It is probably fair to say, from any perspective, that the continuing war in Iraq is the most controversial thing this country has done since Vietnam.  It may also be true that given the convergence of this event at a time of extreme divisiveness and partisanship, it is even more the source of over-heated and passionately vitriolic debate... no, scratch that... it is no longer a reasoned debate, it is a nose-to-nose confrontation between true believers coming from positions of partisan viewpoints that are polar opposites. It is better defined by the red-faced, hyperbolic volume of the assertions than by any loosely coincidental connections to fact or historical relevance.

The tragedy is that this venom spewing encounter is utterly counter-productive no matter which side of the position you are on and the stakes are horrific.  if, for example, you are anti-war at all costs then your unwillingness to find common ground is resulting not in the end of the fighting but in a political stalemate that simply sees more blood on the ground and, from your viewpoint, for no purpose.  If, on the other hand, you think this war has a potential to achieve some good goal, your unwillingness to find common ground or to provide a convincing presentation of your beliefs, simply keeps it dragging on to where the military's level of participation needed to win will never be approved and not only are your "good goals" not being achieved but you are throwing away American lives in the process.

There are no innocent good guys in the argument anymore.  Both sides have long ago thrown away any right to that title by refusing to work toward agreement and accommodation and by degenerating into a war of labels, bumper-sticker philosophy, and character assassinations guaranteed to make the other side dig in their heels.  Of course that is on purpose.

There is much money and lots of power and personal attention to be gained by making sure the conflict is continued.  If the cause is won by either side the money dries up and the worker bees all go home and forget about you.  That is intolerable for the ranters of both left and right or those desperate for a cause behind which they can rally their disciples and gain status and stature and maybe a few bucks. 

But as a veteran who walks with a limp because I was willing to serve my country, I find THEM to be intolerable.  Both sides, right and left, are to blame here.  Soldiers who want only to serve are dying and being maimed while idiots of all ideologies hide behind their lines in the sand and refuse to discuss the situation rationally and take the steps necessary to either end it quickly or commit what is necessary to win.   It is precisely a repeat of Vietnam in that regard.  Personally I believe there are those, primarily but not exclusively on the left of the argument, that are so virulently anti-American they could not stand the thought of us winning, especially if it in any way might cast other than disdain on their political opponents.  Losing serves their purposes far better than winning.  And there are those on both sides that simply do not have the stomach for the type of engagement it will take to deal with the forces we are facing.  Many are good, well intentioned people who are horrified at the concept but are also blind to the fact that if we cannot be unleashed to win, nor are we removed, we will simply continue to hemorrhage American blood for nothing.

So, here I have tried to gather not only my own thoughts but, in some cases, the thoughts of others that I thought were well reasoned and logical, to discuss the situation rationally, with facts and history not ideological blindness and with issues not labels or personal attacks.  Taken as a whole I've tried to paint what I believe to be an accurate portrayal of the situation and the participants arrayed against us.  As an old intelligence person I can assert categorically that if we refuse to accept the truth about those we fight as well as about those with whom we wish to ally ourselves, we will fail miserably no matter what our goals may be.  Here, political correctness is a nation killer... and it is OUR nation at stake.

Click on the title to open the document. Whether you agree or disagree with all of the positions in these documents, what is vital is you do what you can to end the nonsensical bickering over personalities and labels and insist your representatives work toward an equitable resolution that is in the best long term interests of this nation.

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