Can We Just Get on with the Business of Winning?

"There was no Al Qaeda in Iraq before George Bush and John McCain decided to invade," so said Senator Obama at a recent campaign event. He followed that statement with the proclamation, once again, that he would pull all the troops out of Iraq were he elected President. The obvious problem with the Senator's statements are three-fold. First, Al Qaeda was in Iraq before we invaded. They were afforded a safe haven in the Kurdish region after we invaded Afghanistan; according to captured documents, and as reported by ABC News, Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein did meet before the invasion to discuss attacking Saudi Arabia; and Zawahiri, the now deceased leader of Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia, was treated at a Baghdad hospital after being wounded fighting American forces in Afghanistan. Second, George Bush did not invade Iraq; the United States invaded Iraq, with the full backing of Congress. Third, Al Qaeda is in Iraq now, and will not leave Iraq, nor cease their murderous tactics, both there and abroad, because US military forces are withdrawn precipitously. It does not matter to me why Al Qaeda is in Iraq. They are there now and we have no choice but to destroy them, or cede to them not only a base of operations to wage their murderous campaigns of terror, but rather an entire country.

It is a juvenile, and ill formed thought that pulling the troops out of Iraq will somehow cause Al Qaeda to summarily cease their reign of terror. Just because we decide we are no longer at war does not mean Al Qaeda will decide likewise. Senator Obama also stated that if Al Qaeda establishes a base of operations in Iraq after we withdraw, as President he would recommit the military. Is it just me that finds that to be the most illogical of statements? Senator Obama apparently believes that everyone in the world, regardless of public proclamations, is worth trusting, except of course the evil men and women of the Republican Party. I have news for this erudite, big hearted, Ivy League graduate, you cannot trust Al Qaeda. If we pull our troops out of Iraq before the job is done, Al Qaeda will take over, and a slaughter of innocents to rival any seen before will ensue. Al Qaeda will torture and murder everyone even remotely suspected of aiding the American forces. Al Qaeda is the most evil adversary we have ever faced; more evil than the Third Reich and the Soviets because they would gladly butcher billions if it would give them control of the world.

It also bears mentioning that is has been 2,362 since 9/11. Some of the reason for that has to be that the terrorists are otherwise engaged fighting our professional warriors in Iraq. Were the terrorists not fighting in Iraq would they not be plotting further death and devastation here in the United States? On 9/12/2001 what else did any of us want but no more terrorist attacks on American soil? I know Senator Obama and his acolytes will say that we should not sacrifice our American warriors for a nation thousands of miles away. The death of every American service member hurts my heart, but it has taken years for the terrorists to match the number they killed on a single Tuesday morning in September. That is because it is always better to have our professional warrior class fighting the terrorists, than to allow them time to attack soft targets here.

There has also been much talk out of Senator Obama's camp on the fiscal cost of continuing the fight in Iraq. I would suggest that the cost to the Treasury of the United States pales in comparison to the costs of another 9/11. All of us remember exactly where we were that crisp, Fall day in 2001; though some of us have forgotten how we felt. You cannot negotiate with abject evil. Senator McCain has his failings. If elected, he will probably close Guantanamo Bay; a grievous mistake I believe. Senator McCain will also probably make it more difficult for our intelligence services to extract intel from captured terrorists, by limiting tough interrogation methods. Those too, are less than well formed responses to his own personal experiences, but Senator McCain has seen evil up close. He looked it in the eye and has not forgotten neither where he was, nor how he felt. He is reminded of it every day when he realizes that he still cannot lift his arms above his shoulders because of the torture he underwent. Senator McCain was tortured. What we have done to a very few, high value targets was not torture. All that said, the main difference between the two senators is that one knows that carnivores are loose in the world, and one does not. I am certain the gazelle out on the African Savannah would sorely like a time-out as the hungry lion sinks his teeth into the gazelle's haunch, but no amount of wishing on his part will make it so. Senator Obama would benefit by remembering that the plains of Africa are a brutal, unforgiving place to the prey, when the predators are hungry. Unfortunately, until freedoms of human rights and expression replace theocratic despotism in the Middle East, all the world is the Serengeti during a drought, and nothing but the brave American fighting man stands between us and the sickening snap of incisors.

