While I did not like almost 95% of what Lanny and the democrats had to say about removing saddam and Iraq, I commend Mr.Davis for his sincere article.

I am waiting for Naomi Klien to do the same after she wished failure for Iraq.

Betty Ann; your obnoxiousness is showing! Oh you’re a dem wit.

I am truly impressed that an antiwar Democrat can actually see through all politically motivated criticism of the war.Political because Obama is already talking about war in Afganistan. Will an Afganistan war be more justified,less costly,spare young men and women more,be more palatable to our European friends I think not.
Could it be our critics were more offended because they were denied their opportunity to make money off this war? Isn’t war always a money making deal?

I doubt if Mr. Davis would be writing this article or expressing this view if Senator Clinton had won the Democratic nomination. As the saying goes, he who pays the piper calls the tune. And nowadays, Piper Davis is getting paid by Fox.

The Bush administration won’t support democracy in this country. Why would it go to Iraq to start a democracy? Well, of course, it wouldn’t.

Is there anybody who really believes that democracy will bloom in Iraq? Unfortunately, that part of the world never when through the rejection of an all-controlling church. Until that happens, as it did with Europe’s reformation, democracy doesn’t have anywhere to lay down roots.

I’m startled that the right has rejected its policies of the cold war. Back then, the right leaving administration’s found a dictator, gave him money, and got what they wanted. Back then, it was the liberal left that wanted to start democracies.

This democracy argument will show its bankrupcy when the democratically elected government of Iraq demands that we remove all troops and we decide that we won’t do that ‘for their own good.’

Let’s stop this nonsense, go to Afghanistan and Pakistan, and get those people who attacked us. They got what they wanted. How about we get some payback?

THANK YOU for your honesty. The LACK of honesty on the part of many Democrats (including the media’s love child Obama) is what is most disgusting. Once a person admits that the surge has worked and the Iraqi’s have a CHANCE to be free (and eventually under their own rule), it’s harder to say that we need to walk away. We did that in Afghanistan after chasing the Russians out and LOOK what happened there; the Taliban was able to rise to power and then 911 happened!

I wish more politicians (and average citizens) would acknowledge that regardless if we “should” have gone into Iraq, we ARE THERE and have a moral duty to stay the course. We also have a duty to have strong national security; should Iraq fall to the terrorists with the help of Iran, we would have a MUCH bigger problem (threat) on our hands….

7/25/08 NO ONE SHOULD WANT WAR. I BELIEVE IT IS ‘TOTALLY’ INAPPROPRIATE FOR ANYONE TO DEPRIVE ANOTHER BY ANY MEANS OF THEIR PERSONAL SECURITY AND LIBERTY-OUR AMERICAN CONSTITUTION SEEMS TO PROVIDE AND PROTECT BEST FOR OUR CITIZENRY. EVERYONE SHOULD APPRECIATE THE REWARDS OF HAVING THAT PERSONAL “PURPLE FINGER” PRIVILEGE.
MY CONDOLENCES AND SYMPATHIES TO THOSE WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS LOST IN THIS AND ANY STRESSING TIME OF WAR - NO MATTER WHERE OR WHY; AS IMPORTANT THOUGH, EVERYONE NEEDS TO ACCEPT THIS COST AND APPRECIATE THAT THIS WAR’S CURRENT LOSSES ARE MINIMAL AS COMPARED TO THE THOUSANDS OF THOUSANDS OF OUR BRAVE AND DEDICATED ANCESTORS WHO HAVE FOUGHT FOR AMERICA-FOR YOUR “PURPLE FINGER” FROM BEFORE THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR (INCL. MY OWN), THROUGH THE MANY INTERIM WARS, THROUGH WORLD WAR I, AND WORLD WAR II AND MORE, ALL TO MAINTAIN YOUR OWN “PURPLE FINGER”. YES, THIS WAR IS VERY DOLLAR COSTLY; LESS SO IN NUMBER OF LIVES LOST.
THIS COUNTRY LOSES 50,000 LIVES EVERY YEAR ON THE HIGHWAY.
IN STATE MURDERS FAR EXCEED THESE WAR LOSSES AND THE MEDIA SAYS NOTHING OTHER THAN TO SENSATIONALIZE THEM. I BLAME THE MEDIA FOR THE BIASED REPORTS AND EMPHASIS GIVEN.
WE DONT NEED ANOTHER CAPABLE OF IMMATURE DECISIONS.
THE STOIC WELL SEASONED IN WORLD AFFAIRS, SENATOR MCCAIN WILL DO FINE FOR ME. SENATOR OBAMA WILL BE MUCH BETTER IN FOUR YEARS FROM NOW. THAT IS MY OPINION. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION AND UNDERSTANDING. SINCERELY…. .

