News of Iraq amidst the storm
September 1st, 2008 by Republican By DefaultI guess the anti-war activists who staged a protest on Tacoma’s Ruston Way waterfront didn’t check the news. There was a ceremony scheduled for today in which the U.S. military turned over control of Iraq’s Anbar province to the province’s elected leaders.
If that protest had actually been the tribute they claimed it was, maybe they could have included the fact that the American men and women who died there did not die in vain. They did their part to win that war, and the victory is almost complete.
In the ceremony Monday in the provincial capital of Ramadi, the top American commander in Anbar, Marine Maj. Gen. John Kelly, said Al Qaeda has not been entirely defeated in Anbar. But he said, “their end is near.” [Fox News]
This is a tribute to the men and women who lost their lives in Iraq. They did their part and we’re winning the war. Not only are we winning but we’re defeating both Saddam and his Baathists and as a bonus we’re defeating Al Qaeda on the battle front that they chose.
This is a tribute to those who have worked so hard and sacrificed so much, either by going to Iraq or by supporting those who have. The families of those who died there have every reason to be proud of those they’ve lost. Because of them we are safer as a nation and we have a new, strong ally in the world that has already done much to defeat our common enemy, and will undoubtedly continue in that struggle as they work to secure their own homeland.
When I visited that so-called tribute I saw no mention of any of the successes that our men and women in the military have accomplished. I only saw what the anti-war activists wanted people to see. It was a disgraceful example of a lie that they told by committing the facts.
Update: More from NewsBusters.org. A quote from President George W. Bush:
Today, Anbar is no longer lost to al Qaeda - it is al Qaeda that lost Anbar. Iraqis - like countless other Muslims across the world - witnessed al Qaeda’s brutality first-hand and rejected it. As a result, Anbar has been transformed and reclaimed by the Iraqi people. This achievement is a credit to the courage of our troops, the Iraqi Security Forces, and the brave tribes and other civilians from Anbar who worked alongside them. [emphasis added]
TNT also noticed. This AP story tried to put all the credit for the development on the Iraqis in the province, but couldn’t avoid contracting itself. Such contradictions include the timing of the turnaround coinciding with the surge, the fact that politicians in Anbar asked the U.S. military to wait until next year to hand over control and the fact that Gen. Kelly was being gracious and encouraging the Iraqis about the rough road that lies ahead of them. I have no doubt that Gen. Kelly says much the same things when he speaks to his troops.
