-By Warner Todd Huston
It is a shocker, but the AP actually let loose a kernel of truth about the situation in Iraq in one of their reports for a change. To wit, if Iraqi insurgents wait long enough, the USA will leave and they can come back on the scene with guns blazing and knives sharpened for decapitations.
In the streets of Sadr City, the strategy of Muqtada al-Sadr, the Shiite militia leader, is clear: Lie low, avoid a showdown and hope to emerge even stronger after the Americans leave.
This must have been a mistake. The AP would never knowingly give opponents of a pullout such ammo for discussion.
Naturally, they do not develop the reason that al-Sadr has come to this strategy, but the fact that they revealed that strategy at all is a refreshing change from their steady and nearly unwavering support for the anti-USA crowd on the left that is the usual AP fare.
To answer the “why” of al-Sadr’s strategy, it will be up to us and any sharp-eyed reader to discern why al-Sadr feels his strategy of sit-and-wait is a viable one. Obviously, al-Sadr knows that the Democrats (who are acting the part of his allies here) could prevail in their precipitous pull-out goals and will have defeated the USA at home leaving he, and all other combatants in Iraq, with a free hand to do as they wish after the Democrats succeed in forcing US troops to withdraw with their tail between their legs.
All al-Sadr has to do is sit tight and wait. It’s a pretty easy strategy — brilliant, even. No expenditure of assets, no loss of his own troops, no loss of equipment. Just sit and quietly wait for his allies in the Democratic Party to hand him a victory.
What could be easier?
In fact, after several years of leftists illegitimately claiming that this war is “just like Vietnam” we finally have arrived at a point where this war is just like Vietnam. The point we have come to is the point where the Democratic Party can cut funding to the troops, turn the people against the war effort, undermine the military, and assure our defeat from within.
They did this to end Vietnam and millions of Cambodians and Vietnamese died as a result of this domestic political calculation. The Democrats “won” that conflict.
And that was the only “winning” that occurred in the early 1970s — that of the Democrats “winning’ their political points. Naturally, Republicans lost. That wasn’t the bad part, though as far more people lost as a result of Vietnam and those loses far outweighs the Democrat’s paltry political win. The American people lost, the country was damaged heavily, and millions of people in Asia lost their lives as a result of that Democratic Party “win”.
Sadly, Democrats have never been called to account for the many millions of deaths that stain their decisions to cause our loss in Vietnam. But, it isn’t too late to stop them from doing the same thing now.
I doubt we can expect help from the AP, however. Leaders like al-Sadr know that the media and the Democrats on on their side. As Osama bin Laden’s chief lieutenant, Sheikh Ayman Muhammad al-Zawahiri , said in an intercepted letter, “I say to you: that we are in a battle, and that more than half of this battle is taking place in the battlefield of the media.”
Yes, they know who they can count on. It is up to Americans everywhere to call the MSM on the carpet and curb the political calculations of spineless Democrats if for no other reason than to prevent the massive amount of blood that will be spilled if we leave the region under Democratic Party pressure.
Let’s not allow the Party of defeat to make this Vietnam all over again.
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Warner Todd Huston’s thoughtful commentary, sometimes irreverent often historically based, is featured on many websites such as newsbusters.org, townhall.com, men’snewsdaily.com and americandaily.com among many, many others. Additionally, he has been a guest on several radio programs to discuss his opinion editorials and current events. He has also written for several history magazines and appears in the new book “Americans on Politics, Policy and Pop Culture” which can be purchased on amazon.com. He is also the owner and operator of publiusforum.com. Feel free to contact him with any comments or questions : EMAIL Warner Todd Huston