To Comment by Charles W. Stefan July 23, 2008 at 12:32 AM: “Never understood why Pres. H. W. Bush (41)didn’t go in and take out Saddam when
Saddam invaded Kuwait.”
I believe Pres Bush 41 understood, after Kuwait,if he had lost one soldier on the ground in an effort to take out Saddam the leftwing “SAD Leaders” “Self Anointed Democrat Leaders” and the media would have had him out of office in a heart beat.
1. When Castro took over Cuba, the left supported Castro.
2. In Nicaragua, the left supported the Sandanistas.
3. In the Cold War they suported The Soviet Union.
4. In Korea, they supported North Korea.
5. In Vietnam, they supported North Vietnam, and by one vote in Congress they accomplished the slaughter of 200- 300,000 S. Vietnamese and Cambodians.
6. In the Middle East they still support the al Qaeda.
Why do the “SAD Leaders” support Communist Dictators?????
I believe “The Ayn Rand Lexicon” pages 147-148 has it right. Referring to Marxists: “Envy/Hatred of the Good for being the Good” …”It means hatred of a person for possessing a value or virtue one regards as desirable”…”The primary factor and distinguishing characteristic is an emotional mechanism set in reverse; a response of hatred not toward human vices, but toward human virtues.”
SEE COMMENT BY YAEGER July 24,2008 3:54 AM: Take a look at their responses when Pres Bush 43 tried to start letting people put some of their SS money into the free market. Or when he tried to make some changes in our education system. What hypocrisy they exhibit.
Back to Ayn Rand: “They do not want to own your fortune, they want you to lose it, they do not want to succeed, they want you to fail; they don’t want to live, they want you to die; they hate existence, and they keep running, each trying not to learn that the object of his hatred is himself… They are the essence of evil… Theirs is a conspiracy against the mind, which means: against life and man.”

Lanny, thank you for writing this, for thinking logically about the war and the outcome of it, and for having the courage to print it. There are so many, many Democrats that can’t/won’t/don’t think logically about any situation, no matter how large or small. Logic is not just for Republicans. Most (not all) of the Democrats don’t logically think through their stance on anything. They just spout the party rhetoric. Bringing the troops home without the Iraqi’s being able to take care of themselves is foolhardy and just plain stupid. Why on earth would we liberate them only to throw them to the wolves just to appease a SMALL group of people??

Logic is much needed in the Democratic party right now. Please consider the following as well.

If some of these pundits would actually work what they consider to be “menial” jobs they might understand why we just flat don’t agree with them. Talk to the SMALL farmer, the SMALL rancher, the little “peons” at these big corporations. The ones living paycheck to paycheck. Once the farms and the ranches go……..who’s going to feed Americans, let alone anyone else. Talk to a dairy farmer about their fuel bill……..talk to ANY farmer about their fuel bill…………THEN ask them what they are getting a bushel for their soybeans or a gallon of milk. Farmers around here are selling their cattle, their leases, and even their farms because it’s simply an effort in futility to even TRY to make a profit with the outrageous price of fuel now. Yet, the Democrats are more concerned about ANIMALS than the people that put their food on the table. Something is incredibly wrong with that picture.

Don’t get me wrong……I’m a diehard animal lover……BUT when the choice is between an animal being used as the reason for no oil wells started and between PEOPLE actually having something to eat on the table……….there’s no contest……food for people SHOULD come first. Please explain to a starving child (and there WILL be starving people all over if we don’t do something to bring the farmers’ fuel bills down to manageable size) that the polar bears, a fish, or a bird comes before getting food for them to eat.

