Regardless of the events taking place in Iraq, Democrats like Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., and Sens. John Kerry, D-Mass., and Russ Feingold, D-Wis., continue to push for an American retreat — making one wonder what our enemies, like al-Qaida, must make of the messages they hear from these Democratic leaders.
Abu Musad al-Zarqawi was killed on Wednesday, June 7. Shortly thereafter, documents found in one of Zarqawi’s safe houses were released. The documents essentially revealed that the al-Qaida leadership believes that America is winning the war in Iraq.
In a translation provided to the media by Iraqi National Security Advisor Mouwafak Al Rubaie, the text says that “time is now beginning to be of service to the American forces and harmful to the resistance,” and describes the insurgent situation as “bleak” and in a “crisis.”
Ignoring these revelations, Murtha went on “Meet the Press” and stated that the war in Iraq is worse now than it was six months ago.
Well, not according to al-Qaida (aka our enemy, which given the circumstances seems a reliable source).
And throughout Murtha’s stint on “Meet the Press,” he insisted that there is “no plan” to win the war in Iraq. But the only way to justify the “no-plan” diatribe would be to believe that the terrorist documents found in Zarqawi’s safe house are wrong, deny the documents exist, or figure that given a lack of any planning the U.S. military must be darn lucky.
In spite of three successful elections, and Iraq adopting a new constitution and installing a permanent government — along with al-Qaida admitting their situation is dire — these Democratic leaders still argue that we’re losing and we must cut and run.
Then on June 21, Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., and Rep. Peter Hoekstra, R-Mich., held a press conference to announce that weapons of mass destruction had been found in Iraq. More than 500 munitions containing sarin gas and mustard gas were discovered, and more are believed to still exist in the country. This evidence vindicated one of President Bush’s reasons for going to war in Iraq.
Yet, the Democratic revisionists continue to pound false talking points, as if by repeating them they can make them true. “Bush lied and people died” still tops the list, even though we now have proof of WMD. The “we’re losing the war in Iraq, and have no plan to win” talking point is flogged regardless of the terrorists’ own words.
And last week Kerry and Feingold tried to fan the smoke of a nonexistent fire, by pushing a proposal for troop withdrawal by July 2007. It was defeated.
Had it passed, I wonder what the impact of that cut-and-run plan would have had on the Iraqi people, and our credibility as a nation? Would it have given the terrorists an incredible boost in morale?
With the Democratic hyperbole and downright falsehoods blasting through the media, one has to wonder what the terrorists must think as they tune into our airwaves or read ournewspapers. Are they heartened to know that some leaders in America believe in them? Are they encouraged to hold out, to detonate one more bomb, injure or maim one more American soldier?
Because when you boil down the message that these Democrats are sending to our enemies in Iraq, the essence is clear: “Just hang in there. You can still win. In fact, you will win if we have anything to say about it.”
Kathleen Antrim is a columnist for the San Francisco and Washington, D.C., Examiner newspapers. As an author and political commentator she can be heard on the nationally syndicated radio show “Battle Line with Alan Nathan” and on “The Lee Rodgers and Melanie Morgan Show” on Hot Talk 560 KSFO in San Francisco.
