Iraq,How is the war going?
Recently the president gave two speech's on how the war is going in Iraq. The first was about how the military situation was improving and the second about how the economy was improving. He gave some interesting supportive statistics believing that was enough to convince Americans that we are on the right path to victory. His latest polls show he scored some points.
Naturally, opposition mumbled something about Bush not having a real plan on how we are going to win the war over there and bring our boys home. Some even said it is un-winable others say let's cut and run but a recent house vote on just that suggestion was defeated by all but three votes.
An interesting issue that has long been put on the side lines by me and other political writers is the one of religion. We are engaged in a ground war by our military against a semi organized foreign insurgency and Iraqi grown fanatics that are loosely connected to each other by the Muslim religion. I will admit that waging a war on a religion is one that is hard to win. We are looked upon as modern day Crusaders invading the holy land of Saladin and Mohammad and that is the propaganda that mullas use for recruiting new fanatics.
Our saving grace is American history. We have never gone to war and remained after without invitation. We don't go to war for glory, riches or spoils. We have never, as a government policy, tortured, maimed or killed prisoners of war. We have always rebuilt the country of our enemy. Name me another country in history like that.
Therefore, what out come do the insurgents, fanatics, terrorists want?
One, they want us completely out of the middle east, our military and civilian presence. We are infidels according to the Koran and not until all the Israelis and all westerners are out of the middle east will they ease up.
Two, they want and Islamic, Iranian style country established now that Saddam is gone. The old secular Bathist government is also out with the removal of Saddam.
Three, they want to wage war on the western infidels from a solidified base of middle eastern muslim countries. They want to oust monarchy's in Saudi Arabia, Jordan and establish religious Muslim run countries.
What do we want?
Reliable uninterrupted flow of oil and that is only possible with peace and security in the region.
The French, Germans and Russians believed it was possible with out war on Saddam. Until 9/11 we believed the same way. The effects of 9/11, the bombing on the Cole, the blowing up of the embassy in Lebanon, and in the Sudan gave us pause to realize that we were all kidding ourselves. The Muslim- fanatic- terrorists of the world wanted unrest and control in the middle east and wanted the westerners out.
We had to look to our own best interests and to stop the terrorists from killing us.
How are we going to win? Establish a lawful secure democracy in Iraq remembering that freedom trumps religion, even fanatical religion.
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