A SOLDIER'S PERSPECTIVE
THE WEB'S LEADING MILITARY BLOG SINCE 2004
The President’s speech last night (transcript video) detailed everything Tony Snow had spoken to bloggers about earlier that afternoon. I left the conference call with a feeling that this new action would do a lot of good and I am convinced after watching the speech that this new plan will not fail.
The President placed the blame for past mistakes solely upon himself, which should help bring back some support for the actions in Iraq. I do think a lot of Americans lost sight of was we were trying to accomplish in Iraq, and have gotten discouraged by the constant stream of bad news. The President didn’t speak on it last night, but he will be talking about what the troops have done in Iraq in the days to come. That should also reassure the American people that we are doing the right, noble thing in Iraq. We removed their dictator, now we are helping them to build their country.
The Democratic response (transcript video) was of no surprise to me. I honestly listened hoping that Senator Durbin would offer another viable option, but all I heard was redeployment sooner rather than later. Redeployment before the Iraqis are on their feet is not an option, and I truly hope the Democrats put together a plan that has American forces in Iraqi until all the benchmarks the President has outlined are met. I would also like to see the Democrats suggest some benchmarks.
The time between now and November when the President has said Iraqis will be in control will be an interesting time. It will also be bloody as the terrorists and insurgents attempt to match our new plan. However, they will fail and Iraq’s future will be secure.
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I am posting this in case someone by the name of susan just goes to th
sue
I too listened to Durbin with hope. Unfortunately as you said, there was nothing but hatred offered. Pity.
CriticalFacts
Sue,
I think you confuse “hatred” with cold, harsh reality.
Gunther
The cold harsh reality will sink in (it should have by now) when the US attempts to get sunnis and shias to reconcile and share power. This is a non starter, and at that point we will fight a group much larger than us(shia), and totally committed crazy.
I heard that we conducted a operation in Kurdistan
(against sunnis) that led to Kurds and our troops pointing guns at one another. Even those we would call “friend” are now pointing guns at us. I need only remind you that it was Saladin, a Kurd that drove westerners from the Middle East in the crusades. This is the historical pattern, and time is running out for us to succeed. We can defeat all of them militarily, but can never control their minds.
This is the western weakness, we don’t know who we are fighting, nor what they want. We have simply assumed they want what we do. DUH!
Time to study the enemy is before the conflict, no time like the present if that hasn’t been the case.
sue
I confused nothing.
CriticalFacts
Sue,
Are you saying a differing point of view is “hatred”? Sounds kind of harsh!
sue
If it were a point of view, it would be one thing. Vitriolic rhetoric is what it is.
PJ
Sue, you’re right on the money. The only thing either of the political parties are interested in is the acquisition and holding of power. They will say or do anything to get and hold it. They will verbally butcher their own people if necessary. Unfortunately, that’s all we’ve got. We either live with it and keep as informed as we can, or disenfranchise ourselves by not showing up at the polls.
sue
I don’t much care what side is doin the talking. I am sick to death of all the nastiness while we have folks in harms way. It is their lives that our elected officials are playing with. To stand there and threaten to cut off funding for the war is just so despicable. It attains a new low as far as I am concerned. I also wonder if all these people who say such things, actually have ever talked to a Soldier or Marine, and understands how they feel about their job. I also am disgusted by the people who are so filled with hatred for President Bush that they can’t see the damage they do with such words. And I will say it again, I am not confused about the word that I used. I am correct. Whether they will admit it or not. It is what it is.
yankeemom
Sue said: “I am sick to death of all the nastiness while we have folks in harms way. It is their lives that our elected officials are playing with. To stand there and threaten to cut off funding for the war is just so despicable.”
I so agree ~ I am also disgusted with the total lack of concern for anything but getting political points and doing in Bush and I’m talking both sides of the aisle.
This quote from Rep. Emanuel from an article by Jonathan Weisman in WaPo on Jan 8 just about sums it up for me:
‘By the weekend, however, Emanuel had acknowledged the Democrats%u2019
strategic shift. He still was not worried that Bush might be scoring
political points, but he said the Democrats have to respond.
%u201CThis is not a surge; it%u2019s an escalation, and we want to make sure
the definition is correct,%u201D he said. %u201CWhen the American people voted
for change in November, this is not what they had in mind.%u201D’
I wish that the politicians would implement a change of course, such as focusing on what’s best for our troops and this country instead of their political clout.
And I wish they would stop speaking for me
CJ
So Gunther. You’re basically saying you’re a defeatist? Am I wrong?
Miriam
Gunther, you are correct that the military can’t solve every problem in the Middle East. And perhaps your defeatest attitude might be reasonable if there weren’t other powers in the Middle East (neither military or really diplomatic). Guns won’t do much to change people’s minds. It might make them less likely to attack us up front, but it won’t change their hearts. None the less, people’s hearts do change, and it HAS happened recently even in the Middle East. Changes of this type don’t announce their coming until they are staring you in the face (if you have eyes to see it). So I see reason to hope.
PJ
The old pack of jackels in the 1990′s threatened Bush, Sr. with the same thing. If they cut off funding everyone in America would turn on them as deserting our troops in harms way. I personally don’t think any of them have the b***s to do it.
Gunther
Yes CJ you are wrong, I am no defeatist, I am simply saying you pick your battles, and this one was poorly thought out. Even if the goal is valid, its execution verges on criminal, I in no way condemn the troops for this.
It has to be terrible to be a soldier and feel as I do about the CIC, and have to keep your mouth shut. I know many soldiers there that feel that way, they will not sign any poll, supporting the Presidents actions. Many have wondered on the mission and just don’t believe in it. You will have to get 60% of the troops to sign the poll, or there is something very seriously wrong with the militarys’ morale.
Glad handing will not make this go away.
Gunther
Miriam; False optimism, is true pessimism. We have to keep our eyes open, you don’t go to war hoping some spirtual miracle amongst the Iraqi people is going to occur. I don’t have faith like that. Remember when we were to be greeted with flowers and all, after deposing saddam? Where is that now?
What in heck do guys smoke here at asp?
If we cannot be honest about where this is going then we have no hope of presenting a consolidated front towards radical Islam. Are we where we were in Vietnam, where the crazy soldier said, “we had to destroy the village, to save it”? God help us.
Where have the changes of heart occured in the ME? There has been change of heart, but from all appearance it looks to be hardening. We just saw Lebanon shattered, we see the insurgency picking up the pace, forcing Bush to escalate.
We see Iran blowing us off with impunity, getting Russian modern anti aircraft missiles, and of course the SUNBURN SS-22 supersonic cruise missile, we don’t have this, it cannot be stopped by ANY defensive arrangement, it flies at 20 feet off the water at mach 3. I fear for our navy in a conflict, the Gulf is no place fopr a carrier, but there they are. The kinetic energy studies of the weapon say it does not even need explosive to sink a carrier, that said can haul 400 kg of HE, BIO, CHEM, or NUCLEAR. It terminals at mach 4, with crazy manuvers designed to thwart interception. At 20 ft. off the sea, radar doesn’t see it til it’s too late. It is faster than fighter jets, so tracking it with a plane is not effective. Fire 4 at a carrier and GAME OVER! It is BAAAD, BAAAAD, BAAAD.
All Russian weapons have been designed for economy and for destruction of US capital assets. They do not have an industry of profit based on useless ineffective weaponry. (the Osprey comes to mind).
A Sunburn costs 750k, a carrier BILLIONS.
We can only sabre rattle. We have no capital with these people. Maybe they will have a change of heart, but if we stay there and wait for it, it’ll never happen in my view. It is way past time to go.