But, so far, Democratic leaders haven’t been ending their calls for a “new direction in Iraq” with the word “victory” or even the words “to put us on the path to victory.” Speaker-to-be Pelosi’s press release on Secretary Rumsfeld’s resignation is just one of the many examples:
I welcome the long overdue change in leadership at the Pentagon – now we need a change in policy. Secretary Rumsfeld has lost the confidence of his most crucial constituency: the men and women of our armed forces who rely on the civilian leadership of the Pentagon to provide them with the support needed to do their dangerous jobs as effectively and safely as possible. Mr. Rumsfeld failed to do that – that is why I called for him to step down nearly three years ago. A new direction on Iraq is also long overdue. I hope the departure of Mr. Rumsfeld will mark a fresh start toward a new policy in Iraq, signaling a willingness on the part of the President to work with the Congress to devise a better way forward. Our troops deserve no less. Mr. Gates has a great deal of experience on national security matters. The Senate will need to review his credentials closely to determine if he is the right person to serve as Secretary of Defense at this critical time.
But don’t “our troops deserve” politicians committed to victory or at least not pulling the rug out from underneath them? Our troops seem to understand the stakes in Iraq far more than many in Washington. Consider what Capt. Mike Lingenfelter, of the 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment in Iraq, told the Washington Post: “We’ll pull their feet out from under them if we leave… It’s still fragile enough now that if the coalition were to leave, it would embolden the insurgents. A lot of people have put their trust and faith in us to see it to the end. It would be an extreme betrayal for us to leave.” All this brings me to another press release on Secretary Rumsfeld’s resignation. This one from Sen. McCain:
I welcome the President’s decision today to replace Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld with former CIA Director Robert Gates. While Secretary Rumsfeld and I have had our differences, he deserves Americans’ respect and gratitude for his many years of public service. He has mine. This important change offers the administration and Congress a fresh opportunity to examine all aspects of our strategy and tactics in Iraq, and make whatever changes are necessary to succeed there. I look forward to discussing with Secretary-designate Gates his ideas for correcting the mistakes of the past – whether we are following the right strategy today, and whether or not we have sufficient forces in Iraq to provide the level of security that is indispensable to defeating the insurgency, and achieving a political resolution of sectarian conflict there. I also intend to discuss with Mr. Gates the urgent necessity of increasing the size of the Army and Marine Corps to alleviate the terrible strain on our active duty forces, Guard and Reserve, and meet the many challenges that confront us in this difficult time. I believe this change today also provides an opportunity for greater bipartisan cooperation on Iraq policy – for Republicans and Democrats of good will to work together toward securing victory. Victory is still attainable in Iraq. Our defeat there would have very dangerous consequences for the United States, our allies, and those Iraqis who have risked their lives to work with us. It is difficult to imagine the United States escaping from the chaos that would ensue in Iraq and in the broader Middle East without serious damage to our most vital interests, not to mention our standing in the world. We must prevail. However weary Americans are of the war in Iraq, doing what we must do to win there will bring our troops home as quickly as we can, with the victory that they have sacrificed so much to achieve.
If politicians aren’t interested in working “together toward securing victory,” the commander-in-chief should work with those who do and not give an inch to those who don’t. As Speaker-to-be Pelosi says, “Our troops deserve no less.”
