Losing The War Of Will
"Whether he means to or not, he’s encouraging our enemies to believe that they are winning the critical war of will."
That is the closing sentence of a commentary by Fred Thompson about Harry Reid, or, as Reid's hometown newspaper refers to him, Bozo. It is devastating - and it is spot on with what is wrong with Harry.
Well, you've heard by now that Senate leader Harry Reid insulted one of this country's brightest military minds, Marine Corps General Peter Pace — calling him "incompetent." Let me take a few moments to put this in context.
First, Harry Reid voted for the war, like a majority of our legislators. America decided as a nation to free Iraq and the region from Saddam Hussein's tyranny. I have friends, both Democrat and Republican, who questioned the decision at the time, but the Republic made a commitment based on constitutional and democratic procedures. So they are now a hundred percent committed to moving forward in a way that’s best for our country. None of them, by the way, believe surrendering to the forces of terror in Iraq is what's best for our country.
Harry Reid, though, has taken a different route. He made his statement about General Pace on a conference call with fringe elements of the blogosphere who think we're the bad guys. This is a place where even those who think the 9/11 attacks were an inside job find a home.
And why shouldn't they think that? Reid has led the attack on the administration, with Nancy Pelosi, charging it lied and tricked America into supporting the war. Ignoring multiple hearings and investigations into pre-war intelligence findings that have debunked this paranoid myth, they accuse an entire administration of conspiracy to trick us into a war.
Harry will come to be reviled by the rank and file of his party for the gross mismanagement of pretty much everything he has touched since assuming power. I have done my share of criticism of the Bush administration. But every bit of second guessing - by people who voted to take us to war as Harry did - is dead wrong. Because whether we all like it or not, this is the war we have. And every expert - that Harry is now ignoring in exactly the way he charges the administration did - is saying that a precipitous withdrawal from Iraq would be a disaster for America. You are either in a war to win it or you are in it to lose. Harry has made his choice obvious. He's more than willing to send the troops in, then play partisan politics against those same troops. That is shameful, that is wrong. And that is one of the reason's Harry will have a place in history. It won't be a pleasant place, but he'll have one.
(And Fred Thompson appears to get it. Will matters.)
By daveinboca, Monday, 18 June , 2007 @ 9:02 pm
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Dave - seriously over-the-top. You can express yourself without going into name-calling. I know; you have many times. It is not worth descending to his level.
By jpe, Tuesday, 19 June , 2007 @ 8:11 am
That column must have been like ice cream for the party faithful. Thompson sounds just like Wizbang or CQ. Good for you guys, it sounds like you’ll pick him.