Reply #33: Looks like the kool-aide drinkers have woken up.

[unhappycamper]

Wow, Joan suggests that we're not supporting the troops and everyone piles on her like she's got the ball. Regardless of why we're in Iraq or how we got there, you have to remember three things:

1) The fact that we have politicians, including our own John Kerry, publicly speaking against the president here and abroad only serves to embolden our enemies. Like it or not, when they publicly question what we're doing in Iraq, it only reinforces the idea that with each soldier killed, we are that much closer to picking up and leaving. It is a self-fulfilling prophesy; the more we talk about being defeated, the closer we come to it.

2) Like it or not, soldiers are trained to fight and die. It is what they do for a living. The worst thing you can do for a soldier's morale is to question what they're doing. It doesn't matter that you are questioning the president or his policies, because the message is still getting to the troops that you don't like what they're doing. When they hear that, they can't help but question what they're doing, which only serves to demoralize them. Why did the troops in Vietnam question their mission? Becuase everyone back home did.

3) This is not Vietnam where there was nothing of value to the world. This is the Middle-East where the world - not just the US - gets most of its energy. Leave now and Iran will move to protect the Shiites, Saudi Arabia will move to protect the Sunnis and Turkey will move to keep the Kurds from having their own nation. While some may revel in seeing oil at triple digits per barrel, it would plunge the world into another depression and lead to environmental chaos as each army burns oil fields and nations like the US, China and India turn to more coal to alleviate energy demands.

I understand that there are those who hate Bush, but this is much bigger than Bush and has been since Saddam invaded Kuwait. That was what initially destabilized the region and what we've all been reacting to for decades. There's no easy answer to all of this, but those who continue to blame Bush for recent events either have their head in the proverbial sand or are just mining for votes. Either way, this is not the way to win this thing.

Posted by Vic | February 23, 2007 01:09 PM