On Early Withdrawal
Robert Novak reports that the winner of the upcoming Presidential election, either President Bush or Senator Kerry, is likely to pull troops from Iraq next year. As Novak states it, the president elect will sit down with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and hear that, insufficient forces are available in Iraq, and one of three options must be taken:
” Increase overall U.S. military strength to reinforce Iraq, stay with the present strength to continue the war, or get out. “Citing “well placed sources” Novak states that President Bush, after being re-elected, and having a retooled national security team for his second term
”Condoleezza Rice as secretary of state, Paul Wolfowitz as defense secretary and Stephen Hadley as national security adviser”which would opt for pulling out of Iraq next year.
As has been noted before, this would be a travesty and a failure of the politicians, a failure of the American citizen to defend their ideals, and an invitation for further acts of terror by the Islamo Fascist who seek no less than to destroy the U.S.
The U.S., should we do so, would cede our place as the defender of Liberty in the world. Once again appearing incapable as a people of fighting for that which we profess, and once again stirring a pot of boiling stew, yet unwilling to stay to see that it is served to the hungry.
Unlike the trembling voice of Andrew Sullivan, asking “Who is ultimately responsible for the security of Iraqis?” the United States should stand firm and resolute and answer the questions of how long we will stay, who is responsible for Iraqi insecurity, and how we will persevere in their defense as a statement not only of our moral state but as a statement of our faith that the Iraqi people will come to their own defense in time.
How long will we stay? Until the Iraqi government has the ability to ensure the safety and security of Iraqi’s, to defend itself from threats internal and external.
Who is responsible for the insecurity in Iraq? The Islamo Fascist terrorist who are killing Iraqi people at a much greater rate than they are killing Americans.
How will we persevere? Just as our founders did, just as the “greatest generation” did, and just as is necessary to defeat an evil that WILL feed off our premature withdrawal and see the weakness that it reflects, not in our armed forces, but in our character. We win by having the character to win.
But then again, I am only one American.
UPDATE: With continued reading, it occurs to me that the driver behind Mr. Novak's so called reporting is to weaken the effort of the Right to get out the vote. Roger Simon, Tagorda, Ipse Dixit and Vodkapundit, all show the disaffection apparent from the theory offered by Novak. While it can be seen as a trial balloon or of a restructuring of forces after an Iraqi election, Novak did not report it as such.
