Win the War! Vote Republican!

On the way home from church yesterday, I saw a man holding a large campaign sign that said: "Elect Menendez. Stop Bush." Nancy Pelosi said on '60 Minutes' that she'd be happy to make President Bush a lame duck for the next two years.

I'm sorry, "stopping Bush" is not a constructive agenda. That approach doesn't promote dialog. It does not encourage people across the political spectrum to figure out a good way forward together nor provide bright ideas that may not have been considered before.

Pulling out and declaring defeat álà Vietnam won't make the world a safer place. We know that ignoring Osama bin Laden and his ilk actually encouraged more terrorist attacks. They considered the US weak-willed and decadent. (If you need a reminder of the carnage, see the Army's Timeline of Terror).

Confronting the jihadists in Afghanistan and Iraq has definitely helped drain the swamp, and brought hope to millions. General Casey notes that Iraq isn’t “awash in sectarian violence.” Most sectarian violence in Iraq is concentrated across a 30-mile radius around Baghdad, and, 90 percent of all violence in Iraq is taking place in five of the country’s 18 provinces.

In today's Washington Post, there's a story about what the troops in Iraq think about their situation. Ed Morrissey comments:

The mission has had its failures, but it has had tremendous successes as well. If the US turns its back on the Iraqis now, Somalia will pale into insignificance in comparison to the disaster, both militarily and strategically, we will have brought upon ourselves. Native populations will never -- never -- trust us to stand by and protect them after risking everything to assist us. Tyrants and terrorists will laugh at our threats, knowing they can outlast us, especially if they can create enough propaganda to distract American voters.

The soldiers and Marines understand that victory cannot be replaced by "phased redeployment". If the tactics need changing or adjustment, then bring in better ideas -- but we cannot allow retreat and capitulation become the only other option for Iraq.

We can't afford an obstructionist Congress. Vote Republican!

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For more perspective, historian Victor Davis Hanson has written several articles recently to remind people about what we've accomplished, e.g. "The Wonders of Hindsight," and "Before Iraq."

And The Anchoress has an excellent post tonight, "Believe the troops who are there or the pols who are not?"

My Related posts:

• T-2 Days and Counting: Voting God's Politics
• T-7 Days and Counting: History Lessons
• T-15 Days and Counting: The Propaganda War
• T-20 Days and Counting: Naming the Enemy
• T-21 Days and Counting: Rick Santorum