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November 6, 2006Believe the troops who are there or the pols who are not?Bumped to top for Election Day Morning: Sometimes the warrior must have his day, or all the poems will be lost. Ignoring the fact that much good news in Iraq goes unreported by a press that even the Iraqi’s call “biased”, the Democrats keep talking about “redeploying” the troops, which is a nicer way of saying “pull out of Iraq…” Because the Iraqi people haven’t been let down enough…we only told them once before that if they’d rise up, we’d be there for them, and then we skeedaddled. That certainly worked out well for everyone, didn’t it? Was honorable, too, right? Embellished the reputation of the United States, indeed! Just like pulling out of Vietnam did. The Democrats keep telling us retreat is the only course of action, pulling out is the sensible thing to do. Our troops who are actually doing the WORK, say differently. While the Dems wring their hands and cry “oh, no, this is getting hard and there is global warming to think about, let’s pull out,” this is what the troops are saying: With a potentially historic U.S. midterm election on Tuesday and the war in Iraq a major issue at the polls, many soldiers said the United States should not abandon its effort here. Such a move, enlisted soldiers and officers said, would set Iraq on a path to civil war, give new life to the insurgency and create the possibility of a failed state after nearly four years of fighting to implant democracy. “Take us out of that vacuum — and it’s on the edge now — and boom, it would become a free-for-all,” said Lt. Col. Mark Suich, who commands the 1st Squadron, 89th Cavalry Regiment just south of Baghdad. “It would be a raw contention for power. That would be the bloodiest piece of this war.” The soldiers declined to discuss the political jousting back home, but they expressed support for the Bush administration’s approach to the war, which they described as sticking with a tumultuous situation to give Iraq a chance to stand on its own. Leading Democrats have argued for a timeline to bring U.S. troops home, because obvious progress has been elusive, especially in Baghdad, and even some Republican lawmakers have recently called for a change in strategy. But soldiers criticized the idea of a precipitate withdrawal, largely because they believe their hard work would go for naught. As it will. And the deaths and injuries sustained by our noble young people will be rendered meaningless by so callow an action. But for people who refuse to work from anything but a 1968 template, “pulling out” is a sort of salvation. And what are we supposed to do, once we’ve “pulled out?” Our troops go to Okinawa, to sit helplessly while Iraqis are slaughtered by insurrectionists and terrorists and tyrants? How do we then, as a nation, ever hold our heads upright again…how do we - a country that has ever-disdained empire but has routinely spilled her blood for the freedom of others - ever look at other struggling peoples and say “we will help you,” and expect them to believe us? If we pull out of Iraq, now, how does a visionary ever find the nerve to even make such an offer to another country, knowing that the “leadership” of this nation hasn’t the testicular fortitude to carry a mission through, to “keep on” when keeping on means some rough slogging? How will we ever look at ourselves in a mirror again, or tell our children to respect us, to respect their flag, their nation, their leaders? If we pull out of Iraq, how do we remain the nation we have always been? How does America continue to stand for something great and unique and age-defining? How do we prevent ourselves from slipping into the same suicidal-and-cowardly mindset which is very quickly disabling France and Germany and Belgium and Spain and Italy? If we pull out of Iraq, as the Democrats want us so desperately to do, then America throws away her greatness with both hands. She simply becomes one more dis-spirited country unable to rouse herself to anything beyond a sluggard and blearily-asked question: what’s in it for me? A country with no faith in the human spirit, a country which is unwilling to sacrifice, to work hard…to do anything, really, beyond writing a check for this disaster or that. Elizabeth Dole was quite right. The Democrats appear to be comfortable with losing” and that is precisely what “pulling out,” (oops, “redeploying”) would be. Failing. Failure. Cutting and running. In pulling out we would indeed be losing. We would also be displaying feckless cowardice -a dishonorable unwillingness to keep our word and committment. We would be showing to God and the whole world that America no longer believes in the allure of liberty over the clatter of jackboots, that she does not believe in the power of an idea to manifestly change things, that she does not believe in transcendence or hope, or in the change that can be effected through courage, selflessness, dogged determination, resolution and a firm vision. Right now, Europe is gone mad and is dying by its own hand. Unwilling to fight for itself, unwilling to breed, unwilling to give up on government dependence, Europe has