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The Siren of Defeatism - RushOnline.com The
Siren of Defeatism - By Larry Kudlow, September 28, 2004 Posted
With Permission (Lawrence Kudlow is co-host of
CNBC's "Kudlow & Cramer". He is also CEO of Kudlow & Co., LLC) (Kudlow.com) One
of the reasons John Kerry is going to lose the foreign-policy debate Thursday
night in Coral Gables, Fla., is that he is a pessimist and a defeatist. His recent
broadside attacks on President Bush's war against terrorism are right out of the
Vietnam era: Blame America. Blame the commander in chief. Blame the military.
Assume we will lose. Prime Minister Allawi of Iraq seemed to grasp the danger
in this when he spoke in the Rose Garden last week: "When political leaders sound
the siren of defeatism in the face of terrorism, it only encourages more violence."
Compare that line to the one Kerry delivered at NYU: "We have traded a dictator
for chaos that has left America less secure." Less secure? Is he nuts? The
United States took out the Taliban in Afghanistan. With the help of Pakistan,
we are in the process of destroying the Al Qaeda organization. We have taken out
Saddam -- who, by the way, according to Russian President Putin, was planning
an attack on the United States. Kerry, who despicably agrees with Kofi Annan
that the Iraq war was somehow illegal, calls Iraq a "profound diversion" from
the battle against Al Qaeda. But former allied commander Tommy Franks says in
his book that "we entered Iraq with 9,500 troopers in Afghanistan. And by the
time we finished major combat in Afghanistan -- or in Iraq -- we had 10,000 troops
in Afghanistan." Do we need Allawi to remind us that Iraq is a "country
emerging finally from dark ages of violence, aggression, corruption and greed"?
Allawi underlined the fact that more than a million Iraqis were murdered or disappeared
under Saddam, with at least 300,000 found in mass graves. Allawi concluded, "My
friends, today we are better off, you are better off, and the world is better
off without Saddam Hussein." Kerry may correctly state that Iraq has become
a haven for terrorists. But we have engaged the forces of Islamo-fascism and terrorism
on their turf rather than ours. Surely this has made America safer. Meanwhile,
the United States has established a forward military beachhead in the heart of
the Middle East. This will enable the United States to respond quickly to potentially
aggressive actions from Syria, Iran and others. Think of it as keeping troops
in South Korea or Japan or Germany during the Cold War. It's a vitally important
strategic objective. In his speech before Congress, Allawi chronicled progress
in quelling the terrorist insurrection and laying the groundwork for free elections.
Most -- 14 to 15 -- of the 18 Iraqi provinces are stabilized. Najaf and Kufa are
in better shape. Secretary of State Colin Powell has made it clear that the U.S.
military will soon mop up in Ramadi and Samarra, before tackling Fallujah. Sen.
Kerry apparently doubts the U.S. military, but they will not let us down. According
to Iraq the Model, an Iraq-based blog, there's no bad news coming out of Duhok,
Samawa, Diwanya, Kerbela, Irbil, Ammarah, Kut, Hilla, Rawa, Haditha, Ana, Rutba
and Heet. The Kurds enthusiastically embrace the election outlook up north. Al-Sistani
is a strong supporter of elections in the Shia south. Allawi and other observers
also confirm that oil pipelines are being repaired, homes are being rebuilt, hospitals
are working and millions of kids are back in school. Defeatism is the hallmark
of the Kerry policy, so you won't hear the candidate mention any of this. Instead,
he'll whine about internationalizing the war, while neglecting to mention that
U.N. Resolution 1546, which passed in June, endorsed the Iraqi interim government
and pledged support for the upcoming elections. The G-8, the European Union and
NATO have also issued formal statements of support. Problems in Iraq? Absolutely.
A quagmire? Absolutely not. Allawi a strong ally? Definitely. "But a puppet of
the United States, (where) you can almost see the hand underneath the shirt today
moving the lips," as top Kerry advisor Joe Lockhart put it? Nonsense. Pure partisan
political pap. And the solutions Kerry is putting forward -- training Iraqi security
forces, rebuilding Iraq's infrastructure, holding elections in January, bringing
in more allies -- are already being undertaken by the Bush administration. This
is World War IV, as Norman Podhoretz recently put it. Bush understands this. Kerry
does not. In essence, it's a vision thing -- a key difference that will surface
in Thursday's debate. Bush's vision is to use American power to promote democracy
and freedom in a vital part of the world that has become unimaginably dangerous.
Bush's vision is also one of optimism, of America's ability to succeed in carrying
out a humanitarian operation that will make the world a better place and leave
America more safe and secure. Kerry has no such vision. He's a pessimist
and a defeatist, whose campaign is doomed to failure. ©2004
Read Kudlow's biography
* * * Federalist
Papers: EDITORIAL EXEGESIS Posted With Permission (29
September 2004 Federalist Patriot No. 04-39 Wednesday Chronicle) "Pessimism
about Iraq seems to be in fashion, with leaders such as John Kerry and Kofi Annan
implying that the world would be better off if Saddam Hussein had never been toppled.
So it's been more than a little refreshing to hear the message of hope, resolve
and gratitude delivered by Ayad Allawi during his U.S. visit.... As for the political
process, Mr. Allawi pointed out that Iraqis have already defied the skeptics several
times. They've met their January deadline for writing an interim constitution,
the scheduled June sovereignty handover, and the August date for a National Conference:
'And I pledge to you today, we'll prove them wrong again over the elections.'