Please don’t give me that spiel about not drilling now because it will take 10 years to make a difference. Once we start drilling the prices will come down drastically precisely because the oil producing nations will be scared to death to lose the millions that they are so comfortably used to getting from us. Had this been started back in the 70’s when the gas crunch hit, things would have been a lot different now. We need to start thinking about PEOPLE for a change rather than animals and the “pristine beauty of nature”. Oil wells can be drilled and alternative energy can be accomplished without spoiling nature OR ruining animals’ habitats. It’s high time we started doing something about it.

Oh Betty Ann - Keep dreaming. Obama can deliver a good speech with a teleprompter although he says nothing of substance. People are catching on to the empty suit, the arrogance, the narcissism, his very questionable “friends”, his extreme left wing voting record, his 143 days as a senator with how many present votes (easier to do than take a stance). Where is his birth certificate? Why is his thesis nowhere to be found? Why is he suddenly u-turning to the center? Why doesn’t the media ask him any hard questions? Why is he unwilling to debate John McCain in a townhall setting after saying he would debate “anytime, anywhere? Why are his numbers dropping? He has no experience and is not qualified to be the President.

Welcome to the party, pal.

If your buddy Obama had been in office 2 years ago, we’d have slunk out of there in defeat and a bloodbath would have ensued.

This is the first time I have EVER heard you say that ANY Republican may have been right about something. Astonishing.

After lambasting conservatives for supposedly “listening to Jeebus” ( gee, what about us conservatives who aren’t particularly religious?)beelay quotes Churchill:

“The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.”

You do realize that Churchill was a conservative, don’t you?

Churchill also said democracy was the worst form of government - except for all the others. He knew democracy’s limitations and imperfections and yet he realized that all the failed socialist experiments of the 20th century led to disaster.

I think beelay yearns for a nice leftist utopia where the “jeebus” believers can be silenced and smart, enlightened people like him *snort* get to run everything.

That’s one reason most leftists were not impressed by the purple fingers. They’re not crazy about democracy in America. Why would they want it in Iraq?

Mr Davis, you are speaking logically about Iraq—a rarity from the democrat party today. I personally was against this war from the beginning for the very reasons you state. I wish that more Americans would see things this way. We cannot let the tragedies of our early departure from Vietnam repeat in Iraq.

@Betty Ann, who said, “If Bush is such an honorable man…why does he not attack Sudan and stop the genocide there???? oh wait, they dont have oil. I dare you repubes to address that one.”

Sudan does have oil - lots of it, and much of it not yet tapped. Why do you think the Chinese are there?

Bravo SailerPaul!!!!!!!!!!!

Zero credit to the third-rate Clinton dog-walker for this. It is totally tactical and has no foundation in morality or the national interest. The Democrats failed, just barely, to lose the war. Now that cowardly treachery is unavailing they will limp forward to paw at the coattails of the better men and women who prosecuted and won it. It may be a historical necessity to allow these anti-American pukes to claim they were actually for it, before they were against it, before they won it despite the bumbling presence of George Bush and the neocons but we don’t have to sit quier while these backseat drivers who constantly counseled to drive into the ditch claim success was all their doing. They will do it again, if we let them, at the next crisis. It is what they do. NO credit to Davis for this. It’s just another brand of shillery and it makes me sick. But shame, decency, honor, honesty…. these mean nothing to the Davises of this world.

Finally, a view of Iraq that includes the people of Iraq. When one speaks of abandonment, we’re talking about the people our soldiers work with every day. One day, it might even be nice to celebrate freedom coming to people.

Lanny everyone who isn’t nuts is against sending people to fight and die.
Sometimes it is the only way to protect our lives and livelyhood.
We would hate to bring bloodshed to the Iranian people.
If their leadership provokes an attack by threats or actions, it may happen.
It would be unfortunate but it may reach that point.

You wouldn’t want to fight with a derelict who soiled himself.
You would avoid it till you were attacked OR felt it was immenent.
The result would not be pleasant for either party but you are forced into it.