looked around, realized that in 20 years she will be the conquest of ten million Mohammeds and she has decided to sit back and, like Edward G. Robinson in Soylent Green, listen to pretty music and look at the pretty flowers as she dies. Eurabia is dawning, and nothing about that fact promises progress or stability. On the contrary, Eurabia will bring with it Shari’a. Eurabia will bring the undoing of those human rights gained over the last century - you know, the ones we keep hearing George W. Bush is “stealing” from us. There is a vision in place. It’s difficult, and it is fraught with peril, pain, loss, doubt and heart-clutching fear. But it is the stark and single vision which can shift the Shari’a momentum. The vision is simply this: Help people find their liberty. If you can help them find that - and help them to learn to manage the messy business of freedom - they can begin to chart their own courses. Once they are free, they can enter the marketplace of ideas and industry and find means of movement that have nothing to do with a sword or martyrdom, and everything to do with creativity and human potential and hope. That is a bold vision. It is a vision rooted in faith, both of the supernatural and natural sort. Faith in God. Faith in mankind. And for some, particularly those who have long-since forgotten how to dream, who look at the world with grounded, earthbound eyes, it is a vision that seems utterly mad and impossible and futile. How sad for those who can no longer dream - who can no longer look at America and imagine the greatness within, and how that greatness might be shared - how the visions of the founders might be spread. How sad it is to realize that some of the people currently in leadership positions in this nation would look at General Washington and Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, and they would say…”this was a bad idea…it’s getting difficult. We should just quit.” What would Bobby Kennedy say about these folks? At his funeral, his weakest brother, Ted, quoted George Bernard Shaw in words meant for the slain senator: “Some men see things as they are and say ‘Why?’ I dream things that never were and say, ‘Why not?’” Bobby Kennedy would have understood the vision of George W. Bush. He might not have agreed with it 100%, but he would have understood the greatness and practicality of it, at its core. He would have supported the vision, if not always the method. Bobby Kennedy understood dreams. He understood that sometimes the warrior must have his day, or all the poems will be lost. If you are suffering from Bush Derangement Syndrome, you may not be able dream, or to be able to see the vision. Believing as you do, that the greatest threat to progress and peace on planet Earth is a swaggering Texan who is slow of tongue and unwilling to bend, you cannot - or will not -see the threat that is before you, that your daughters may no longer be free to fulfill their potentials, that they might be expendible if their hair is left uncovered, that your sons - gay or straight - may no longer be who they are, for fear of the noose. That your industry may simply dry up for lack of market and amenable associates, that your entertainments - to which you have given yourself over with inordinate passion - may be outlawed. If you are suffering from Bush Derangement Syndrome, you may be willing to throw away the greatness of America’s past and the promise of her future - and your children’s freedoms - all for the sake of slaking a lustful hate. You may think that by voting “against” the party and policies of a man who will only be in office for two more years and then will disappear, you are making a statement. Perhaps you are. But it is a statement devoid of anything but “today.” It is not a statement in favor of tomorrow. Bill Whittle writes: Walking away from this fight now is like quitting chemotherapy early: immediate relief at the cost of long term consequences that are far more unpleasant. He insists on trying to help us see sense. God, I wish I had written it! Please print out his profoundly truthful piece and read it all, and pass it along. *** Fausta gives us a reminder of what the human spirit can do, and what capitulation can promise, too. And who will guard The Guardians of the Polls? Speaking of which, Blue Crab Boulevard has excellent advice about voting. Pajamas Media has the running round-up. Various must-read pieces related to matters touching this election: http://theanchoressonline.com/2006/11/06/believe-the-troops-who-are-there-or-the-pols-who-are-not/trackback/ 14 Responses to “Believe the troops who are there or the pols who are not?” |
November 6th, 2006 at 7:10 pm
It’s All Part Of The Contraceptive Mentality
The left-wing mindset: children are a burden and stand in the way of self-actualization and pleasure. Hence, the ones that insult us by being conceived may be killed in the womb, but hopefully this will not be necessary, if we all remember to take our …
November 6th, 2006 at 7:35 pm
[...] You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. One Response to “Troops Oppose Withdrawal from Iraq” 1 Wake up America says: November 6th, 2006 at 1:32 pm The Soldiers KEEP Speaking [...]
