Monday, November 27, 2006

Iraq--An Open Letter to President Bush (Townhall.com 112706)

BS Ranch Perspective:

According to this letter, President Bush and the leadership of the war have fallen upon a stagnant portion of the war. The Objective of what we are still doing over there is not clearly defined according to the author of the letter! The Objective that we are trying to accomplish is also not clear and changes every day!

I don't know who the author's Informant is, but if it is someone that is high up in the Military, there might be a point to what he is saying, since we have not pushed forward with anything to get rid of the Insurgents, or there is no clear news of investigations that are going after the Insurgents. Sure there are many and they are from the surrounding countries and some are from Iraq themselves, how would they have so many hide outs if there wasn't people from Iraq that wasn't involved in the Insurgents Attack on the US. Military.

They had an Operation that was done about nine months to a year ago that was called operation Black Hawk or something to that effect where they went into a neighborhood and cleaned a few houses to the ground that were reported as Insurgents Nothing was later reported on the outcome, but it was a very hard hit structure in a highly populated area of Bag dad.

The language problems are very hard and it can complicate things very much for the US Military on the gates and Road Blocks when they call a curfew. I pray every day for our US Solders, however I also pray that the newly elected Democrats done cut the job so short in Iraq that we have such civil out burst there that there are so much life lost that it would be awful. we are the thread that is holding that community together right now. They have to know that.

BS Ranch

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Iraq -- An open letter to President Bush
By Jeff Emanuel
Monday, November 27, 2006

Dear President Bush,

Now that you have had nearly a month to recover from the midtermelection, I would like to humbly suggest that you once again focus yourattention on the situation in Iraq, and its resolution.

There are two overarching concerns which I believe must be addressed immediately.

The first is the lack of a clearly-defined objective. What it isthat we hope to accomplish in Iraq, and in the greater Middle East,must be determined. Then, both you and the Republican Party – which youlead, and which is still in control of Congress until the end of thisyear – must commit fully to that objective. Without a clearly definedgoal, and without progress markers along the way, the undertaking inIraq is less action with a purpose than a lethally directionlessenterprise.

The second concern is the radically uneven playing field, withregard to the tactics, the techniques, and the firepower which eachside is willing to employ.

Regardless of the reasoning behind it, we have been forcing ourtroops to fight with one hand (if not both) tied behind their backs – asituation which affords our enemies tremendous advantage.

From allowing "insurgents" to flee into – or to hide weapons cacheswithin – mosques, to allowing our courts to rule that the due processgranted to American citizens be afforded terrorists and enemycombatants, to refusing to forcefully interrogate captive terrorists (although when US soldiers were captured,they were not only brutally tortured, but beheaded and mutilated beyondrecognition), combat in Iraq has become dangerously asymmetrical.

Make no mistake about it, Mr. President – these are extreme circumstances. We are fighting a war which extends far beyond the bounds of what could be defined as "usual combat," and we must get a firm grip on this situation before it is too late.

What began as a war toincrease the security of the United States, to depose a murderoustyrant, and to bring democracy to a region long known fordictatorships, quickly saw the successful removal of Saddam, as well asthe strengthening of America's homeland security by causing terroriststo fight us there, rather than on American soil.

What did not follow, though, was the quick and easy pacification ofa region which has long known brute strength as its only currency, andviolence as its only bargaining tool.

If we are to defeat this enemy on a foreign battlefield now, ratherthan facing it on our own shores at some point in the future, then ouronly option is to stop playing defense, and take the fight to them.

Going into Iraq initially sent the message that America and herallies would not sit idly by while rogue dictators thumbed their nosesat us, or while terrorists plotted to murder us all. It sent a messagethat the West was strong – and it made those who would do us harm takenote.

Mumar Qaddafi got the message; within weeks of our invasion of Iraq,he was begging for the opportunity to give up Libya's weapons of massdestruction.

Unfortunately, what has been happening since then has also made our enemies take note – but in an entirely different way.

Our enemies have long since noted America's unease at the sight ofits own blood being shed, and of soldiers in flag-draped coffins; thus,they have taken care to provide copious amounts of both. They havenoted our refusal to pursue terrorists into mosques, or to return firewhen civilians may be in danger (though they freely slaughter their owninnocent without compunction), and they have used each of these totheir advantage. Finally, our enemies have long since learned how touse America's media against her – and they have done so spectacularly.

What must be done to reverse this tsunami of insurgent and terroristadvantage? What must we accomplish to call Iraq a success and to beable to leave?

The latter is something which must be decided immediately. Mr. President, we must define the mission, both in the short- and long-term.

Then, the next step must be taken: not only must our hands beunbound, but our gloves must come off. America has the greatestfighting force the world has ever known, and, though it has beensuccessful in a great deal of the mission, we are once again beingslowly bested on an asymmetrical battlefield.

We set a precedent when we sacrificed thousands taking and retakingthe same square inches of jungle in Vietnam, and then fled the country,allowing it to be taken over by those we had ostensibly been dying toprotect our ally against. We reinforced that precedent in 1983 when wefled Beirut, and further added to it ten years later, when we turnedtail and ran from Mogadishu – an act which Osama bin Laden himself hascredited with proving that America was a mere "paper tiger."

Virtually no accomplishment is impossible for America, provided thather people and her leaders do not waver, and do not give up on themission before success has been achieved.

Mr. President, those who rail against the war, against you, andagainst America herself must not be heeded right now. You must maintainyour focus, and not allow this mission to be compromised. Every daythat the fighting continues, more of America's finest – real people,with real lives, real families, and real futures – are dying. Every oneof them volunteered for this duty, and every one, to the lastindividual, is willing to give his or her life on a foreign battlefieldfor the cause of keeping America secure, and her people safe.

Abandoning this mission, or allowing it to be continued in thismanner, compromises and marginalizes every one of those battlefielddeaths, and further decreases the likelihood of accomplishing that goalfor which each life has been given.

President Bush, your party – our party – lost this election. It maywell have been a referendum on Iraq; certainly the two were notunrelated.

However, regardless of the election, of impending investigations, ofmedia outcry, and of the opposition's demands, here is what you MUSTdo, for the good of the nation: straighten your back, lift your headup, and reenter the arena, committed to, and ready for, the fight – andallow America's armed forces to do what they do best, which is to fightand win wars, and to do so decisively, leaving no question in the mindsof our enemies what the consequences are of taking on America, or ofthreatening her innocents.

Sir, I served, as did 25 million other men and women now living inthis nation. Since the discontinuation of the draft, every person whohas put on the uniform of this greatest nation the world has ever knownhas done so willingly, and with a full understanding of the risksinvolved – and, in volunteering for that service, has, in essence, saidto any who would attempt to harm our innocents: "Here I am. Take meinstead; for not only am I able to fight to protect the innocent amongus, bit I am willing to die to do so, as well."

Mr. President, you have askedour armed forces to fulfill that blood oath, and they have respondedspectacularly, like the true champions and heroes that they are. Now wemust make a request of you: fulfill the commitment you made when youdecided to cash that chit with their blood, sweat, and tears by goinginto Iraq in the first place. That responsibility encompasses these twotasks:

(1) Establish the objective, set the mission, and allow your armed forces to complete it.

(2) Never, EVER allow yourself to waver in your commitment to their total victory.

If you can fulfill these responsibilities, then we can succeed. Our troops are both committed and willing, Mr. President – the rest is up to you.

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