Saddam was good at sabre rattling and we couldn’t take a chance that he was exagerating.
The Taliban attacked us.
If Iran convinces us that they will harm us or our allies, the result will be another Iraq.

It is their call to make.
We will RESPOND accordingly to their threats.

it’s important that the anti-war left purge their moral framework, observe, and report the objective reality for no ohter reason than to thank individually the soliders and families that committed themsselves to the effort… and deserve the announcemnet of progress and stability that the provided by thier boots on the ground, by dying and by spilling blood for the cause.

Just a simple thanks in that way would go along to encourage our volunteer force, that while they know they were out there… back here someone … previously against their effort …. see what they’ve done… and just says… Hey Guy…. Thanks.

Finally, Lanny! An article from you that really tells the truth. I wish more Democrats would come out with truthful comments about this war. They always seem to make politics their main objective instead of remembering what our soldiers have done and continue to do. This is why allowing Barack Obama to become our leader would be a huge mistake for this country. He is too green and doesn’t have the experience behind him yet.

Hey Max remember when Pres. Bush wanted to do something about Social Security? What did the dems say? No need, nothing needs to be fixed. Remember when Pres. Bush wanted to do something about the dismal track record of our public school system? Wonder what the dems said and did about that? Now the dems say social security is a mess now how could that be? Weren’t they saying nothing needed to be done until years later. Now dems like Lanny Davis are paving the way for Obama to say Iraq really does need us only under a caring demwitted political party in the U.S. Do any of the dems see what a selfish act is being commited by their Messiah in waiting. Look at the money that he is spending on himself. Couldn’t money like that be better spent on all the woes you think need to be corrected? Oh, I remember it’s only a curse when republicans spend money on their elections.

Thank you Mr. Davis, well said. You have reached the same conclusion I have reached, right, wrong, or indifferent, it matters not now why we got into Iraq, that is history. What matters now is where we go from here. Those signs of life from their very fragile government are indeed what it is all about today. We are at the point, I believe, that a successful government representing the people in Iraq would be the most powerful strike against terrorism we could achieve.

Of course the front line against al-queida is moving to Afghanistan. They brought it to Iraq when we arrived, and we, together finally with the Iraqi government, are chasing them out. They are returning where they came from. And the front line will have to follow them. But we need also to help preserve this still blossoming government. A functioning, Islamic, self governed Iraq where the people are able to have the basic human rights Sadam refused them should create a very strong ally on a path to reduced tension in the area.

Rick

I remember hearing “No War for Oil” back in 1991. We didn’t get the oil then, and we still hear this tired old canard from relics like Betty Ann.

Thank you Lanny for being honest and getting past the politics of this issue. Democracy in Iraq is happening and, if successful, will change the entire region for the best. THIS WAS ALWAYS THE GOAL.

I’ve been saying for quite a while that arguing about whether we should have gone in at all is a waste of time since it’s a done deal and that leaving Iraq before the country is stable would be morally reprehensible. Abandoning Iraq to their own fate, especially with Iran just itching to invade, would be evil to the extreme. I question the moral character of anyone who promotes leaving immediately.

Mr. Davis,

Thanks for your editorial.

This has to be some of the most sober thinking I’ve heard from the left side of the aisle in a long, long time.

It’s probably in Senator Obama’s best interest if he takes this speech and recites it word for word NOW. The longer he waits to say it, the harder it’s going to be for him. Because things aren’t going to be getting any worse in Iraq. It may be messy, but the war appears to largely be over. And sooner or later, Senator Obama will have to admit that reality.

Do it now, and by the time October comes the Iraq debate will be over, and he can shift the campaign over onto Domestic issues. He’s going to fare far better admitting he was wrong now.

I’m unimpressed by Lanny Davis’ too late turnabout. It’s nothing more than choosing the strong horse after the race is won. Liberals like Davis were wrong all along about Iraq and now that their defeatist position is hopeless they want to realign themselves with the winning side to maintain their credibility and viability. They played the same game in the Cold War, maintaining sympathy with the Soviet Union and bashing America until the Soviets collapsed and American emerged victorious. Then they rewrote history to place themselves with the winners.