November 6th, 2006 at 7:59 pm
Dear Anchoress,
Thank you so much. You have said so very eloquently what I said earlier, in a more brusque fashion, to a good friend of mine.
“I wanted to write you something tonight anyway. Instead of Ben Chandler, I want you to vote for the Libertarian candidate tomorrow. Chandler’s going to get reelected anyway. He’s unopposed by the Republicans. But, voting for him is telling Al Quaida, “you’re right, we ARE a bunch of wimps who won’t defend ourselves.” Its telling our troops, “Once again, we don’t care if you died by the thousand. We’re abandoning you dumb, loathsome, bumpkins just like we abandoned your fathers in Vietnam.” Its telling Nancy Pelosi and Barbara Boxer and the rest of their Thought Police, “its okay, we don’t really want to be able to say Merry Christmas, or put crosses on the tombs of our soldiers.”
Voting for any democrat is nothing I think you really want to do. This election, especially, please don’t vote for the anti-American crowd.”
I don’t know what she going to do. She’s a devout Catholic, pro-life; but, she’s also very liberal on social issues and, to the best of my knowledge, has never voted for anyone but a democrat. I guess we’ll see.
Regards,
Sarah
November 6th, 2006 at 9:56 pm
Just as the children in Gaza have been brainwashed the majority of Americans have been conditioned and brainwashed by a hostile press. BDS (Bush Derangement Syndrome) is alive and well. For over six years the press in this country and the world have attacked the administration and cut the President no slack. In fact they have painted him as something that is totally alien to what he actually believes and represents. Most Americans read the headlines in the newspapers and accept that as the gospel. We have a generation of Americans that are mentally soft and weak. Is it any wonder that they fall for catching slogans and misleading headlines. Just as Europe has been lulled into a death spiral because of a lack of faith and a growing entitlement mentality America is on the cusp as well and the failure of leadership in the Democratic Party can not help this nation. The Republicans as a party need to get back to what gave them a majority in the first place. But can we trust the Democrats with our security at this time, I don’t think so. The Democrats as a party driven by a left wing can and will bring this country to a precipice that would reek havoc on this country.
November 6th, 2006 at 10:35 pm
[...] Military families, Check. Michael Steele Republicans, Check. Ronald Reagan Republicans, Check. [...]
November 7th, 2006 at 9:03 am
[...] Or at least that’s what the no-agenda party likes to call it. Of course, Iraq, and by extension, the overall War on Terror is THE most important issue in this election–the stakes are monumental, not just for us, but for the world. The Anchoress has a must-read piece up: Ignoring the fact that much good news in Iraq goes unreported by a press that even the Iraqi’s call “biased”, the Democrats keep talking about “redeploying” the troops, which is a nicer way of saying “pull out of Iraq…” [...]
November 7th, 2006 at 9:07 am
Well said, Anchoress! I voted. I’m standing with the Troops, by golly!
November 7th, 2006 at 9:39 am
a huge day for Americans…
do we remain resolved in the GWOT, or do we allow Ms. Pelosi and the Democrats to provide more mischief?
November 7th, 2006 at 9:45 am
A group of Gold Star Parents have, at their own expense and with no little risk, taken themself off to Iraq to see for themselves the situation there. Their trip will be reported in the Sacramento Union newspaper!
Just think about how SAD it is that our MSM can be trusted SO LITTLE?
Also - it should be noted that the Military Times which published an article yesterday calling for the resignation (or firing) of Donald Rumsfeld is hardly a reliable source, since it is known as being more closely allied with the thought processes of Al Jazeera, rather than America.
November 7th, 2006 at 10:21 am
[...] Her post today is outstanding in that it weaves in not only issues about today’s elections, but values and ideals that have driven previous votes. Put all that in the pot, and you have the rue for today’s world. Read the whole thing. It’s a Voting-is-not-only-a-RIGHT-but-a-PRIVILEGE primer. She asks If we pull out of Iraq, how do we remain the nation we have always been? How does America continue to stand for something great and unique and age-defining? How do we prevent ourselves from slipping into the same suicidal-and-cowardly mindset which is very quickly disabling France and Germany and Belgium and Spain and Italy? [...]