I Have Always Been Proud of My Country

I am not from a "silver spoon" background. I'm a working class kid from honorable, but low, economic roots. I proudly admit to being moved by the strains of the National Anthem, and the fluttering of Old Glory in the breeze. I tear up slightly when I hear the Anthem, whether at the ball park or in my living room; and yes, I stand up in my living room when it plays. I salute the flag wherever, whenever I encounter it. I do this specifically because I am proud of my country, and for all that it stands. I enlisted in the Army, generally because I wanted to serve. I joined the Infantry specifically because I wanted to kill bad guys. I have been less than enthused by some of our leaders, and appalled at some of my fellow American's actions; whether elected officials, or the simple rank and file. I have never though, waivered in my pride of country.

I had the distinct honor to revisit Ft. Benning, GA a couple weeks back to see a friend "Turn Blue." For those of you unfamiliar with the ceremony, it is when an infantryman receives his distinctive Blue Cord. The cord is placed on the infantryman's Class A, or dress uniform, on the combat shoulder; so called because we wear our combat patch on the right shoulder. The cord is the color of the sky, because God loves the infantry. We are the Queen of Battle, and no battle, big or small can be truly finished without us. I not only had the honor of putting the cord on my friend, I also was able to welcome the other 184 infantrymen in his class into my club. I was so proud of them, and my country, that I kept my sunglasses on to maintain my tough guy image. To a man these heroes all expressed thanks for my service, and exhibited public pride of self, and yes, country. None suggested they had joined the infantry for any reason other than the one for which I had joined. For all time we will be linked to the men from Valley Forge, Omaha Beach, Pork Chop Hill, Hamburger Hill, Fallujah and all the nameless places in between. That, makes me proud not only of myself, but of my country.

I understand that for those who have never served, the country is a different place. It can seem shallow and trite. It may even seem less than honorable on occasion. It is never anything less than the best place though, and never less than the world's last, best hope. We have had our share of problems here, and we have stumbled on occasion, but we have never failed. I say that because I once heard failure expressed as "staying down after you fall." The United States of America has always managed to get up off the mat, and has always answered the bell. I admit then, to not a little bit of anger to hear the wife of a candidate for President of the United States say, "Before now I have never, in my adult life, been proud of my country." I would suggest that someone who feels that way, whether Freudian slip, or intentional flippancy has no business urging her husband to be Commander-in-Chief; let alone campaigning for him.

Do not misunderstand me. This is not a shameless plug for Sen. McCain, nor a castigation of Sen. Obama. It is a reminder that the president, to much of the world, is the United States. He need not be jingoistic to secure a place in my heart, nor do I require that he be nationalistic. I do require though, that he remember the pride of the new infantrymen I referenced above, and feel it himself, at all times. That may seem shallow to some, and downright awful to others, but it is what I expect from my President. I accept that the man who inhabits the Oval Office is human, and subject to the foilbles of humanity. I accept that he will make mistakes, and only ask that they not be those of a juvenile nature, nor ones that will squander my faith. I also accept that the needs of the world will very occasionally come first, and that we, as a country, will shoulder more than our share of the world's burdens. What I cannot accept is a President who is not stirred by the strains of the National Anthem, nor one who is embarassed by his country of birth; regardless of cause. My President must face the flag, whenever he sees it, and feel a pounding of pride in his chest. My President must see the infantry walk by, and know that they are all that is best about this country. My President need not have worn the uniform himself, but must always remember that many men have granted him the office, through sacrifice of life and limb. If the men currently running for office cannot meet those requirements I have only one question: If these conditions seem onerous sir, why would you want the job?