National Security

By Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA 52)
When General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker presented their first report to Congress six months ago, Congressional Democrats made every effort to discredit their assessment of conditions and progress in Iraq. Both men were accused of being nothing more than mouthpieces for the Bush Administration and negative opinions were formed about their testimony before it was even delivered to Congress.

This second time around, Democrats changed their strategy. But rather than attacking the credibility of Petraeus and Crocker, they turned their attention to the U.S. mission in Iraq and questioned whether – instead of how – victory can be achieved. While General Petraeus acknowledged that recent gains in Iraq are “fragile and reversible,” there is no question that security conditions have markedly improved under the General’s leadership.

By Bob Beauprez
Nancy Pelosi's apparent antipathy for America and admiration for the Islamic jihadists was on display Sunday, February 11 during an interview with CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer. Twice for emphasis the San Francisco Speaker proclaimed that the American led effort in Iraq "is a failure." With far too familiar Pelosi conflicting style, she both condemned and praised the effort of the troops. The troop surge has "not produced the desired effect," she said to Blitzer. But, then tossed in what sounded like a scripted obligatory line: "The troops have succeeded, God bless them."

By Bob Beauprez
While the nation is at war, and the clock was ticking ever closer toward the expiration of the Protect America Act, the House Government Affairs Committee created a media spectacle by parading Roger Clemens through a Congressional investigation hearing into baseball's fascination with human growth hormone.

By Robert G. Kaufman
Confounding the dangerous defeatism of the Administration's critics, the success of the surge in Iraq continues to vindicate the wisdom and foresight of President Bush's grand strategy, known as the Bush Doctrine. There is indeed no substitute for victory in what Norman Podhoretz rightly calls World War IV: the war against radical rogue regimes and terrorists who seek to destroy us not for what we have done, but who we are. The spread of freedom is the only reliable remedy to address the root cause of this conflict, which Osama Bin Laden and his minions thrust upon us on September 11, 2001.

By Bob Beauprez
Did you see it? Iranian Revolutionary Guard speed boats on Tuesday, January 8 raced around and taunted U.S. Naval vessels within International waters in the Strait of Hormuz. During the video the exchange of radio communication between the U.S. and Iranians can be heard proclaiming, "I am coming to you... You will explode after few minutes." President Bush described it as a "provocative act."

By Bob Beauprez
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.

By Bob Beauprez
War causes citizens and societies to assess what they value and the limits to which they will go to preserve life as they know it. It is, therefore, not surprising that those who are opponents of the war against Radical Islam are also opposed to measures used to prosecute it.

By Bob Beauprez
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer revealed this week that plans were in the works to bring legislation back to the respective chambers in an attempt to pull the plug on the war effort. http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/house-senate-democrats-plan-another-iraq-strategy-2007-11-07.html Senators Carl Levin and Robert Byrd, Defense and Appropriation Committee Chairman in the Senate, and Reps. John Murtha and David Obey the corresponding committee chairman from the House are working out the details for the latest attempt to bash the President and pull the rug out from under the troops in the field.

By Bob Beauprez
Ken Salazar is "deeply troubled" again, according to the Denver Post. He gets that way a lot, it seems. The trouble this time caused the Senator to vote against confirmation of Attorney General Nominee, Judge Michael Mukasey of New York. There is trouble, but it isn't with Mukasey – it's with Salazar's poor judgment.

By Bob Beauprez
Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez served as Commander of the Coalition Forces in Iraq from June, 2003 to June, 2004. Without a doubt, this was some of the most difficult time of the war effort and a period during which many now acknowledge mistakes were made. Although Saddam Hussein was captured during Sanchez's command, the most sensational event of Sanchez's tenure will remain the Abu Ghraib scandal.

By Congressman Pete Hoekstra (MI-2)
General David Petraeus, the top military commander in Iraq, and Iraq Ambassador Ryan Crocker delivered sobering testimony before Congress this week.

By Bob Beauprez
The war in Iraq has spurred intense debate and raw emotion reminiscent of the Vietnam War era in America. At a time when patience and perseverance are waning, perhaps even non-existent, public support for a long struggle with a difficult enemy that large numbers of the population neither understand nor have the interest to investigate continues to erode. Although it has been a mere six years since the 9/11 attacks that were unlike anything ever experienced on American soil, the central issue in public discourse has turned to visceral hatred of the president and his actions rather than a resolve to unite against radical Islam that is sworn to destroy America.

By Marine Lt. Tedd Lipka
"No one likes to leave family behind, but in defense of freedom, sacrifice is often necessary, and I do still believe that this is about freedom. People of weak stomach and timid soul would say that our efforts are misguided or in vain, but I have only to think of 3,000 fellow Americans who were guilty of nothing more than going about their daily lives to remind me why we must stand in defiance of those who wish us to simply go quiet into the night."

By Bob Beauprez
In less than 60 days the world will mark the sixth anniversary of 9/11. Thankfully, there are still people like Tedd Lipka who remember that awful day, the day America was attacked, the innocents victims, and the events leading up to the unthinkable becoming reality. Lipka understands that 9/ll was neither unique, nor an isolated, singular assault by a small group of madmen, but rather another strategically planned and executed attack by a well organized, focused, and determined enemy with a global network that is sworn to the destruction of America, our allies and Western Civilization, imposing in its place sharia (Islamic) rule.

By Bob Beauprez
On the very day we learned of a great success with the missile defense program, there were also reports that the Democrats in Congress were trying to pull a $310 million rug out from under the program.

By Jane Rund
As I write this, President Bush has just vetoed the Iraq War Funding Bill. I have strong personal opinions in regard to this veto as I am the mother of a fallen Marine.

By Congressman John Kline (MN-2)
In what has become an altogether too familiar sight, members of the House of Representatives this past week voted on another emergency supplemental bill that fails to support our troops in the field yet still manages to send billions of dollars in pork back to Congressional districts.

By Bob Beauprez
The Democrats – and lots of others – are howling for a withdrawal plan from Iraq. Bring our troops home now, is the chorus from the left. And, under tremendous political pressure, as evidenced by the results of the November elections, a growing number of politicians are starting to sing from the Pelosi-Murtha-Reid hymnal.

By Bob Beauprez
Give the new Democrat leadership in Congress credit for having a flare for making history. Unfortunately, they may have achieved a historic low. The editors at the Wall Street Journal noted that Congress is seldom recognized for its "moral courage," described last week’s debate on the non-binding Iraq resolution as "one of the most shameful moments in the institution's history." That covers a lot of ground.