Posted by
flagwaver on Thursday, August 23, 2007 9:40:18 PM
We have
all heard the famous line “Failure is not an option”, and that is how I feel
about the situation in Iraq. We cannot afford to fail in this endeavor, not
just for our reputation’s sake, but for our safety and security and that of our
allies. There is more riding on the outcome of this conflict than just the
future of the Iraqi people, much more.
We are
being watched to see how we handle our situation in Iraq, not just by the
Islamic radicals but by our allies and other rivals. Our allies are looking to
see if we have the resolve to finish what we started in Iraq, so they can
decide if it is worth it to them to remain allied with us. We have allies in
this world that depend on us for support and protection, and it is very
important that we show them that we are willing to go the distance to finish
this fight, so that they know that if they need us they can count on us to
stick with them.
The
rivals that worry me the most are China and Russia. China sits poised to take
Taiwan and to unleash North Korea against South Korea, in order to consolidate
their power in Asia. All of their industrializing and going to a market based
economy does not change the fact that they are still a communist dictatorship,
and that they see themselves as the rightful rulers of Asia. The only thing
holding them back is us, and the resolve they feel we would have in defending
the nations that we have pledged to. But if we run away from this fight, which
directly impacts on our national welfare, how much of a deterrent force would
we really be to them in the face of a defeat in Iraq? Why should they fear our
retaliation for grabbing power in Taiwan or sending Kim Jong IL into South
Korea? We would have shown them that we do not have the stomach for a fight to
the end.
And
Russia is longing to reclaim the empire in Europe that they feel was stolen
from them in the 1990s. The Russian government has tried every way that it
knows how to gain influence over the governments of many of its former
satellites, and has allegedly gone so far as murder to silence dissidents. The
former Soviet satellites look to us, not Europe, for strength and reassurance
and the Russians know that. If we declare victory in Iraq and slink home, do
not think that will go unnoticed in the halls of the Kremlin. How long would it
take for the Russians to start making some serious moves against their former
satellites with a defeated America at home licking her wounds?
Regardless
of the reasons we went into Iraq or the failures in planning, or whether
American style democracy can take root in the Middle East we cannot afford to
fail. American failure in Iraq would not only doom the Iraqis to hell on earth
and invite more attacks against us; it would give our biggest rivals the green
light to move ahead with their own plans of domination. And that, we cannot
allow.
This war
is bigger than just Iraq now, and we must recognize just how high the stakes
really are. Make no mistake about it; for a host of reasons “Failure is NOT an
option” in Iraq!