Democrats like Davis are simply unprincipled opportunists who take whatever position is expedient, counting on the public to have a short memory.

Yes, Lanny, we do owe the Iraqis. But don’t we also owe the men and women in the US military to not make their sacrifices in vain? It seems nice that you now suddenly want to win in Iraq, too bad all the politicians you support want to force a defeat upon the US military. Your words seem rather hollow. Now go back to being a shill for whatever commie wants to pay you. Worked out well with old Hillary.

This is virtuoso triangulation but no one is fooled: it isn’t sincere. No moral compasses have been regained, just relax and watch the dems claim that they were the ones who suggested the surge. (Which they surely must have done until they didn’t.)

It’s too bad some people have to be convinced by emotions and images that evoke them instead of reason.

Interesting article and lots of good comments. I am a bit distressed to see so much name calling. I, myself, am very pro-America and cherish our American traditions. Because of this I was not comfortable with the rational of going to war against Saddam Hussain to enforce a UN mandate. I submit that the UN itself poses a danger to US sovereignty greater that Saddam ever did. Enforcing a UN mandate is something that could in the future turn and bite us fatally. America´s sovereignty is something that we should take very seriously. That being said, in the long run it probably does not make much difference why we went to war in Iraque. The clash of ideologies and cultures was and is inevitable. Until the muslim world wakes up and honestly respects the rights of all religions to peacefully practice and proselytize their religion, respects and practices the concept of the secular state and respects the fundamentle rights of all human beings, war potential or actual will be present. It is a sad irony that Muslims will come to the US and practice their religion but will not respect the rights of Christians, Jews, Buddists and others to freely do the same in their countries of origin. One final thought, let´s not be too quick to divide the camps into the “good” republicans and “bad” democrats. It would not be unthinkable if shadowy figures behind the scenes were pulling the strings in both parties. Otherwise, why do we have McCain as the principal alternative to Obama?

Respectfully,
Mike Hanson

WoW Lanny, theres hope for us yet. Remember to say thanks to our TROOPS.
A proud parent of a SOLDIER

How about giving our troops the credit they deserve for putting thier asses on the line and putting the majority of the pressure on the Shiite and Sunni extremists and foreign terrorists. Without our troops help, the Iraqi Army be nothing more than a paper tiger right now.

Lanny,

I disagree with you just about all the time. However, if you are able to publicly disagree with yourself so thouroughly and strongly, then my level of respect for you and your thinking has gone way up.

So, for now on, no matter how disagreeable you may sound to me, I am going to give your commentary a second thought at least before disagreeing with you - I will really try to understand your point of view.

I have immense respect for those who truly are honest, even if it means saying they were wrong - or that theyv’e learned something. I’ve learned from you.

THANKS!

mark

Good for you Mr. Davis for a very good column. As a life-long conservative, I have been extremely frustrated with lop-sided main stream media bashing President Bush on practically every thing he has done. The fact that you can, and did, admit that he has done a couple of things right is to your credit, and I thank you for that.

A well reasoned response. I wish more Democrats would acknowledge those things, but I believe they are too afraid that if they do, George Bush might get some small, nanogram of credit. Democracy in the Middle East could change everything. I just wish you had commented on America’s ham-fisted diplomacy in that region pretty much since WWII. We have an established record of stirring up our allies, getting them to stick their necks out, and then running out on them and letting them get their head chopped off. That is why local support took so long. Even the Sunni leaders have said that they did not get on board until after the surge because they did not believe we were serious until then. Who can blame them? Our track record is one of failure to commit and has been one of our worst enemies.

Since I was a lot younger, as in my High School years, I heard the question of why did we lose in Vietnam. It was only a few years ago that I actually got the chance to visit with my father for a while and listen to his side of the story. You see, Dad was a Navy Seal during the Vietnam war and he had a unique perspective on what went on over there.

Dad told me that the troops on the ground could have won that war at any time. All it took was for the pencil pushers in Washington to get off their butts and give them the ability to do so. Stop talking lines and start talking war.

