“US Democrats slam Iraqi government”

Source:  Breitbart – 11/15/2007

Thoughts:  I want to preface this by noting that I have strapped a lightning rod to my back and I am currently standing in a puddle of water, so stand back if you do not want to get hit by lightning.  With that said, let me get started.

To say mistakes are not made in war would be ignorant to history.  From the Revolutionary War to the current phase of the Iraq War, we have made mistakes.  Many of these mistakes were based upon a flawed strategy or poor intelligence.  However, as history shows, the U.S. adapted to the situations on the ground and modified their strategy until they achieved victory.  It happened in the Revolutionary War where we defeated the superior British army and it is happening now in Iraq as we are repelling the constant threat of terrorist attacks against the Iraqi people and Coalition forces.  We can’t call it a victory yet, but the indicators are showing we are headed in the right direction.  So that brings me to the following quote regarding the situation in Iraq:

“It is not getting better, it is getting worse.”

This is from Senator Harry Reid, as part of his defense for the current Iraq war funding bill which calls for troops to be recalled from Iraq next year.  He also stated “Every place you go you hear about no progress being made in Iraq.”  I am not on the ground in Iraq, but we are getting a lot of current reports from there stating the following:

- Violence in and around Baghdad is down 59 percent.
- Car bombs are down 65 percent.
- Casualties from car bombs and roadside bombs are down by 80 percent.
- Casualties from enemy attacks down 77 percent.
- Operations against Iraqi security forces are down 62 percent.
- Assassination attempts for sectarian reasons are down 72 percent.

Now let’s just quantify this by saying there are still too many attacks occurring on the ground at this point in the mission.  With that said, how can Senator Reid say that there is “no progress being made?”  The above doesn’t even cover the fact that all Iraqi universities are opened for business, all Iraqi hospitals are renovated and opened, over 4 million Iraqi children are immunized for basic childhood diseases, salaries for Iraqi’s have more than doubled, Iraqi forces are operating on their own while more are being trained, and so on.  Yes there is much more to do on the ground, but so much has been accomplished.  So why did Senator Reid say the opposite?

Votes.  He knows that he cannot obtain enough votes in the Senate to block a veto by President Bush, so he has to get the air time to get his impression on the issue across to the general public in the hopes that some of them might contact their Senator to urge them to vote for the bill as it is currently written.  But knowing that it might not help, he is threatening to hold a vote during the Thanksgiving recess weekend, a time when Congress goes home to spend time with their families and their constituents.  His justification?  “Americans need someone fighting for them, taking on this bully we have in the White House.”

Not to take a cheap shot, but I’m sorry Mr. Reid.  I think you are in denial, and the only person you are fighting with is yourself.  And now … time for the lightning.

Article:  “US Democrats slam Iraqi government”

Democratic leaders on Thursday warned the Iraqi government was locked in a stalemate, as they jockeyed for position ahead of another Senate showdown over Iraq war funding.

They also threatened Republicans with a rare weekend vote, after the start of the scheduled break for the Thanksgiving holiday, on a bill including troop withdrawal dates which cleared the House of Representatives Wednesday.

“Every place you go you hear about no progress being made in Iraq,” said Senate Democratic majority leader Harry Reid.

“The government is stalemated today, as it was six months ago, as it was two years ago,” Reid told reporters, warning US soldiers were caught in the middle of a civil war.

“It is not getting better, it is getting worse,” he said.

Democrats are using perceived lack of reconciliation and political development by the Iraqi government to refute claims by Republicans that President George W. Bush’s troop surge strategy has yielded concrete results.

(Read the rest of the article here.)

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