Monday, July 30, 2007

I get by with a little help from my friends!


Clearly, I, NT, have taken a bit of a sabbatical lately. Well, it will continue for several more weeks. In the meantime, Johann has sent in this contribution. Hopefully he will become a regular contributor. Enjoy.
I noticed that the blog has not had an update in two weeks so I decided I will send you a story that sparked my interest. This morning I heard on Bill Bennett's radio show that the New York Times ran an Op/Ed piece today (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/30/opinion/30pollack.html?_r=1&oref=slogin) by two well-esteemed Democratic military and foreign policy experts from the Brookings Institute who just recently returned from their most latest trip to Iraq, with the explicit purpose of examining the effects of the "troop surge." Immediately upon their arrival they found much greater morale amongst the troops, sectarian groups that were once allied to al-Qaeda, now securely in the American camp, neighborhoods that were ghost-towns now bustling hubs of commerce, as well as ethnic groups seemingly at least tolerating one another. This is an incredible development. Two experts, oft quoted by the likes of John Kerry and Hillary Clinton, saying that we could possibly win the war in Iraq. It is very likely that they might even be understating the facts. Just days ago for someone to say that we could win in Iraq, they would be labeled a right wing quack, an ideological die-hard who cannot accept the facts. Clearly the facts have changed course. The only question is what will the Democrats do with this. This isn't as if this is a Washington Times or National Review editorial; it comes straight from the main artery of American liberal thought. As Newt Gingrich poignantly stated, "The left wing of the Democratic Party is deeply opposed to American victory and deeply committed to American defeat." If his statement is true, and I believe sadly that it is, that the Democratic Party's entire electoral strategy is invested in Iraq, what can they do when their fellows say that we can win? Do they ignore it? Does the news-media ignore it as well? Bill Bennett had remarked that President Bush should call a press conference and hold up this article for a photo op. ala "Dewey defeats Truman". What have you seen? Is this where this op-ed piece was first brought to your attention?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

This is the first I have heard. Lately I have heard a lot of negative about Iraq from some conservatives I know. I am glad to hear a little positive from the Dems.

Personally I don't think we can win if winning is defined as creating a democracy in Iraq. (I am a GW supporter but he keeps calling it a religion of peace. That really bothers me.) Their lives are based on a religion that is far from democratic and far from peaceful. I am all for Saddam getting booted along with getting rid of terrorist and the like but trying to get a democracy over there will take a miracle.

BS