There's Some Truth To 'Stay The Course'

Blogger is having problems. Steve is unable to post from Iraq. I'm posting this for Steve Ramos.

I know there are times when my comments cause people at times to pause and say, “But isn’t he a Democrat? Why did he say that?” Other times, my comments cause my Republican friends to scratch their heads and think, “But I thought he was one of us.” Let me explain.

I’ve never been one to follow the party line like a robot. I would be called a liberal on some issues and conservative on others. It depends on the issue. I say that to prepare you for my concerns about some of Nancy Pelosi’s comments. It’s my understanding that she is prepared to implement policies that remove American troops from Iraq. If anyone has credible information that contradicts that, then please send it to me.

Frankly, I was relieved and heartened to hear that Rumsfeld had resigned, and I know a majority of the military is, too. No, I haven’t interviewed every soldier or Marine. I say that because anyone who has served in the military knows that the disgruntled have to swallow their complaints and objections to policy and orders and do what they’re told. That’s why the growing chorus of frustration with Secretary Rumsfeld was shocking. Rarely have members of the military voiced their dismay over failed leadership as they have in Rumsfeld's case.

Now, those comments might throw me in the liberal camp, but I’m absolutely opposed to a Pelosi plan that includes the withdrawal of troops before victory over the insurgency. If the Democratic-controlled House and Senate are successful in removing the troops now, Iraq is lost to the Islamic extremists. Not only will they control Iraq, but they will be in a position to subject the rest of the Middle East to cleric rule. The United States, no, the Christian and Jewish world will face an unimaginable horror.

I want the troops to go home, too. I didn’t support the Bush administration when they declared their intentions to invade Iraq. I wasn’t convinced that Saddam had WMD, and I wasn’t convinced that he had the ties to Osama. I wanted the president to commit our troops and resources to finding Osama and ridding the world of him and his confederates.

But, the thing is. We’re in Iraq, and we’ve created a situation for which we must accept responsibility. And that means we must stay until the job is done. Now let me prepare you for my next statement because it’s going to cause some people to reach for their smelling salts.

We are at war. The Republicans never tire of reminding of us it, and I, as a Democrat, agree with them. We are, indeed, at war. Yes, I want people in the Bush administration to be held accountable for their actions, but that goes on the back burner. We are at war, and we should return to the draft. Here’s why.

The Army and Marines, but especially the Army, are having to issue waivers in order to make their enlistment quotas. It is fact that the Army is waiving felonies and misdemeanors in order to get men and women enlisted. People who, a few years ago, would not have qualified for the Army for moral reasons are now getting in. They’re getting in because the Army has no choice. They need the bodies.

I don’t understand how people can say out of one side of their mouths that we are at war and then out of the other say “no” to a draft. We live in a blessed nation, and, I’m sorry, but there is a cost we must pay to live here. We pay taxes, and during times of war, we must be willing to defend our nation.

If anyone disagrees with this opinion, then I welcome your thoughts. But I ask that we keep our discussions respectful and rational. De’on and I want desperately for this blog to be a place where ideas can be discussed with respect. I don’t know everything, and I admit it freely. American men and women are fighting and dying so that people can have the freedom to disagree. But let’s honor our warriors by articulating those differences with respect.

I’ll just end by saying that after the short time I’ve been in Iraq, I know that we must finish this job. The immediate withdrawal of troops is lunacy, and it would throw the Middle East into war. The Islamic extremists won’t be satisfied until they have control of all the Arab countries and until Israel ceases to exist. We said we were going to help the Iraqis know democracy. Let’s finish the job, even if it means bringing back the draft.