence in Iraq is a catalyst for an even more fervent devotion to bin Laden and his call for Muslims to defend their homeland and religion from the infidel invaders. The bloody sands of Mesopotamia have become the ideal training ground for those who have seen our once powerful military humbled and are learning better ways to kill our people day in and day out.
Those calling for a pullout from Iraq are not the ones quiting on our soldiers, rather it is our leaders who have "quit" on them from the very beginning by neglecting to plan for the aftermath of the invasion, short-changing them on vital protective armor and then adding insult to injury by not providing adequate funding for their physical and mental wounds which are a direct result of the poor judgment and incompetence that has characterized this entire misadventure.
Those who sincerely and patriotically question the rationale for continuing to suffer the needless loss of America’s bravest citizens in this pointless war are not distracting the American people from what is at stake in Iraq as Ferris contends. Rather, those who insist on warning of the "consequences" of "losing" are deluding themselves that there is anything to win in the first place in a fight against an indigenous insurgency, particularly one that is fueled by religion and nationalism.
Calling now for those of us who oppose the war for restraint in criticizing the war is just a bit disingenuous when there was none shown by the advocates of war, petulance and famine before the invasion when their lackeys in the press and media fully exercised their first amendment rights to foist their lies and distortions upon us. "Politics and name-calling" is not what is undermining support for the war here at home and abroad, it is stories that "go global in seconds" of beatings and torture at our military prisons and innocent Iraqis being killed on a daily basis at U.S. military roadblocks.
Our protestations of moral superiority are in tatters. This war is a lost cause, it is a quagmire; our leaders have failed us on a monumental scale. I am not advocating that we "abandon the Iraqis to an al-Qaeda lieutenant"---which is a nonsensical notion anyway since the foreigners now in Iraq would surly be the next ones to go if we left---rather I believe it is not a defeat to save American lives. The Iraqi people are perfectly capable of ruling themselves without one more drop of American blood having to be spilt. Sooner or later we will leave Iraq, the question is at what cost and will it have been worth even a single American life?
Kevin Ferris urges Americans to remain stalwart, as our president has, in the face of "mistakes, setbacks, criticism and daily casualties" in the ongoing disaster in Iraq but his argument is fundamentally flawed when he argues a pullout of U.S. troops would fall right into Osama bin Laden’s master plan for American defeat.
If anything, our continued presence in Iraq is a catalyst for an even more fervent devotion to bin Laden and his call for Muslims to defend their homeland and religion from the infidel invaders. The bloody sands of Mesopotamia have become the ideal training ground for those who have seen our once powerful military humbled and are learning better ways to kill our people day in and day out.
Those calling for a pullout from Iraq are not the ones quiting on our soldiers, rather it is our leaders who have "quit" on them from the very beginning by neglecting to plan for the aftermath of the invasion, short-changing them on vital protective armor and then adding insult to injury by not providing adequate funding for their physical and mental wounds which are a direct result of the poor judgment and incompetence that has characterized this entire misadventure.
Those who sincerely and patriotically question the rationale for continuing to suffer the needless loss of America’s bravest citizens in this pointless war are not distracting the American people from what is at stake in Iraq as Ferris contends. Rather, those who insist on warning of the "consequences" of "losing" are deluding themselves that there is anything to win in the first place in a fight against an indigenous insurgency, particularly one that is fueled by religion and nationalism.
Calling now for those of us who oppose the war for restraint in criticizing the war is just a bit disingenuous when there was none shown by the advocates of war, petulance and famine before the invasion when their lackeys in the press and media fully exercised their first amendment rights to foist their lies and distortions upon us. "Politics and name-calling" is not what is undermining support for the war here at home and abroad, it is stories that "go global in seconds" of beatings and torture at our military prisons and innocent Iraqis being killed on a daily basis at U.S. military roadblocks.
Our protestations of moral superiority are in tatters. This war is a lost cause, it is a quagmire; our leaders have failed us on a monumental scale. I am not advocating that we "abandon the Iraqis to an al-Qaeda lieutenant"---which is a nonsensical notion anyway since the foreigners now in Iraq would surly be the next ones to go if we left---rather I believe it is not a defeat to save American lives. The Iraqi people are perfectly capable of ruling themselves without one more drop of American blood having to be spilt. Sooner or later we will leave Iraq, the question is at what cost and will it have been worth even a single American life?
posted by William Duane at 1:16 PM
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