Guest Post: - by CJM

Get Serious or get Out of Iraq


Being a good friend of ALa and her husband tesco, I was pretty excited about the prospect of "guest posting" on her blog, but found myself wondering what I could possibly say that hasn't been done all over the internet (or here) already.

Then the infamous Osama Bin Laden decided to come out of his hole once again. After hearing the translation of his tape, with his threats of another imminent attack on American soil and his supposed "truce" offering, I had all the same thoughts I'd had after previous debuts. "He's on the run." "He's almost dead." "He's just desperate and his backs against the wall."

That night I caught part of an interview with Michael Scheuer, the author of Imperial Hubris: Why the West is Losing the War on Terror, and some of the things he said surprised me. To be blunt, Scheuer's thoughts on the tape hit me in the face like a brick.

He believes that another attack is definitely on the horizon here and he stressed the fact that OBL and/or al Qaeda was not the 'beaten dog' that most Americans assumed they were. The host implied that al Qaeda must be in trouble since all they seem to be able to pull off is car and suicide bombs that kill mainly civilians. Scheur's reaction was, "War is war". Civilian casualties are indeed a reality of war and al Qaeda seemed to understand that better than we Americans do...they want to win regardless of the cost. Al Qaeda is taking this war to the extreme and fighting to win, whereas we seem to be playing politics and worrying about keeping special interest groups and other countries happy instead of fighting with as much vigor and zeal as the enemy.

It may sound harsh and cold (saying we need to stop worrying about civilian death), but he made the point by using past wars that were definitively won (WWI & WWII) as examples. Since that time we've changed our tactics and style of warfare with less-than-great results. Now, before people think I'm a sadistic bastard, no one wants women, children and non-combatants to be killed, but it's time we take the kid gloves off or the result will be more civilians killed as the "war" drags out over years.

Do you know why we are losing the War on Terror...?

Imagine a televised beheading during WWII and visualize the then-America's response and how hard our wrath would have reigned down on Germany or Japan... Think about the insurgents terrorists that were firing on our Marines from a Mosque –knowing we couldn't retaliate and desecrating the "Holy Place" we were expected to respect. Think of all the lawyers waiting in line to represent the detainees at GITMO. Ponder the effects of politicians making political brownie points by introducing bills that claim making someone stand too long is torture and tying our interrogators hands while lives are at stake.

The list is way too long to chronicle here, but give me a break already.

It really gets to me hearing about one roadside bomb after another picking off our soldiers, maiming or killing them after the spectacular drive into Baghdad. Let the boys on the ground fight to win!

To put it plainly, these Islamic Fascists won't be happy until the world as we know it is thrown back into a total barbaric Taliban-style rule. Period. As for us, the true and only super power, we have to face up to this reality even if it offends our progressive sensibilities. It's time to either say we have been defeated and walk away or "go all the way" and let our troops on the ground fight this war for real-- instead of being sitting targets tied by political restrictions in a hostile country.

To the people that disagree: Just keep your blinders on and worry about who the next American Idol or Survivor will be until the next attack when you can pull your flags out of the attic and let them fly again.

Last to our military: I, along with many others, pray for your safety and thank you immensely for the huge sacrifice you and your families have made.