Tuesday, June 26, 2007

A Vet Chimes In

Pete Hegseth wrote a brilliant editorial in Washington Post, refuting the backward thinking of Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) about the War in Iraq. Please read the whole article here.

Hegseth, an Iraq vet, slaps down the Senator on three main points, the third of which is reproduced below along with his conclusion.

[Levin said:] We are "supporting the troops" by demanding an immediate withdrawal from Iraq. Levin says that "our troops should hear an unequivocal message from Congress that we support them." He explains his vote to fund and "support" the troops while simultaneously trying to legislate the war's end. But what kind of "support" and "unequivocal message" do the troops hear from leaders in Congress who call their commanders "incompetent" or declare the war "lost"?

Such statements provide nearly instant enemy propaganda to every mud hut with a satellite dish in Iraq and throughout the Arab world. These messages do not spell support, no matter how you spin them. And they could inspire insurgents, making the situation more dangerous for our soldiers and Marines.

Veterans know firsthand that numerous mistakes have been made in the war. But that does not change the unfortunate reality: Iraq today is the front line of a global jihad being waged against America and its allies. Both Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri have said so.

We face an important choice in the coming months: provide Gen. David Petraeus the time and troops he needs to execute his counterinsurgency campaign, or declare defeat and withdraw from Iraq. It seems that Democrats in Congress have already made their decision.

In his op-ed, Sen. Levin invoked the example of Abraham Lincoln, who endured years of challenges before finding the right generals and strategy to win the Civil War. After four years of uncertainty in Iraq, America finally has both the general and the strategy to turn the tide. The question is whether 2007 will unfold like 1865 or 1969.

President Lincoln chose to fight a bloody and unpopular war because he believed the enemy had to be defeated. He was right. And to me, that sounds more than a bit like the situation our country faces today. What path will we choose?

1 comment:

rick the mouseherder said...

Vets for Freedom is a front organization run by a GOP PR firm dedicated to defeating candidates who what to end the war in Iraq.

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Vets_for_Freedom

1st Lt Pete Hegseth's real day job is as a conservative think tanker at the very conservative Manhattan Institute
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Pete_Hegseth

Every view should be heard, but you should have revealed his real day job and his professional political ties should have been made known to your listeners. Pete is only a very part-time soldier who fools around a little bit in the Army NG. I honor his service. I even honor his opinion, but this organization Lt. Hegseth fronts is really kind of a GOP Swift Boating in reverse.

Please check the credentials of people who present that "just folks" facade while fronting causes.

http://mouseherder.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20Maze