Little Battles, Big Wars

If there is one mistake President Bush made in entering into War in Iraq, it was making it personal. When bin Laden made his attack, Bush should have handed the face of the war over to the Army (supporting their efforts), so the war would be between Osama and the Army rather than Osama getting through to challenge Bush and thereby our country. Terrorist talk is all about extremes, and Bush gave Al-Qaeda a shortcut to the top. By fighting against Bush, they can truly declare they are fighting against America, and that is a bigger boom for them than 9/11. It legitimizes their talk, and draws other people to their ideology.

The good news is, Bush will not be here in two more years. We’ll have a new chance to put a less head-on Republican (or Democrat) in charge.

We are NOT at war with Iraq. Iraq supports us. It is insane to assume that any block of 20 million people would rather have war than peace. The people who waved to us and cheered us on when we first drove into Iraq are still there, praying for the terrorists to put down their guns, and blessing, in the true (non-radical) Islamic way, our efforts to defend them.

The outcome of the 2006 election will have both a healing and a damaging effect on the situation in Iraq. We have effectively split “America” and “the President” for terrorist purposes, but we may also have created a new recruiting opportunity, as terrorists claim a victory. While America’s majority voted for Democrats, the terrorists were also voting for Democrats, because that is the party that will give them the most power, both in Al-Qaeda rhetoric and US policy.

A war, unlike other fires, cannot be put out with water. You have to let it die on its own. You can blow on it, but that makes it bigger, so in some ways, the best thing we can do for Iraq is ignore the situation, let it burn until there are a few orange coals, and eventually they will reach a natural end. We can try to stomp it out, but that may spread the coals further. You can try to withdraw the wood that has not burned, but that is not the troops--it is Bush, and of course Rumsfeld, who has already withdrawn himself. You can stand guard, and that is what we are doing, and in the long run, it will give us a chance to save the rest of the forest.

But the best thing we can do is ignore the voice of terror, while letting a few specialists do their job to defend our country. Invisible people, that terrorists can't talk about.

Bush’s “War on Terror” was a double edged sword. It got us the support we needed from Congress to take things as far as we have, but also put us more directly in the firing line of terror. The best way to win a duel is not to accept it. Al-Qaeda challenged Bush in order to challenge America, and we and he accepted. While this is a war that needed to be fought, it should have been fought silently, and not head to head.

I have been to Iraq, and I strongly support what we are doing there, and this is my conclusion after observing for some time. Save the declarations of war for big enemies, or you’ll make small enemies into big ones. The military code asks us to give respect where it is deserved, and while I respect Bush for trying to do what is right, I think the way he took on terror shows inexperience.

Are the Democrats the answer? Absolutely not, but the election has split America from Bush on this issue, and that may or may not work in our favor in the long run…

If there is one thing Texas will now be famous for, it is cowboy Presidents with big egos! Lol ; )

Jed Merrill

P.S. – The Republican candidate I was supporting in Washington State appears to be winning. Five days after the vote, he is up by another 500 votes from a largely Democratic county to lead by 3,500. Go Sheriff Dave! A few people can make a difference, and I wish to thank all that supported us.

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