Burn the Bridges

Diplomacy is the art of saying "Nice doggie" until you can find a rock.
Will Rogers

Will Rogers also famously said that he did not belong to an organized political party; he considered himself a Democrat. Well the current Democrat Party leadership definitely has no relationship to the Will Rogers mode of diplomacy, and precious little relationship to any actual organization. They have sold the country out for political expediency. Before you begin screaming about the Republican Party contradictions hold on. I will get to them in turn. The Democrat Party however, is worthy of particular scorn and derision. They have sold their souls to a malingering group of America-haters and 60s radical holdovers. While American warriors are in the field Congressional Democrats dither over how much pork to add to a bill designed to fund those American warriors. The Congressional Democrats seek to micromanage a war that nearly all of them authorized, while soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines fight and die to protect freedom. Of course the Congressional Democrats will say the warriors are not protecting freedom. They are caught in the midst of a Civil War they say. The Democrats will also tell you that they are trying to prevent more American deaths, but the truth is much more pernicious. The war, in Iraq at least, could be over by now were our warriors not hamstrung by political correctness and asinine rules of engagement. Had all those people "marching for peace" and supporting the troops by burning them in effigy, simply got behind the war effort it would be over. The Congressional Democrats, and their unwashed masters in the peace movement, have caused the deaths of American military men and women by prolonging the war, and preventing it from being waged in the only way it can be won.

There are only two ways to win a war. The first requires a Nagasaki/Hiroshima type response. The second requires a Sherman or Patton approach. No one would support the prior absent a WMD attack on the United States, so the latter is the only means available. We have to kill the enemy wherever and whenever we can and we must destroy his means and will to resist. That means denying safe haven, and relocating sympathetic civilian populations. You simply cannot allow the enemy to melt back into the community after an attack; nor can they be afforded sanctuary on holy ground. We cannot hope to effectively prosecute a war as long as our fighting men, the sharp end of the spear, remain fettered. We must release the hounds. Don't bother me with Vietnam notions of the hearts and minds approach either. The only thing Iraq has in common with Vietnam is poor management. In World War II we chose to defeat Germany before Japan, although it was the Japanese that attacked us at Pearl Harbor. We did not try to win hearts nor minds with either, and that worked out quite well. The frame of reference should be all out war, not some kinder, gentler act of aggression.

The Congressional Republicans, as well as the administration, bear responsibility for poor planning and then lackluster prosecution. They had the luxury of several years to truly go after the terrorists and clean house, but opted instead for some video game desire of war. Predator drones, cruise missiles and Stealth bombers are the hallmarks of modern warfare, but once infantry touch down the Queen of Battle cannot be asked to perform the tasks of a county sheriff. The infantry's job is killing bad guys and they should not be deployed anywhere unless they are free to do so. The Surge seems to be having a good effect. It may be too little, too late though. The media and Congressional Democrats will ignore good news at this point, and the Congressional Republicans are, for the most part, too weak to be effective.

So, who suffers? The infantryman, whether he be Army or Marine, and his brothers in the combat arms branches of the military bear the brunt of the political machinations. Men who, by nature, temperament and career choice are against politics as practiced in Washington, D.C. sweat, bleed and die for men in $1,500 suits who bicker about spinach harvests earmarks before they go on Easter break. Maybe it has always been this way, but I for one will not stand idly by. A generation of warriors fought honorably in Vietnam, only to be sold out by the suits in Washington. Those Vietnam vets came home to derision and hate-filled speech from their fellow Americans. Americans who wallowed in luxury because of the sacrifice of men who chose to proudly wear the uniform of the Armed Forces gave no thought to from where their security came. I will not sit idly by and watch this generation of warrior get treated that way. This then, is a call to action. It is time for those of us who have served to be heard. Call your Congressman. Refuse to be shouted down by the Birkenstock wearing miscreant, and stand up to be counted. The soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines need actual support, not yellow magnets on your car. Stand up for them now. Not only would they do it for you, they already are.