HELLO IRAQ

I have been watching or listening to Fox News all day. As I watch several thoughts floated through my mind. Obviously, most of America has focused their attention to the Gulf states where Gustav is now pelting the region. What stands out to me is the fact that “95%” of the local citizens have been evacuated from the region. This is no minor accomplishment! The evacuation was carried out with “military precision” by the local, state, and federal authorities. FEMA did an excellent job. The National Guard in the region has, as usual, done an amazing job in their roll of rising to the occasion and assisting the people throughout the region.

Not once have I heard the local and state officials complain or refuse to allow FEMA to assert the control it needs to implement whatever efforts are needed to protect the region’s citizens and the local industry. Politics have been put aside.

In the War in Iraq, the largest province in Iraq, An-bar, has been turned over to the Iraqi Army. They have now assumed control of “11” provinces in Iraq to date. Anbar is especially significant as it was formerly the base for Al-Qaeda in Iraq. General Petreas and Marine high level Commanders now say that a planned force reduction will occur in Iraq and forces can now be sent to Afghanistan to help bolster defenses against the rising surge of enemy fighters there. The two key bits of information here being, the success of the Iraqi War effort and the continued effort to support Afghanistan.

What stands out to me in all of this is a total lack of “kudos” or whatever term you want to use to show thanks or gratitude where it is deserved for the successes that have been overlooked in the aftermath of these events. I am referring to the ignored efforts of our president and our troops.

Let’s look at the President first. Many see his efforts an d those of his administration as abysimal failures. Two major specific cases in point Katrina and the War in Iraq and Afghanistan. No one can deny Katrina was not handled as well as it should have by FEMA. But, few acknowledged why. I would like to propose some ideas for that failure.

We were a nation that just experienced the worst direct attack against our country in its history. For decades before that horrible day, the enemy warned the attack was impending. Several presidents had opportunities to take action that could have prevented that attack but failed to do so. Most notably, and probably most certainly the presidency that could and should have taken action was the Clinton administration. Legislation was put before Congress that allowed action and proactive steps to be taken. But, personal scandal and inability to follow through on decisions prevented Clinton from doing his job as our “Commander-in-Chief.” His administration not only failed to act but stripped, systimaticlly, the powers of our intelligence agency, specifically the CIA [as disclosed by Robert Baer], leaving us blind to impending attacks. Clinton further embarked on efforts to gain financial capitol for campaign contributions from our enemies over seas and allowed the Chinese to gain control of the Panama Canal. Robert Baer also blew the whistle on some of these actions after much effort on his part to get someone to listen to his “discovery of proof” of these allegations. Clinton, further appointed Bernie Sanders to a position where Sanders repeatedly cut funding in every possible area for our military and left our military virtually on the brink of poverty and without the means to defend our nation.

President Bush assumes office. We are attacked on “9/11.”  In an effort that duplicated the ignored legislation of the Clinton administration, Bush had to get approval from Congress to take the appropriate action for this attack on our nation. Left with a stripped military, no funds for that military to rely on, no intelligence agency to assist him for all practical purposes, Bush and his administration embarked on a path to rebuild, resupply, and train our troops for military action. He also embarked on efforts to establish a cohesive line of communication between the interior and exterior intelligence agencies where none existed. Cooperation was non existent either due to existing laws or lack thereof, terf conflict, and antiquated ideas and further antiquated leadership. He was further hindered by political flak from a “left wing” political machine intent on destroying our nation as we know it and love it.

FEMA and other internal agencies established to help during national disasters and such was in its infancy. Katrina hit the scene. Failure on the part of state and local officials in officials in Lousiana, specifically, led to a total breakdown of communications and efforts in the path of Katrina and made failure imminent.

What no one ever pointed out was the fact that every single aspect of our government agencies were in a state of redesign to make them more cohesive and able to function in the most effective manner when needed. Redundancies, lack of inter agency cooperation, lack of qualified leadership, lack of proper guide lines were all being over hauled.  Our national and international agencies were in shambles and being completely redone. This was a process that had long been ignored criminally and negligently managed for decades. Political agendas from both parties had become more important than national interests. The will of the people, the duty to serve and protect the “people” by our elected officials had long been abdicated to special interests groups, lobbies, party affiliation, and personal political ambition at the expense of the people in our great nation.

President George Bush inherited this travesty of neglect  and greed. He fought his way through the “good old boy” machine of politics as usual to rebuild both our government agencies and give them the capability to work together in the interests of our nation at home and abroad. He and Secretary Rumsfeld also reorganized and streamlined our military to do away with redundancies, inability to cooperate and work together as a single cohesive force instead of four separate units, while maintaining the autonomy necessary for each, resupplied our forces, modernized their equipment, offered incentives to add more forces, and allowed the military to redesign and train our troops for the “new urban warfare” of the present.”

Our troops meanwhile went where they were sent. Performed their duties, at home and abroad, in a air of political uncertainty that often left them without the necessary funding and equipment they needed, provided inadequate medical care, poor family assistance and intervention, and for all practical purposes ignored the hardships they and their families endured. The Congress repeatedly dragged its feet and refused to cooperate with the administration while gloating over every “failure” of what they saw as an administration that was incompetently performing its job.

But, both persevered, President Bush and our troops. Both made remarkable sacrifices personally as they stayed the course and fought the enemies at home and abroad. Both have managed to set a course of continuing success that virtually goes unnoticed in the media and the eyes of the American people. Mr. Bush is even snubbed by his own party. He will be allowed to offer little of his support to the party that he has so elegantly represented for eight years. His approval rating is so low, I am embarrassed as an American citizen that our nation as a whole cannot see through the enemies within our own nation that are keeping that rating so low.

As for our troops who have done such a successful and amazing job at home at abroad, they return home to be “spit on,” see their monuments of respect and tribute defaced or destroyed, see their needs continually not addressed due to the efforts of those vocal minorities who would undo all their accomplishments, while the majority remains silent! They see this minority become increasingly violent and vocal in the streets at every event designed to show support for their efforts. They see these same people do the same now as the Republican Convention begins. They see one of our major political parties support the agenda of this minority that has taken control of that party because it controls the funds needed to function. In actually the see two things, the “rape of the Democratic party” and the American way of life by a left that would destroy all we stand for, strip us of our Democracy, and take away all our Constitution stands for and protects, for a system of government that repeatedly has failed, enslaved millions, and led to the deaths of millions.

Through it all, President George Bush and our “Troops” keep trudging forward and defeating the enemy over seas, protecting and aiding our citizens at home, such as those in the Gulf states, and to put it quite simply, doing their jobs, as usual, with very little thanks or recognition.

Thank you President George Bush. Thank you guys and gals in the military. You shame our nation by your determination to do your job and your duties in the face of so little in return!! Thank you for disproving the image of America as a nation that “cuts and runs” when the going gets tough! Thank you for making our nation safer at home and abroad. Thank you for coming to our aide and improving  the systems that  are there in times of national disasters. Thank you for both for caring and being there!

Posted in Uncategorized
Tags: Afghanistan, Cut and Run Politics and Aide, Gustav, iraq, Katrina, National Defense, National Disasters, Politics, President Bush, Supporting troops, Terrorism, The Enemy Within, The Troops, War in Afghanistan, War in Iraq