Today, as I look at the two political candidates for the office of President, I have to ask myself if we are looking at a time when one such pencil pusher (Obama) will give us the same kind of defeat. Folks, our troops didn’t lose the war in Vietnam, our democratically elected politicians lost that one. Let’s look beyond the race issue and the other issues and elect a strong leader to take us into the next 4 years.

I’m an Independant, yet today I’ll tell you my vote will be for John McCain.

I feel that he will better be able to lead our people into the next 4 or 8 years down the road.

Obama said in early 2007 that nothing in the surge plan would “make a significant dent in the sectarian violence,” and the new strategy would “not prove to be one that changes the dynamics significantly.” He referred to the surge derisively as “baby-sit[ting] a civil war.” Rich Lowrey

In his op-ed, Obama sticks to the badly dated contention that Iraqis “have not reached the political accommodation that was the stated purpose of the surge.” In fact, roughly 15 of 18 political benchmarks have been met by the Iraqis — progress Obama threatens to reverse. Rich Lowrey

Obama is nothing but a liberal mouthpiece who keeps handing out the Kool-Aid to all those weak-minded enough to believe in him. These are the times that try mens soles for sure!

NO DANNY….you did not address my question…….why, if bush is so into freeing the world from dictators does he not attack sudan and stop a genocide???

as for the oil in iraq, of course it was about oil…oil for american oil companies who are making deals right now….and let me clarify something….oil companies want oil for themselves not us…..we will still pay high prices

try again Danny

I would like to reply to Dannys post near the top.

1. Saudi Arabia, not Iraq have the largest oil reserves in the world.
2. Sudan does have oil and that is the reason China refuses any sanctions against Omar Al Bashir and his government. One of the main reasons we have not sent troops to Sudan is because The US has been receiving valuable intelligence on Al Queada from Bashir’s government.
3. The increase in oil prices have nothing to do with production or lack thereof in Iraq. And, even if Iraq did have the largest reserves and were pumping at full capacity, gas would still cost the same.

Your argument not only makes no sense, but is trite and sounds like every other uniformed/moronic protester who is just a mouthpiece for some political agenda.

Stop being an idiot Danny.

sailorpaul what a brilliant comment. simply put so anyone can understand.email this comment to dnc and barack obama

Wow!!!
Agreement with Lanny Davis, didn’t think could happen. I never thought the war was a good idea either and I’m from the right, usually. I also don’t think all the political pandering and comparing 16 months to 3-5 years blah blah blah is giving the American people anything to sink our teath into when comparing Obama to McCain. It’s obvious. We aren’t going to leave those people (Iraq) to fall apart into civil war or take over by Iran and any level headed person knows that. If Obama says 16 months and he’s elected and something goes wrong after pulling lets say 1/3 of our troups out he isn’t going to say’well lets keep pulling them out no matter what’ which could lead to us being there for another who knows how long. They’re really therefore saying the same thing. We’ll leave as soon as possible. So lets talk about something else

Doug in NC

Congratulations to Lanny Davis! It is a refreshing and hopeful sign to see recognition of the recent albeit costly success in Iraq by a Democrat. If only our elected officials, both Republican and Democrat would start to look at the big picture and consider all views, and work for some consensus the American spirit would re-emerge.

I was an anti-war republican at the start too. But all these same realities have brought me to the same conclusion: we must stick by the new democracy as long as they need us to help preserve their new and not very strong government. I am just so saddened that so many Americans can’t seem to get their arms around this very same conclusion, and also what the ramifications will be if we leave too soon. Goodness, think ahead, Americans. Also need to get over the negative ideas that Pres Bush is some sort of monster and not a friend of the USA. He has been ahead of most of the rest of us — a true leader.

Very surprised a Democrat that expresses honest comments on The Iraq War .
If his party would do the same it would be a miracle !!!!!!!!!!!!

Where’s all this oil we went to war for? If we went to war for oil, I’d like to start seeing some!