... Mr. Allawi also welcomed NATO's recent decision to step up its training of
Iraqi security forces. 'The resolve and will of the coalition in supporting a
free Iraq is vital to our success,' he said. 'But these doubters risk underestimating
our country and they risk fueling the hopes of the terrorists.' Mr. Kerry, for
one, must not have been listening too carefully to those remarks, given his ungracious
reaction to Mr. Allawi's speech.... The Senator accused the Prime Minister of
'contradicting his own statement[s]' and of putting the "best face" on the situation.
While Mr. Kerry has every right to criticize U.S. conduct of the war, one would
think he'd be wiser than to attack Mr. Allawi for saying it will be possible to
hold the same elections that Mr. Kerry said just this Monday were his own exit
strategy from Iraq. Or to accuse Iraq's Prime Minister of painting an unrealistic
picture about a country the Senator has never visited. Having described the U.S.
allies who liberated Iraq as a 'coalition of the bribed,' Mr. Kerry now insults
the Iraqis he'd be working with if he becomes President." --The
Wall Street Journal
* * * Iraqi
Leader Challenges Western Media Bias - By Jeff Gannon, Talon News September 28,
2004 In August, Interim Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi banned al Jazeera
from broadcasting in Iraq because he said the satellite news service was "inciting
violence." A year ago, the Iraqi Governing Council temporarily shut down the network
for the same reason. Al Jazeera has long been criticized for its anti-American
bias, but Allawi says that Western media is also misrepresenting the events and
conditions in Iraq. >> Read
Full Story
* * * Comments
From Our Viewers Did you know you can see a small snippet
of the positive things the US military is doing in Iraq? Click on www.afneurope.net
. You will see a sample of the hundreds of stories I've noted about the school,
water and power plant construction projects, medical and humanitarian visits,
Iraqi National Guard and Police Force training, and the day-to-day US/Iraqi interaction
produced by military reporters every day. These are not the stories of politics,
but of the truth. Granted, they may not award-winning and many critics will find
fault with the technicalities, but they tell the real, unbiased tales of the US
military proud to serve in a war-zone. If you are a cable subscriber to the fledgling
"Pentagon Channel" you will have a wider view of the truth. How do I know so much?
I am an 18-year military military veteran assigned to the "American Forces Network."
(Hey, Mr. Limbaugh, it's no longer "Armed" forces Network.) Thanks for
giving me this outlet... SB
* * * Kerry
Insults Our Allies in Iraq - Posted Oct. 17th, 2004 Kerry
has said about our allies in iraq that they are the best allies that money could
buy. What an insult to great britain, australia, italy, poland. Not to mention
japan and a host of other countries. Their leaders blair etc put their careers
on the line to support us. What will they do when Kerry , god forbid, calls them
for help! Or will kerry's great friends france and germany who oppose our interests
every way they can be our new allies.. What a joke. This guy is a disaster can
the republicans do a better job in showing people this anti american side of his
politics!! Robert * * * Another
article that'll barely make the news...... Tiny little 'blip' in our local press.
Why doesn't somebody showcase this man's story? We always hear so much negative
and not enough positive--this is downright triumphant! But, the media loves the
whiner, not the humble hero, so this man's (and at least four others like him!)
story only merits a couple of lines to the media. The whiner will get the headlines.
God bless, Sarah /// Soldier who lost leg in Iraq determined
to fight again October 16, 2004 The Associated Press
FORT BRAGG, N.C. A soldier from New Jersey is determined to
prove he can still fight -- more than a year after losing his leg to a roadside
bomb in Iraq. With his new carbon-fiber leg, George Perez is working toward a
comeback that will allow him to return to active duty. Perez is one of at least
four amputees from the Army's elite 82nd Airborne Division to re-enlist. He intends
to show a medical board he can run an eight-minute mile, jump out of airplanes
and pass all the other paratrooper tests that will allow him to go to Afghanistan
with his regiment sometime next year. Perez hopes his effort will become a symbol
of America's resolve and resiliency.
GOOD STORY.
I KNOW OF OTHERS WHO ARE DOING THE SAME. THE WOMAN AT THE PRINT SHOP NEAR THE
NATURAL WAREHOUSE WHOSE NEPHEW - OF THE 3rd BATTALION, 75th RANGER REGIMENT -
INCURRED SEVERAL OPERATIONS AFTER AN AMBUSH IN AFGHANISTAN, COULD HARDLY WAIT
TO GO BACK. YOU SAW HIS PICTURE I HAD PLACED IN ONE OF MY BASKETS HERE. HE AND
HIS TWO BROTHERS WERE SERVING IN THE WAR AT THE SAME TIME. FATHER IS RETIRED MILITARY
AND PINNED THE PURPLE HEART ON JOHN. I COULD ASK WHY THESE
COURAGEOUS YOUNG MEN ARE NOT RECOGNIZED, BUT WE KNOW THE GRIEVOUS ANSWER - THOSE
WHO HAVE EYES TO SEE, YET THEY DO NOT SEE; EARS TO HEAR, YET THEY DO NOT HEAR.
THE PART THAT I REALIZE, IS THAT THESE MILITARY MEN AND WOMEN DON'T CARE ABOUT
THE 'GLORY' AND THOSE WHO TRULY CARE DON'T WAVE THEIR WAR RECORD AROUND AND ESPECIALLY
THEIR PURPLE HEARTS. THAT IN AND OF ITSELF SHOULD SPEAK VOLUMES
TO PEOPLE. I PRAY GOD'S COVERING OVER ALL THOSE WHO ARE SERVING IN OUR MILITARY
IN AFGHANISTAN, IRAQ, AT HOME AND THROUGHOUT THE WORLD AND FOR THEIR FAMILY AND
LOVED ONES. GOD BLESS, BEV * * *
  
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