Hello Everyone,
It is Labor Day and I hope that you are all enjoying some quality time with your families and having a great 3 day weekend. For those of you who drink beer have one for me. . . . The situation here is much quieter the number of attacks are down and casualties are down with the exception of a few spectrular attacks. Coalition casulities are thankfully way down. We have also recognized the role that Iran is playing in supplying and funding the secterian violence and trying to bring down the government. We are confronting that issue and limiting the ability of the terrorists to use IEDs. The Iraqi Army is becoming stronger, larger and undertaking more and complicated operations. . . . . The last is probably the biggest question. Will the government gain effective control and solve the problems of this country. It is a big question. However we are seeing some improvement in cooperation, some increase in discussions among the sects, and they are coming off their August recess and will address some of the critical issues we are demanding that they resolve. However I want you to remember that this is a sovreign government that we do not control. From my point of view we advise, we suggest, we support, and we tell them when we are not satisified with their actions, but this is not a puppet governemnt. They make their own decisions. We are not controlling or running roughshod over the government. They make their own decisions good or bad. However the GAO grading of this governemnt by our Congress does anger me a little. Many in Congress are now labeling the Government a failure and calling for the ouster of the elected PM. This is not helpful and is flies in the face of all the principles that we profess about self determination. We dont have a say about the decisions of the Iraqi Electorate whether we agree or not. The other thing that really gets me is the failing grade slapped on the GOI by our Congressmen. Only 3 of 18 measurable items are counted as successful, even though the Adminstration had many more as successes. But what if we applied the same standards to our congress, A congress that has a history of over 200 years, a congress that has many experienced memberes who have served for decades, what would their grade be. Have they solved the tax problem, the tort problem, the health care problem. Have they even addressed seriously the immigration problem, and there are many, many more failures of our elected, long existing and experienced congress. In my opinion they fail. Yet they grade a fledgling elected government trying to form a united country after decades of oppression during war and mark it a failure. Where is their support for an allied government that we helped launch. What great words of wisdom and significant examples do they provide, none. We are out here trying to do the impossible and making headway and our elected officials undercut us at every turn. We pull out and all the success, all the progress made will disappear in intentionally incited secterian violence supported as much from outside Iraq as from inside. Success in the Middle East and in the War on terror is centered on success in Iraq right now. This is the battlefield chosen by our enemies not us. We fight here becasue they come here to over throw an elected government to kill Americans and to try to create another radical Islamic state from which to grow and attack Wastern
Civilization and Western Nations.
Well, happy labor day -m
No comments:
Post a Comment