“If Bush is such an honorable man…why does he not attack Sudan and stop the genocide there???? oh wait, they dont have oil. I dare you repubes to address that one”

I can address that Betty Ann. If we went to war in Iraq for oil, then Betty Ann, answer me this. Where is it? Where is this oil we went to war for? I don’t see it. Do you? Do you know where this oil is at? With gas prices high as they are, you and anyone would think that the price of gas would be under a buck a gallon. If we went to war for oil, gas prices would be pennies to the gallon. Remember, Iraq has the largest oil reserves in the world. So if we did go to war for oil, we’d all be swimming in it and President George W. Bush wouldn’t have to go all the way to Saudi Arabia and ask the King Abdullah to increase the supply.

Have I addressed this for you?

McCain 08!!!!!!

It is so nice to see some honesty from a Democrat! Now that Mr. Davis can publicly admit that we are succeeding in Iraq, perhaps more liberals will finally get behind America’s efforts and hope for victory instead of defeat.

There are approx. 25,000,000 Iraqis who are experiencing freedom and hope for the first time thanks to the courage of our president, our troops and the coalition forces that have stood with us.

Mr. Davis … Glad to see you’ve “seen” the light but I take umbridge with your quote about our moral obligation to stay for the long haul “after all of our carnage and destruction wrought by our military intervetion”… Just exactly how else would your side have done it ( could you have done this without military intervention) .. I think not. You and the brave lady with the purple thumb owe our military an huge “THANK YOU”. Your party has been nothing but obstructionist thru out the entire term of President Bush and the Democrat party’s hatered of this administration has done more to aid our enemy than you or anyone else in your party will ever know. You , as a leading voice in the Democrat party need to begin thinking more about the welfare of your fellow citizens than just how much political capital your party can aquire. Dave

Dear Lanny,

Although I find you personable, I also find you misinformed and in denial. The war in Iraq and in
Afghanistan for that matter is just a part of a much larger and more pervasive issue. This is an ideological war and one that will not end in either negotiation, appeasement or reason. The Middle Eastern nations have been fighting this ideological war since the 11th century when the first Crusades began. Over time little has changed on the ideological front with these so-called nations. These are primarily theocracies living in the past and committed to holding on to their power under the guise of religion. Yet they persecute and indoctrinate their own people. Has it ever occurred to you that many Middle Easterners desire to come to this country and in fact do come here and to other countries in the world to escape the tyranny they face in their own countries? If you were an Iraqi, an Afghan or an Iranian and could afford to emigrate would you? Why do you think they control their media? Get real, Lanny and stop spinning. Some of us have your game and will not fall for the spin line.

Thank you for an open minded response (yes, I’m sure I’m biased). Realizing that your point of view will be well received by virtually nobody in the Democratic party, I commend you for having the courage to write this article. America has been great at helping people and countries in need, and Iraq seems to be an example that our efforts have allowed the Iraqis to not only get rid of a genocidal maniac, but also to pursue the dreams that our forefathers fought for many years ago here in this country: the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness. Those ideals were worth fighting for many years ago, and they still are now: even on foreign soil.

Tom Ash
Sacramento, CA

Now that the dirty work in Iraq is coming to an end, a Democrat weakens.

As for me, I never have understood how George H. W. Bush could have been led to not take out Sadam’s regime when Sadam invaded Kuwait. All it did was prolong the situation in the Middle East. It most likely gave Iran more time to build their nuclear capabilities. I believe if Sadam had been taken out in the action to liberate Kuwait, Al Quaeda would not have been able to pull off a 9/11 type attack. Even Afghanistan might have been a less volitile situation with the Taliban. Iran would not have become emboldened to develop nuclear weapons.

We have been in Korea since 1950 in a stale mate between North and South Korea. Look at the prosperity in South Korea. Look at the shambles North Korea is in. Look at the plight of the North Koreans. North Korea threatened their neighbors with nuclear weapons while the strongest army in the world just stood by and let them. Truman was the leader who didn’t want to do the right thing in the 1950s and win freedom for all of Korea. Dispite ending WWII with our nuclear weapons. Stop and think how many people have suffered over the years. And the effort we sustained over the years defending a split Korea.

