National Security

Congressional Democrats' political strategy to maintain their slim majorities in Congress and capture the White House becomes more transparent every day. American failure in Iraq is a necessity for them in order to blame George W. Bush – never mind the consequences of defeat. Harry Reid personifies the entrenched Democrat plan more than anyone. It is a tragic moment in history when the leader of the Senate is more obsessed with political power and validation of his prediction of failure than American victory.

Regardless of numerous eyewitness reports of progress made in Iraq from Gen. Petraeus's implementation of the Surge, Harry Reid refused to admit he may have been wrong last April when he declared "this war is lost." Even Democrat members of the House and Senate have returned with encouraging reports, and numerous media accounts have documented the success of the anti-insurgent strategy, particularly in the previously embattled Anbar Province and in Baghdad. Reid apparently believes reports of positive news are pure fantasy and that the witnesses are either liars or fools.

Upon the first anniversary of the President's announcement of the new strategy, Harry Reid issued his most recent declaration of defeat saying, "As President Bush continues to cling stubbornly to his flawed strategy, Al Qaeda only grows stronger. Rather than unconditionally supporting an endless war the American people oppose, I strongly urge the President to work with Congress to redeploy our troops and refocus the mission in Iraq so we can more effectively fight the war on terror."

The final results are still uncertain, and a difficult struggle no doubt remains, but Reid can't bring himself to acknowledge the positive turnaround due to the effort of our troops and improved strategy. Harry Reid is so obsessed with his own political self interest that failure in Iraq has to be the public perception even if it is not the reality.

Reid has become so cynical about the war that he is either unwilling or unable to see evidence of hope and give the troops the credit and opportunity for victory that they deserve. He's the kind of cynic that would arrive as the last flames of a devastating inferno were being doused, and rather than congratulate the fireman on a heroic achievement he'd say "but, you haven't rebuilt the building!"

Senators Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and John McCain (R-AZ), both acknowledged as considerably more competent military and foreign policy experts than Reid, penned a guest editorial in the Wall Street Journal the same week as Reid's latest claim of failure. For those that said all that was left to do was to "accept defeat and retreat…they could not have been more wrong," said the Senators.

Since the Surge has finally been fully implemented, Lieberman and McCain say casualties decreased each of the last four months. In fact, casualties for the last three months are the fewest of any 90 day period since the start of the war in March of 2003. The Senators acknowledge the "gains are thrilling but not yet permanent." Much remains to do including the political progress necessary by the Iraqis. However, the question about the whether the Surge is working is over according to the Senators. "It is," they state emphatically. Harry Reid, however, called references to progress in Iraq just "White House spin."

Lieberman and McCain don't sugar coat it, but neither are they willing to ignore what the troops have accomplished in the last several months. "As Americans, we have repeatedly done what others said was impossible. Gen. Petraeus and his troops are doing that again in Iraq today."

The progress made is significant, even remarkable, but it can also be lost, Lieberman and McCain astutely acknowledge. "But thanks to the courage of our troops, the skill and intellect of their battlefield commander, and the steadfastness of our commander in chief, we have at last begun to see the contours of what must remain our objective to this long, hard, and absolutely necessary war -- victory."