Barack Obama is going to visit Iraq. This is a good thing. He is an honest man. After he sees for himself the progress we have made, he will have to come around to a more sensible policy on the subject. Let the dogs of the left howl.
We have to look to the future. I get annoyed at all the pea-brained fools who want to relive the events of 2003. Yes, if we had it to do all over again we would make a different set of mistakes. I think it was a good thing to get rid of Saddam Hussein, but no matter what our opinions of the past, we live in the here and now. We can make decisions only in the present that affect the future.
In the here and now we have an astonishing opportunity. The next president, Obama or McCain, will have options. This is what the success of the surge has achieved. American resolve and courage has given the next president a victory. The sooner we all recognize that, the better we can build on that success. We can now withdraw some troops; we can now get the Iraqis to pay for more of their own reconstruction; we can further humiliate Al Qaeda. These are the things victory gives us.
We achieved this victory because of our perseverance and hard work. Already I notice that the media is implying that the turn-around (when they even notice it) results from luck or something we could have had w/o all the hardships if only we had been nicer to some of our adversaries.
Before a big & difficult change, people say it is impossible. After it has happened, they claim it was inevitable. This is a perniciously silly idea. Giving up in 2006 would have been a disaster. If we had relied on the kindness of the Iranians, Al Qaeda or the various regional bad guys we would be bloodied all over the place. These guys have no history of moderation or generosity. They stop only when they hit something stronger and more determined than they are. Americans are generous in victory. That is what secures peace. But you cannot be generous until you have something to be generous with. In other words, you can give peace a chance only AFTER earning it.
I will be watching the news very carefully. Lord knows, it will be easy to follow Obama’s progress since he has taken all the network news anchors with him. I eagerly await his turn around in Iraq policy. I look forward to seeing how it is done. I expect to learn a lot re spinning.
No matter what, however, it will be a welcome development. It is sort of like what Viktor Laszlo says to Rick Blaine in Casablanca. “Welcome back to the fight. This time I know our side will win.”