November 7th, 2006 at 10:36 am
[...] The Anchoress is pensive on this election day. Her post, Believe The Troops Who Are There Or The Pols Who Are Not, is a snapshot of our world, on the day that the greatest democracy in the world goes to the polls. [...]
November 7th, 2006 at 8:15 pm
“those who can no longer dream…shortly after the fall of France in 1940, the French author George Bernanos wrote some words that are very apt:
No one knows better than I do that, in the course of centuries, all the great stories of the world end by becoming children’s tales. But this particular one (the story of England’s resistance–ed) has started its life as such, has become a children’s tale on the very threshold of its existence. It mean that we can at once recognize in it the threefold visible sign of its nature. it has deceived the anticipations of the wise, it has humiliated the weak-hearted, it has staggered the fools. Last June all these folk from one end of the world to the other, no matter what the color of their skins, were shaking their heads. Never had they been so old, never had they been so proud of being old. All the figures that they had swallowed in the course of their miserable lives as a safeguard against the highly improbable activity of their emotions had choked the channels of circulation..They were ready to prove that with the Armistice of Rethondes the continuance of the war had become a mathematical impossibility…Some chuckled with satisfaction at the thought, but they were not the most dangerous…Others threatened us with the infection of pity…”Alone against the world,” they said. “Why, what is that but a tale for children?” And that is precisely what it was–a tale for children. Hurrah for the children of England!
Men of England, at this very moment you are writing what public speakers like to describe in their jargon as one of the “greatest pages of history”….At this moment you English are writing one of the greatest pages of history, but I am quite sure that when you started, you meant it as a fairy tale for children. “Once upon a time there was a little island, and in that island there was a people in arms against the world…” Faced with such an opening as that, what old cunning fox of politics or business would not have shrugged his shoulders and closed the book?
November 8th, 2006 at 7:20 am
Well, Anchoress …
It seems that not only the Democrats won, but it was Catholic voters that put them over the top.
http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/archives/008466.php
Almost certainly the House … and, possibly, the Senate … will move to de-fund Iraqi operations and “bring the troops home”. Perhaps they can be persuaded not to. But I’m not betting on it.
This continues the pattern seen in 1975 Vietnam , 1980 Lebanon, 1990 Kurdistan, and 1993 Somalia. About once every ten years, the United States takes on a commitment overseas, amidst big promises and rhetoric, then runs away in disgrace once the going gets tough.
It reminds me of an extremely obese man (which I used to be) sitting on his couch saying .. TODAY is the day I’m going to exercise. TODAY is the day I’m going to watch my diet. Then he goes out and runs for a few days, starts to sweat, get tired … decides it’s too much work, plops back down in front of the TV.
America is fat, overweight and short of wind. It doesn’t seem able to do anything that requires endurance or sacrifice. Not when there are plenty of people willing to tell it that there’s an easier way … just take my magic pill and you’ll lose pounds in a week! Anyone who knows anything about nutrition knows that the pills offer short-term gain and long term health problems … but people listen to the ads more than to the scientists, and so they suffer more in the end.
I fear it will take a REAL kick in the pants … something that will make 9/11 look like a firecracker — and not just *one* hit, a consistent series of hits, to wake America up. Until then, like the countries in the 30s, we sleep blissfully on, dreaming dreams of flowers and peace while our enemies grow stronger.
Because we are not willing to do the hard thing now we will have to do the harder thing later. That’s my read.
And as for Iraq? Unless we can change the minds of the folks in Congress .. and this last election seems to be a mandate to do what they one … the epitaph of our Iraq adventure may be Luke 14:29-30.
Rsepectfully,
Brian P.
November 9th, 2006 at 1:53 pm
[...] 3) Are American Muslims different from European Muslims? To be honest, the Anchoress, whose views I respect, shares the following concerns (after her completion of Mark Styen’s new book, America Alone): Right now, Europe is gone mad and is dying by its own hand. Unwilling to fight for itself, unwilling to breed, unwilling to give up on government dependence, Europe has looked around, realized that in 20 years she will be the conquest of ten million Mohammeds and she has decided to sit back and, like Edward G. Robinson in Soylent Green, listen to pretty music and look at the pretty flowers as she dies. [...]