Everything in our Power

In recent weeks, a scant few on the left side of the aisle have begun to engage in the debate about supporting our troops with no preconditions...a very SCANT few...and those still hiding behind the "we support our troops BUT" mini skirt are starting to get exposed in ever greater detail.

One such Politician not afraid to call them out is Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite from Florida, who posted this in the St. Petersburg Times recently. In this op-ed, she rails on those who decry a "support for the troops" while trying to maintain the precarious balance of simultaneously being against the war. A difficult equilirium to maintain, indeed.

A passage of great import from Rep. Brown-Waite suggests

Support is not a slogan. Support is more than wearing a button. Support is active. Supporting the troops is not saying things that encourage our enemies. Support is not saying things that make it harder for our troops to fight. Supporting the troops requires a commitment to win.

And this last begs the question, "What is this commitment to win? What does it look like? Will I know it when I see it? Will I know when someone ISN'T committed to winning?"

I look around me, and I see many examples of commitment; children being kissed goodbye at the airport with fear and confidence in their eyes as they are being deployed with tears of pride on the faces of the families sacrificing their sons and daughters to this noble cause. I see commitment in the pride and dignity shown at a family gathering when pictures of children in fatigues with their brothers and sisters in theater are being proudly displayed and spread around the room. I see commitment when I travel on business, and run of the mill Americans approach GI's and shake their hands, or hug them as strangers, or give up their seats on the bus, or buy them a drink in an attempt to show a little touch of affection and love...or just a little nudge of encouragement. I see commitment when, out of the blue, a wide-eyed child asks them for their autograph, or a tourist asks if they can have their picture taken with them...I see every day Americans no matter where I go state out loud and without shame that they admire and respect what our soldiers do, honor their sacrifice, and envy their status as our heroes and protectors. I see America at its finest in these moments.

And then, like a freight train, I turn on the TV, or read the paper, or listen to the radio news, and I hear things like this:

The leader [Nancy Pelosi] voted against funding for the Patriot Act and she voted against establishing the Department of Homeland Security. How about for our troops on the ground? The leader of the Democrats voted to cut intelligence funding by $500-million and voted to cut intelligence authorization by nearly 1 percent. This is how liberal Democrats support the troops.

When confronted with these policy choices, the common refrain from Democrats, and I've noticed it printed often in this newspaper, is to say, "You questioned my patriotism." Well, I defy the editor of this paper or any paper to show where I questioned anyone's patriotism. I don't know of any Republican, from the president to the county chairman, who has done so.

This Author is not so quick to mince my words. Rep. Brown-Waite, after this last passage goes on to defend herself by trying to suggest, apologetically I might add, that she does not challenge one's patriotism when she challenges one's commitment to Victory.

Haystack does. Many of the Americans I meet on the road, in the airport, at the office, around the bonfire on the weekend, and everywhere in between would tell you the same. They would tell you that it is not possible to support one without supporting the other. We ALL have an opinion on its execution, it's strategy at the onset, and whether it has been adjusted accordingly or appropriately since its inception. And we would all, also, tell you that we have a hundred suggestions for the Administration if we had 5 minutes of their attention...and NONE of them would tell you we should "get while the gettin's good"; they will instead tell you we should turn it up a few notches and get it finished and over with. They would all tell you these brave men and women are the most imprtant resource this country has, and every sacrifice should be made here at home to make sure they finish what WE started, and bring them home with the job finished...and with THEM victorious.

Nothing less is acceptable. Nothing less will do. Aything less than full Victory is not an option in the American culture...and is not an option for the American people. To suggest a retreat, or a withdrawal, or anything less than a total defeat of the enemy would be to suggest that we don't believe in ourselves, our strength, or our ability to rise to any challenge near or far and overcome it. This is un-Patriotic, and it can not be accepted.

Rep. Brown-Waite gets the last word on this post. She says this:

The administration believes our nation faces grave threats, and the president has made the choice that we will fight in Afghanistan and Iraq, not in New York or Florida. Like it or not, we are engaged in a global war, and all of us should be doing everything in our power to win the war and protect the American people.

[...]

This month I will be in Iraq and able to see the progress for myself. In the meantime, I know these facts: 10,000 insurgents cannot defeat our Army or our Marines. The cause in Iraq is noble. It is the fight for freedom and for civilization, and with great sacrifice we are winning. Victory will take more time and more sacrifice, but we cannot lose unless we defeat ourselves, lose our nerve or our will to win.