Here’s Why We Must Win The War In Iraq!

Part of the disagreement we face over Iraq comes down to a genuine
difference of opinion.

On the one hand, there are those who believe, as I do, that the struggle
against Islamist extremism really is the central challenge of our time, and
that, as General David Petraeus-our commander in Iraq-recently said, Iraq is
now the central front of the war against Islamist extremism.

On the other hand, there are those who reject this view-who genuinely
believe that the threat of Islamist extremism is overstated, or that Iraq is
a distraction from the "real" war on terror, or that the war there is lost,
or not worth fighting to win.

It is my deeply held conviction that these people are not only wrong, they
are disastrously wrong-and that the withdrawal they demand would be a moral
and security catastrophe for the United States, for Iraq, and for the entire
Middle East, including Israel and our moderate Arab allies.

Let there be no doubt-an American defeat in Iraq would be a victory for Al
Qaeda and Iran. the two most threatening enemies we face in the world today.
It would vindicate the hope of our enemies that America is weak and that we
can be driven to retreat by terrorism, and it would confirm the fear of our
friends-not only in Iraq, but throughout the world-that we are unreliable
allies who will abandon them in the face of danger.

The fact of the matter is, you cannot claim to be tough on terrorism while
demanding that our military withdraw from Iraq, because it is the
terrorists-particular Al Qaeda-that our military is fighting in Iraq.

You cannot claim to be committed to defeating Al Qaeda, while demanding that
we abandon the heart of the Middle East to Al Qaeda.

And you cannot claim to be tough on Iran, while demanding the very thing
that the mullahs want most of all-the retreat of the American military from
the Middle East in defeat, leaving a vacuum that Iran will rush to fill.

I recognize that this war has been controversial, and there are those who
oppose it on principle. I respect that.

But too much of the debate we are having today about withdrawal from Iraq
has little or nothing to do with principle, or with reality in Iraq.

It is about politics and partisanship here in Washington.

For many Democrats, if President Bush is for it, they must be against it. If
the war is going badly, it is bad for Republicans and it is good for
Democrats. It is as simple as that, and it is as wrong as that.

For many Republicans, the unpopularity of this war and this President has
begun to shake their will. They say that they have no choice but to abandon
General Petraeus and his strategy because the American people tell the
pollsters they want out. If previous generations of American leaders had
allowed their conduct of war to be shaped by partisanship or public opinion
polls, we would not be the strong and free nation we are blessed to be
today.

Republicans in Congress delude themselves if they think they will be helping
either themselves, their party, or their country if they now attempt to wash
their hands of Iraq, out of a sudden sense of political anxiety.

Democrats in Congress delude themselves if they think they will not be held
accountable for the bloody consequences of the retreat from Iraq they seek.

The fact is, a loss to Al Qaeda and Iran in Iraq would be devastating to our
security. These are fateful days and critical decisions we are making about
Iraq. We must make them with our eye on the safety of America’s next
generation, not the outcome of America’s next election.

It is to the everlasting credit of President Bush that in the war against
Islamist extremism he has shown the courage and steadfastness to stand
against the political passions of the moment.

I have never hesitated to express disagreement with the President on any
issue when I felt he was wrong-and I have criticized his administration many
times for the serious mistakes I believe it made in prosecuting the war in
Iraq.

But let me tell you this: I believe that each of us should be grateful that
we have a commander-in-chief who does not believe that decisions about war
should be driven by poll numbers. And each of us should be grateful that we
have a commander-in-chief who does not confuse what is popular with what is
right for our security as a nation. The public opinion polls may not reflect
this today, but I believe history will tomorrow.

My friends, as Ronald Reagan once said, now is the time for choosing.

If we stand united through the months ahead, if we stand firm against the
terrorists who want to drive us to retreat, the war in Iraq can be won and
the lives of millions of people can be saved.

But if we surrender to the barbarism of suicide bombers and abandon the
heart of the Middle East to fanatics and killers, to Al Qaeda and Iran, then
all that our men and women in uniform have fought, and died for, will be
lost, and we will be left a much less secure and free nation.

That is the choice we in Washington will make this summer and this fall. It
is a choice not just about our foreign policy and our national security and
our interests in the Middle East. It is about what our political leaders in
both parties are prepared to stand for. It is about our very soul as a
nation. It is about who we are, and who we want to be.

Will this be the moment in history when America gives up-when Al Qaeda
breaks our will, when our enemies surge forward, when we turn our backs on
our friends and begin a long retreat from our principles and promise as a
nation?

Or will this be the moment when America steps forw
ard, when we pull
together, when we hold fast to the courage of our convictions, when-with a
new strategy, and a new commander on the ground-we begin to turn the tide
toward victory in this long and difficult war?

I know that we can rise above the anger and smallness of our politics. I
know we can rise to the greatness that this moment demands of us.

The question is-will we choose to do so?

I would like to close today by sharing with you a story from my last visit
to Iraq a few months ago. It was in Anbar province in western Iraq-the
center of the insurgency-a part of the country that conventional wisdom last
year dismissed as hopeless.

In fact, on September 11, 2006, the Washington Post ran a front-page story
reporting that even the chief of Marine Corps intelligence in Iraq had
concluded that Anbar was "lost," and our position there was "beyond repair."

I was in Anbar last December, on a forward operating base just outside
Ramadi, the capital of the province. As one of the briefings with our
military commanders ended, a colonel who had been sitting in the back of the
room came up to me. He said something that I carry with me to this
day-something that I hope you will carry with you as well.

He said: "Sir, I want you to know on behalf of the soldiers in my unit and
myself that we believe in why we are fighting here, we want to finish this
fight. And we know we can win it."

Today, five months later, Anbar has been dramatically transformed. Thanks to
the bravery, ingenuity, and commitment of our men and women in uniform,
shops and schools have reopened, Al Qaeda is on the run, thousands of Iraqis
have joined the local police, and-yes-no less than the New York Times
reports that we have turned the corner there.

My friends, now is not the time for despair. Now is the time for resolve.

Now is not the time for reflexive partisanship and pandering to public
opinion. Now is the time for the kind of patriotism and principle America’s
voters have always honored.

I ask you to plead with every member of Congress you can in the days and
weeks ahead-

Do not surrender to hopelessness.

Do not succumb to defeat.

Do not give in to fear.

Rise above the political pressures of the moment to do what is right for
America.

Believe, like that colonel, in why we are fighting in Iraq, and know, as he
and his soldiers know, that we can and must win there.

 

BY JUDY