A SOLDIER'S PERSPECTIVE
THE WEB'S LEADING MILITARY BLOG SINCE 2004
Sorry, that was MORAN. Add Jim Moran (D-VA) to the list of Soldier hating politicians:
“Sure, there’s less violence because we’ve ethnically cleansed most of Baghdad.”
This is no worse than Murtha’s comments about Marines being “cold blooded killers” (who hasn’t apologized since their charges were dropped) or John Kerry accusing US troops of “terrorizing kids and children, you know, women” in the dead of night.
These attacks against our troops need to stop. If they want to attack each other, the President, and/or his cabinet, go right ahead. Soldiers are in harm’s way every day doing what their government entrusted them to do – bring peace and stability to war torn countries. And they do the job honorably. We bend over backwards, to point of broken bones and shattered lives, to ensure that the people we aim our weapons at are guilty of something or have threatened us or innocent people in some way. Politics has crept to deeply into the war effort that Soldiers are forced to think twice about pulling the trigger against a legitimate target for fear of being called one of these names or bringing disgrace upon our brothers and sisters in arms. There are people healing from terrible wounds suffered as a result of this momentary halt to consider whether the weapon being aimed at us is loaded or not.
Our hands are tied in combat. The mere firing of a weapon requires a full report regardless of the situation in which it was fired. We need to justify returning fire or shooting at insurgents planting roadside bombs who aren’t “an immediate threat” to us. In the meantime, Soldiers are killed, maimed, and injured as a result of this country’s politicians weakening our resolve and strengthening the enemy’s will to fight. Thanks to endless debates on minor issues relating to combat by people who have never seen it, our enemies know our left and right limits and how to exploit them. They know what tactics we can and cannot use while interrogating them or running them down.
Frankly, I’ve been fed up with it for awhile. Congress is NOT looking out for the interests of American troops. My Soldiers suffer because there are those in power who are so adamant to make our President look bad that they will sacrifice them on the alter of one-upmanship. It’s dispicable and they should be ashamed of themselves. Especially Jim Moron…uh, sorry…Moran.
Here’s his entire speech:
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Thos. Folan
WHO READS TIME MAGAZINE ANYWAY?
Please allow me to re-print this from http://www.investrs The Investor’s Business Daily is must reading for those who believe in “SUPPORT THE TROOPS”.
INVESTOR’S BUSINESS DAILY
Posted 12/19/2007
Year In Review: Time selects Vladimir Putin as its “Person of the Year” because of the stability he has brought to Russia. Our choice is Gen. David Petraeus — the man who helped bring democracy to the Middle East.
Thomas Folan
PETREAUS MAN OF THE YEAR
Time selects Vladimir Putin as its “Person of the Year” because of the stability he has brought to Russia. Our choice is Gen. David Petraeus — the man who helped bring democracy to the Middle East.
The newsweekly’s 2007 honor went to the Russian leader because of Putin’s “extraordinary feat of leadership in taking a country that was in chaos and bringing it stability,” according to Managing Editor Richard Stengel.
If returning a nation said to be on the road to democracy to its militaristic and autocratic past is a criterion, Putin is certainly a valid candidate. He has presided over Russia’s rise from a shattered remnant of the Soviet Union to a player on the world stage flush with oil revenue and a military returned from the dead.
Our preference is not for tyrants, but for those who defeat them. We prefer those who advance the causes of peace and democracy and who make the world freer and safer.
In other words, we prefer Petraeus, especially by Stengel’s criteria. Petraeus has indeed turned in an “extraordinary feat of leadership” by taking Iraq, another country in chaos, and bringing it more than stability. He has brought it true democracy from the grass roots up, and he’s done it by transforming a country full of Shiites, Kurds and Sunnis into a nation of Iraqis.
When Petraeus testified before Congress in September on the progress of the surge he planned and was chosen to execute, most refused to believe his realistic but optimistic report. Those who equated Iraq with the Vietnam “quagmire” thought we were being told again about the light at the end of the tunnel.
A few short months later, even Rep. John Murtha, one of the war’s loudest critics, concedes “the surge is working.” The Iraqi people think so too. Millions who fled are now returning in droves to rebuild their lives, open businesses and raise children in a free and democratic Iraq.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid had proclaimed the war to be “lost.” And despite the drafting of a constitution and the election of a government, Baghdad had yet to assert control or leadership of a country consumed with sectarian and jihadist violence.
Enter Petraeus, who changed the playbook at halftime. No longer would coalition forces leave their camps, beat up the jihadists and return to base. Now they’d go in greater numbers into the provinces and no longer win and leave, but “clear and hold.”
They’d convince Iraqis they weren’t going anywhere and neither was America. And under that umbrella of security, remarkable things began to happen. Sunnis and Shiites realized the enemy was not the Americans or each other. It was jihadists who brought nothing but violence, tyranny and oppression.
