|
House GOP Calls Iraq War Part of US 'Legacy of Liberty'
(CNSNews.com) - Eight Republican members in the House of Representatives Tuesday praised the progress being made in the Iraq war and called on the American people to demonstrate the support necessary to make that conflict part of the United States' "legacy of liberty."On the same day that Vice President Dick Cheney insisted in a speech that an early withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq would be "unwise in the extreme," the GOP congressmen used a news conference to emphasize the accomplishments made by coalition troops in that Middle East country. "I think one message that came to all Americans after 9/11 was this: If we don't change the world, the world is going to change us," said Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. "And we are changing the world," he stated. "We're changing the world in Iraq by giving the people freedom." Hunter added that one of the greatest areas of progress was in training soldiers for the Iraqi military, which "doesn't have to stop a large invasion from outside Iraq; it simply has to be able to protect its own government." Acknowledging that support for the war is low in U.S. opinion polls, Hunter stated that the American people also have a part to play in the conflict. "The quality we have to show right now is endurance," he said. "We have to show the world we're not a nation that's only capable of conducting a two-month war or a one-week war. We have to show that we have the 'stick-to-it-iveness' to see this through." Several congressmen at the news conference spoke about their experiences when traveling to Iraq. One of those was Rep. Mark Kennedy (R-Minn.), who asserted that "good things are happening" there. "In 2004, we flew into a Baghdad airport where you had to do a corkscrew landing to avoid being shot at," Kennedy stated. "This year, we flew straight into an airport controlled by civilians where three airlines have scheduled commercial service." Along those lines, Rep. Tim Murphy (R-Pa.) praised a recent special on the Fox News Channel for "getting out the truth" about what's really happening on the streets of Iraq. According to Murphy, that program "showed people shopping, showed the schools open, showed people in the restaurants and showed Iraqis saying on camera -- not covering up their faces because they're afraid -- saying 'thank you, America, for helping us. This was an awful country under Saddam Hussein, and we're thankful you're here.'" Waging war is "a terrible and difficult endeavor," Murphy conceded, adding that soldiers dying or being wounded is "an awful, awful thing." But he asserted that the situation in Iraq "will be worse if we walk away and make their deaths meaningless. "I'm very proud of having been there to hear our soldiers say they want to finish the job, to turn the control of the government over to the Iraqi government, which will be elected on Dec. 15," he said. "That is what we owe our soldiers, and quite frankly, that is what we owe the legacy of liberty." Rep. Mike Sodrel (R-Ind.), who recently returned from his first trip to Iraq, called it "unfortunate" that the current debate over the conflict there is taking place immediately before the Iraqi election. "Many people today are using the wrong words to communicate the wrong ideas at the wrong time," Sodrel said. "It's not that we don't have an exit strategy. The question is: Should we communicate that strategy with the enemy? I think that's a bad idea." However, Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) was much more specific in criticizing remarks from the other side of the political aisle. "A few days ago, (Democratic National Committee Chairman) Howard Dean said this: 'The idea that we're going to win a war in Iraq is an idea which is just plain wrong.' On the contrary, Mr. Dean, it is your assessment that's just plain wrong, and it is those who doubt the commitment and the ability of our fighting men and women in Iraq who are wrong," Ros-Lehtinen said. "Those who are serving in Iraq right now would ask Mr. Dean to take stock of just how far we've come in Iraq," she stated. "Is this not winning? The reign of terror has ended. Is that not worthy? Today, Saddam Hussein is on trial for crimes against humanity. Is that not a benchmark of progress? Next week, the Iraqi people will once again go to the polls to freely express their views and their political will. Is that not a benchmark of success? "Our mission in Iraq is noble," Ros-Lehtinen added. "This war is winnable, and we're going to see it through for freedom's sake."
Posted by: Steve 2005-12-07 |
|
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=136839 |