posted on May 2, 2007 02:19:35 PM new
Posted: April 30, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern
Barbara Simpson
God bless John Howard. I love Australians.
Here's how he reacted to the U.S. Senate vote to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq by date certain.
"I think it is wrong, and I don't think it is doing anything other than giving great comfort and encouragement to al-Qaida and the insurgency in Iraq."
he Australian prime minister went on to state that the terrorists look at the uproar in our media about the Senate vote on military funding and determine that "The American domestic resolve is weakening, therefore we (the terrorists) should maintain our resolve."
You have to wonder why American politicians don't see how their actions embolden the enemy?
John Howard is a brave man, a courageous politician and a good friend, not only of the United States, but also of all freedom-loving people around the world.
Needless to say, that gets him criticism and enemies. But that's where courage comes in. He puts common sense before politics and in the battle of words that is also the war in Iraq. Howard lays it on the line: "If there is a perception of an America defeat in Iraq, that will leave the whole of the Middle East in great turmoil and will be an enormous victory for terrorism."
It's shocking so many U.S. politicians lack Howard's common sense and courage.
According to Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nevada), "the war is lost" but to hear the Senate majority leader and other Senate Democrats, as well as the Republicans who've sold out, they ''do support'' our men and women in uniform.
Let's see. We ''support'' you, but we hate what you're doing. What?
Indeed, they ''support'' the troops so much they approved legislation providing money for the Iraq/Afghanistan war but contingent on date certain to pull them out of Iraq.
Well, not exactly. There's a start date for withdrawal, Oct. 1; an end date for combat, April 1, 2008; a speedup date of withdrawal, July 1, if specific deadlines for Iraqi government progress aren't met.
On the surface, it sounds as though the Senate dropped the hammer on the president, putting an end to "his" war. Not quite. Read the small print and go beyond the headlines.
It seems that even after the ''withdrawal'' date for troops in Iraq, not all of them will be gone. The good senators allow for troops to remain in Iraq to conduct counterterrorism missions.
Wait a minute; I thought that's a good part of what they're doing? Politicians complain that our troops are sitting ducks for insurgents/terrorists now. Are they seriously suggesting that leaving small numbers of them there after ''combat'' is supposed to end by April 1, 2008, they'll be safer? In fact, how do they define ''counterterrorism missions?''
If all our troops will have been withdrawn, who or what will be the support, suppliers, planners and backup for those involved in this mysterious, non-war counterterrorism?
And that's not the end of it. The legislation also allows the president to keep some troops there to protect U.S. infrastructure and personnel.
I see. We get out of the war but keep troops there to protect – what? Buildings? Buildings staffed with U.S. personnel? What personnel? Doing what jobs? More to the point, WHY?
That's not all. Those troops still in Iraq will be assigned to train Iraqi security forces.
What happened to those deadlines the Iraqi government was supposed to meet to be self-sufficient?
Consider also, that while Reid and House Speaker Pelosi continue to tout the bill the Senate passed as providing military funding, there was much more – including Hurricane Katrina assistance (when will that end?); farm disaster and other relief (let's end that too); and increases in the minimum wage (what?) among other issues.
It's called pork; good, old fashioned political pork, carved into the backs of our military and our freedom.
Probably the biggest problem facing our military today – before the Senate meddles any further in the conduct of the war – is that our troops are being forced to fight burdened by political correctness and second-guessing.
If the politicians with no military understanding, and who are more focused on the next election, got out of the way and let the military fight the war to win, we might be able to reduce casualties and put an end to this battle in the overall war against militant Islamic terrorists.
Oh, I forgot, those civilian experts have decided we can't call it a ''war on terror'' any longer. I guess it makes certain people feel bad. Tough. The war on terror has made a lot of people feel bad; indeed, it's made a lot of people not only feel bad, it's left a lot of them maimed and indeed, left many dead. Very dead. And the enemy wants more people dead, in the Middle East, in Europe and in the United States.
The Saudis just broke a huge, international al-Qaida terrorist plot involving plans to blow up oil refineries, attack military installations, use suicide bombers to kill public officials and break terrorists out of prison. Millions of dollars were involved, as was the training of terrorists to pilot aircraft for suicide missions. 172 were arrested.
Tell me again, Mr. Reid, that free people are not at war with terrorists and that we're making no progress. Don't you pay attention?
In just the last few days, our military captured one of al-Qaida's top operatives who's suspected of launching attacks on U.S and coalition troops as well as heading assassination attempts against Pakistan's president and other officials.
In addition, U.S. troops captured four Iraqi gang members for smuggling armor-piercing bombs into Iraq from Iran and for transporting militants into Iran for terrorist training.
That sounds pretty successful to me.
Our politicians and media and too many Americans are cowards who talk big and glibly play with lives while ignoring a very real war. They hide behind words while ignoring the terrorist threat we all face.
Their only focus is on the object of their hatred: President Bush. Their goal is to undermine his administration and destroy him. That they're paving the way for the destruction of this country, and most likely the free world, doesn't faze them.
Despite all this, President Bush remains steadfast, saying he will veto the bill. He hasn't blinked yet.
With apologies to "The Wizard of Oz," we have two Wicked Witches of the West ... Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Harry Reid (D-Nevada) and their band of maniacal monkeys in the Senate.
They're all a disgrace. Their words and actions are a disservice to our military, the American people, and our country and are likely subversive.
They don't deserve our respect. They don't deserve our votes.
I'm appalled to call them Americans.
It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.George S. Patton
posted on May 7, 2007 12:46:53 PM new
Glad to see the Australians support the war. They have around 1500 troops fighting the war. If the Australian prime minister really believes in this war as much as he says he does, why doesn't he send more troops.
Absolute faith has been shown, consistently, to breed intolerance. And intolerance, history teaches us, again and again, begets violence.
---------------------------------- The duty of a patriot in this time and place is to ask questions, to demand answers, to understand where our nation is headed and why. If the answers you get do not suit you, or if they frighten you, or if they anger you, it is your duty as a patriot to dissent. Freedom does not begin with blind acceptance and with a flag. Freedom begins when you say 'No.'