The uniting of Sunnis and Shiites against al-Qaida’s mindless barbarism, coupled with a U.S. surge where troops came and this time stayed, have turned the tide in our favor. In Anbar, once said to be hopelessly lost, tribesman do most of the policing, as 70,000 tribal fighters assist coalition forces inside Baghdad and out.
Violence and casualties, civilian and military, are down dramatically. Iraqis can now stroll the streets of Baghdad even at night, cruising the shops and stopping at cafes in increased safety.
The war is not over, but it is no longer “lost.” Al-Qaida in Iraq is on the run, wondering what hit them. Terrorism has suffered a major defeat. Gen. David Petraeus — our Person of the Year.
Donna
Moran is indeed a moron if he thinks that our military has ethnically cleansed Baghdad. He as well as many others need to get their facts straight and not go off on some tangent against our military men and women who fight so hard for our and his freedom. Shame on him and all like him.
I have often thought that these so called leaders make it so hard for you guys to fight and win a war because you have to be too busy checking to make sure that you can fire. Checking is good but not at the expense of getting our own soldiers hurt or killed.
sealpatriot
Ethnic cleansing? Alright, Moran really needs to take a history class and remind himslef the characteristics of ethnic cleansing. Even though I am sure he knows what it is. I am also sure that he is forgetting too. The soldiers’ efforts in Iraq ever since the surge was implemented was anything but the ruthless killing that is known as “ethnic cleansing”. In general, how would ethnic cleansing lead to less violence?
This is the complete irony of his statement. Ethnic cleansing doesn’t make countries less violent. As we are seeing in North Africa, a lot of the ethnic cleansing that has taken place there has lead to more bloodshed and civil unrest. Does Darfur region remind anyone?
Ethnic cleansing doesn’t make violence go away. You can’t make violence disappear with violence. The military and it’s officers understand this very well, which is why they keep their weapons’ killswitch engaged on safety unless the lives of the troops absolutely depends on them returning fire.
Actually, there are multiple causes as to why Iraq’s violence went down. The surge has placed more troops at positions in cities where sectarian violence has wrought pandemonium to the homes and neighborhoods of the innocent. They have provided security for the Iraqis by being where they were needed most, not by ethnically cleansing their areas of responsibility.
Second, the Iraqi sects are trying to reach more peace agreements. There is no doubt that many Sunni and many Shia hate each other. However, those people do not make up the majority of Iraq and they shouldn’t be used to represent or model the actions or creeds of the average Iraqi citizen. Why anti-military Americans continue to try and forcefeed the false notion that these sectarian terrorists are and represent the majority is a mystery that I can not solve.
Overall, if anything. Representative James Moran’s statement is incorrect and he really does need a fact check. If there are people who are suffering from ethnic cleansing at the moment who are offended by Congressman Moran’s statements then maybe he owes them an apology in addition to his desperate need of a fact check. Mr. Moran, thank you for your service to this country as a member of Congress, and thanks for sharing your opinion. Even though, your opinion sucks!
Stephen R Maloney
I hope you’ll inform your visitors about the web site of Lt. Col. William T. Russell, who’s opposing John Murtha in PA’s 12th congressional district. It’s at: http://williamrussellforcongress.com. Also, please consider joining Bloggers 4 Russell. You can do the latter by e-mailing me at TalkTop65@aol.com or by leaving a comment on one of my blogs: http://camp2008victorya.blogspot.com. Russell needs and appreciates your support.
steve maloney
ambridge, pa
Thos. Folan
Terrific.
Well not everyone was happy that Representative Moran was calling our troops war criminals on the House floor.
Vets For Freedom released a statement today:
(Washington, DC) Vets for Freedom condemns the recent comments by Congressman Jim Moran (D-VA) on the floor of the House of Representatives in which he stated that American troops “ethnically cleansed Baghdad.†The United Nations, along with the rest of the civilized world, commonly refers to ethnic cleansing as genocide.
“Once again, Congressman Moran demonstrates how far from reality he has fallen,†said Executive Director of Vets for Freedom and Iraq Army veteran, Pete Hegseth. “Jim Moran has a long history of putting his foot in his mouth, but this time he has gone too far. The men and women who make up our nation’s military are decent and honorable citizens who bravely serve to fight our enemies who threaten our national security. Insinuating that they are war criminals is outright despicable.â€
He continued, “I call on all Members of Congress to follow Vets for Freedom in our condemnation of these irresponsible accusations, as well as on the constituents of the 8th District of Virginia to stand up to such nonsense and support the men and women whose very sacrifice allows Moran to run his mouth.â€
Vets for Freedom is a nonpartisan organization established by combat veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Its mission is to educate the American public about the importance of achieving success in these conflicts by applying our first-hand knowledge to issues of American military strategy. For more information, please visit http://www.vetsforfreedom.org.
For more information or to schedule interviews with Pete Hegseth or other Iraq/Afghanistan veterans, please contact Josh Grodin at (202) 841-1387 or Josh@VetsForFreedom.org.