Who's winning?
In his recent column, Cal Thomas, referring to the Iraq War, avers, "It is the emerging plan of congressional Democrats (that) ... "losing is winning."
That's an interesting spin because, during 4-1/2 years of losing this war, Republicans have also called it winning.
They started with the President standing under a huge banner that proclaimed "Mission Accomplished." Over and over we were told, "The insurgents are on the run." Rumsfeld
insisted we were winnning. Cheney claimed we were winning. Yet it seemed that our troops, well-disciplined and well-trained, would clear one insurgent-infested area only to find insurgent activity in another area. Early on, our troops started feeling like ducks in a shooting gallery. Later came the proliferation of IEDs. Many of the 800,000 Christians who lived in Iraq before we invaded have had to flee. Many of the Iraqi middle class have fled the country. What we have left is a society out of control. We have successfully destabilized the nation.
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The reality is that this misadventure was doomed to fail from the beginning. First, a war against Iraq was unnecessary. That nation was too weak militarily and economically to be any kind of threat to the U.S. Second, it was unwise, with the Secretary of Defense arrogantly and
bitterly rejecting advice from military experts about the need for much greater numbers of troops to establish and maintain control after invading. Third, the invasion was sold to the American people on half-truths and lies. Fourth, it was a war of aggression and was pursued in the face of warnings as to its immorality. Most people wanted to believe their President would not lie to them and so were easily fooled.
Mr. Thomas admits, "But the window for measuring accomplishment this time is a lot narrower." Indeed, any little glimmer of hope the Bush administraton can see is called "winning."
J. Edward Muhlbach
Shrewsbury Township
Looks like Cal is on the revisionist history bandwagon. You see, were WERE winning when the republicans were in charge, things were perfect (even without a plan, or goals, or successes of any kind), thing are only problematic because of someone else. Thank goodness they didn't win a majority in congress again, who would they blame for their failures?
Cal Thomas is one of those middle-aged chicken hawks who knows everything about a war, but doesn't have the courage go near one. He, Cheney and Bush are all completely without a clue about how it feels to be in fear. They also have no idea what it does to a person who must kill another person.
The young people coming home from this illegal and unnecessary war are going to have problems with their consciences all the rest of their lives. When you kill someone who is simply trying to oust occupiers, you must eventually ask what you would do if some superior power were to occupy your country and kill tens of thousands of your fellow citizens. I would fight those occupiers with everything I could find to fight with, and those of us who are not chicken hawks would do the same.