thedrifter
11-07-06, 11:25 AM
Support the troops: See the mission through
QUICK, WHAT right-wing Bush mouthpiece said the following about Iraq: "We'll pull their feet out from under them if we leave. It's still fragile enough now that if the coalition were to leave, it would embolden the insurgents. A lot of people have put their trust and faith in us to see it to the end. It would be an extreme betrayal for us to leave."
No, the answer is not Sen. Joe Lieberman or White House spokesman Tony Snow. It's Army Capt. Mike Lingenfelter, 32, of Panhandle, Texas, stationed in Tall Afar, Iraq. Capt. Lingenfelter was one of dozens of military personnel, officers and enlisted, interviewed by The Washington Post over the course of the deadliest month for U.S. forces since the invasion. Without exception, the troops opposed pulling out of Iraq.
"Pulling out now would be as bad or worse than going forward with no changes," said Capt. Jim Modlin, 26, who described himself as politically liberal. "Sectarian violence would be rampant, democracy would cease to exist, and the rule of law would be decimated. It's not �stay the course,' and it's not �cut and run' or other political catchphrases. There are people's lives here. There are so many different dynamics that go on here that a simple solution just isn't possible."
Maj. Gen. Benjamin Mixon, commander of Multinational Division North and the 25th Infantry Division, said "This is a worthwhile endeavor. Nothing that is worthwhile is usually easy, and we need to give this more time for it to all come together. We all want to come home, but we have a significant investment here, and we need to give the Iraqi army and the Iraqi people a chance to succeed."
When the troops on the ground say they believe in the mission and want to see it through, when they say that withdrawal will embolden the terrorists and endanger the Iraqi people, how can anyone take seriously the anti-war pronouncements of Carol Shea-Porter and Paul Hodes?
Democrats running for Congress say they support the troops, but it is not the kind of support the troops want. They want more resources to enable them to win. They don't want to be told that victory is impossible and that retreat is the only option. They know better. We should too.
Ellie
QUICK, WHAT right-wing Bush mouthpiece said the following about Iraq: "We'll pull their feet out from under them if we leave. It's still fragile enough now that if the coalition were to leave, it would embolden the insurgents. A lot of people have put their trust and faith in us to see it to the end. It would be an extreme betrayal for us to leave."
No, the answer is not Sen. Joe Lieberman or White House spokesman Tony Snow. It's Army Capt. Mike Lingenfelter, 32, of Panhandle, Texas, stationed in Tall Afar, Iraq. Capt. Lingenfelter was one of dozens of military personnel, officers and enlisted, interviewed by The Washington Post over the course of the deadliest month for U.S. forces since the invasion. Without exception, the troops opposed pulling out of Iraq.
"Pulling out now would be as bad or worse than going forward with no changes," said Capt. Jim Modlin, 26, who described himself as politically liberal. "Sectarian violence would be rampant, democracy would cease to exist, and the rule of law would be decimated. It's not �stay the course,' and it's not �cut and run' or other political catchphrases. There are people's lives here. There are so many different dynamics that go on here that a simple solution just isn't possible."
Maj. Gen. Benjamin Mixon, commander of Multinational Division North and the 25th Infantry Division, said "This is a worthwhile endeavor. Nothing that is worthwhile is usually easy, and we need to give this more time for it to all come together. We all want to come home, but we have a significant investment here, and we need to give the Iraqi army and the Iraqi people a chance to succeed."
When the troops on the ground say they believe in the mission and want to see it through, when they say that withdrawal will embolden the terrorists and endanger the Iraqi people, how can anyone take seriously the anti-war pronouncements of Carol Shea-Porter and Paul Hodes?
Democrats running for Congress say they support the troops, but it is not the kind of support the troops want. They want more resources to enable them to win. They don't want to be told that victory is impossible and that retreat is the only option. They know better. We should too.
Ellie