Dear Senator Durbin
Dear Senator Durbin:
I wanted to talk with you about the two soldiers who were captured, and apparently tortured and mutilated in Iraq. I heard that you said that this is a reminder of the price we pay for our failed policies in Iraq. Senator Durbin, which failed policies are you referring to? If these boys were captured, tortured, and killed as a result of failed policies, then there must be some significant failures you could point to.
- Did we fail to rid Iraq, and the world, of a hideous dictator?
- Did we fail to guide the Iraqis through the throes of forming a constitutional democracy?
- Did we fail to help them form a government?
- Did we fail to improve their economy?
- Did we fail to prevent further terrorist attacks here at home?
- Did we fail to decapitate the terrorist leadership in Iraq? (Note that I use the term figuratively rather than than with the literal interpretation that our enemies use.)
- Did we fail to change the regime in Afganistan, and deprive our enemy of its primary base of training and operation?
- Did we fail to train the Iraqis to begin to take responsibility for their own security?
Senator Durbin, there are a few things I think we have failed at.
- Initially we failed to understand how hard we’d have to fight. This is in spite of the fact that the president told us that the war on terror would be long and hard. We failed to understand what he seemed to understand.
- We failed to maintain perfect professionalism in every case, thus giving rise to the embarassing moments at Abu Ghraib, and Guantanamo.
- We failed to rev up the Iraqi security forces early enough.
And there are likely a few other mistakes and failures that we made along the way. But I’m confused, because these failures don’t seem to be what the two boys paid for. It seems to me that the two boys gave their lives for the lives and liberties of Americans and Iraqis. The price, Senator Durbin, is horrific. But we’ve always known the price of liberty is high. Those boys understood that.
Senator Durbin, it was not our policies that killed those young boys. It was not our policies that tortured and mutilated them. It was our enemies who did those things, Senator Durbin. It was the enemies of all free people everywhere. It was people who blow up shopping malls and weddings. It was people who hide bombs by the side of the road. It was people who fly airplanes into buildings. These people are the enemy of civilization. They are YOUR enemy, Senator Durbin, and they are mine. And they were the enemy of those two brave boys who paid the price that must be paid to rid the world of enemies like that.
Senator Durbin, what was the failed policy that led to the enemy’s attrocities against these two boys? The only policy I can imagine that might have prevented their fate, is a policy of surrender. Because if we fight them, Senator Durbin, then sometimes they are going to hurt us. Is that your solution then, Senator Durbin? Shall we leave Iraq? Shall we walk away from the job and surrender Iraq to our enemies? Is that what you think of as a successful policy?
We tried that once in Viet Nam. Do you remember, Senator Durbin, how we walked away from our allies? Do you remember how we promised to protect them, and then ignored that promise as the enemy swarmed over the friends we had sworn to protect. Do you remember the killings and the torture, and the genocide? Was that a successful policy?
No, I fear that the true failure here, Senator Durbin, is a failure of leadership. Yours, and Senator Kerry’s, and Senator Murtha’s, and so many others who have used our national security as a pawn to gain political advantage. You try to make success look like failure. You demean the honorable sacrifice of our troops by telling them they are executing a failed policy; when in fact they are doing a wonderful job and SUCCEEDING. You abuse the families of the fallen by implying that their sacrifice was in vain.
It is your policies that have failed, Senator Durbin. And I can only hope and trust that those policies of surrender will never get a chance to be tried again.
Uncle Bob,
In earlier messages you claimed that Iraq was independent.
Read this: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10395379
The “elected” Iraqi Prime Minister does not approve of the US attacks on Baghdad, yet has no power to stop it!
Is this what your brand of democracy is about?
Wake up and listen to facts. Otherwise, you will always continue to believe “my country, right or wrong, is always right.”
Start thinking logically, if you can.
Comment by humanitarian — August 10, 2006 @ 12:38 pm
I read a few blogs here on tech topics and came over this by accident, but a few comments from abroad is needed on this one:
‘Did we fail to rid Iraq, and the world, of a hideous dictator?’
- Probably not, but he’s still alive…
‘Did we fail to guide the Iraqis through the throes of forming a constitutional democracy?’
- Yes! Most definately! The people is split in two and the country is on the edge of civil war. And the elected gouvernment has no powers over the US presence.
‘Did we fail to help them form a government?’
A government is formed, but it’s probably more loyal to the US then to the Iraqi people.
‘Did we fail to improve their economy?’
Who are ‘they’? President Bush and his family and friends? Yes, they have become a lot richer on this war. Iraq? Their country is in ruins and their oil is controlled by the US, so no, they are not richer.
‘Did we fail to prevent further terrorist attacks here at home?’
No further attacks after 9/11 yet. But the growth of terrorists and sympathy for their cause is a fact and of course related to US attacks and politics in the Middle East.
‘Did we fail to decapitate the terrorist leadership in Iraq? (Note that I use the term figuratively rather than than with the literal interpretation that our enemies use.)’
When one leader is gone another takes his place. And you are stimulating the growth of the organizations.
‘Did we fail to change the regime in Afganistan, and deprive our enemy of its primary base of training and operation?’
Here also is a US-friendly government without major support in the population ‘elected’ under armed US guard. And the mountain areas in the north is still the main land of Al Qaida.
‘Did we fail to train the Iraqis to begin to take responsibility for their own security?’
Hard to say, hopefully yes.
You know, unca Bob, I thought that Shelley the Republican was a joke. I understand now that she is real.
stein
Comment by stein — August 15, 2006 @ 10:59 am
Is the government of Iraq more loyal to the US than to the Iraqis? I doubt it. Firstly, the people elected their governors. Secondly, there will be elections again. The US has not set up another dictatorship.
Yes, there’s turmoil. Yes, there are insurgents, factions, and hatred. It’s true that Saddam kept something of a lid on these issues (by brutally killing hundreds of thousands whenever they got a bit too feisty). Yes, the US is there for it’s own self interest. But the overall effect, IMHO, is very positive. The fact that it is louder than it was does not necessarily mean that it’s worse than it was.
Comment by Administrator — September 27, 2006 @ 6:48 pm