If Barack Obama becomes president (God help us), I predict we will experience something far more devastating in Iraq and in the Middle East than ever happened with our limited action in Kuwait and earlier in Korea. Vietnam, we just gave up when victory was ours. And look at their plight. 0ur spineless wimps from th e1960s and 1970 would have us pull out of Iraq rather than put in the energy to see that the Iraqi people at least have a chance to govern themselves.

I know sure as anything that if we were to pull out or half heartedly support Iraq under a liberal democratically controlled U. S. goverment we will be attacked by a stronger Al Quaeda and/or Taliban enemy sometime in the future. Most likely sooner than later. And they will enlist other dictatorships, if necessary, to reach their goal of wiping out all of us ‘infidels’. Just look at Chavez shopping for military weapons and someone to back him up. Anyone think Chavez is just being a friendly neighbor to Cuba. I expect to see a Venezuela/Cuba tie-in soon.

The terrorist side of Muslim beliefs have been around since their inception. People need to wake up and realize that anybody who doesn’t join in their beliefs will die. They cannot peacefully convert anyone because their beliefs are not of love. No matter how they try to rationalize their Koran. Until there is a united front by peace lovely people, a confrontation between the two beliefs of Love and Hate will continue.

The only thing that can stop these terrorist movements is to stop being a spineless nation and the bullies will either be wiped out or will backoff. I am a loving person, dispite this harsh assesment of recent history and my belief in a strong defence. But the only way to end tyranny is to confront and defeat it. Just like in the old west the sheriff and his posse had to go after the bad guys, then the town was free to prosper. When our nation was torn apart with civil war, those who stood for enslavement had to be defeated and they were.

The Pelosi’s and Reed’s along with their minnions have only one goal, to socialize this great country of ours. Another means of enslavement. That in turn will lead to a weakened U.S. military. Then one day the terrorist will rise up and no more U.S. of A.

As always, the choice is up to the majority of the people. Let’s pray that the majority will choose freedom.

As a soldier and a Democrat, I often find myself torn on the issue that is at hand. I dont necessarily agree with the reasons bringing us here but yet we are here NOW. You people need to stop worrying about that and help US do OUR jobs! If you want to fight over something fight over why we dont have the best equipment available. Fight over why we are stuck here for fifteen months with repeated deployments away from our homes and loved ones. Or hell if you want to fight so much go to the nearest recruiting office especially you chest thumpers who think that bringing Democracy to the Middle East is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Its easy for someone comfortable in their homes, able to spend time with their loved ones safe and with your biggest worry being how much gas will cost next week. Its easy for you to sit there and say we should do this or we should not do that. YOU are not the ones doing the “doing” WE are. I do what I do cause I love the Army I’m not bailing out like some people I know. I’m neither for nor against this war. I dont care if any of you either. But it pisses me off to see our country so divided and all the mud slinging going on yet hardly anyone really seem to care what matters to us. You want to do something for your country? Vote dont complain. Join the Military or just send a soldier a letter letting us know that someone besides our own families care.

SPC. Bell

I personally very much appreciate the honesty from Mr. Davis. I’m sure that there are more anti-war thinkers that have come to this conclusion. I wish they would speak up. Can they not see how important is and how its their responsibility to speak up.

You silly cons…Obama has got you guys into a frenzy….and I love it.

McBush (McCain) has absolutely no chance of being elected. He is basically a walking corpse…who waers that silly over sized base ball cap and stammers around like he is senile….

If Bush is such an honorable man…why does he not attack Sudan and stop the genocide there???? oh wait, they dont have oil. I dare you repubes to address that one.

Obama 08 and 12 its gonna happen guys…get over it

Betty Ann Brown

Let’s also remember that while everything didn’t go completely as planned in Iraq, we have no idea how badly things might have gone in the Middle East if Saddam was still in power and we had no long friendly border up against Iran. It’s all a calculated risk.

Now see Lanny Davis go under attack. It is alarming how nasty so-called liberals (progressives — i call them repressives) can be. They are the neo-fascists of the era. There are already examples on this listing.

–s c s

You can only deny the sky is blue for so long. Eventually, eventually, eventually you look up and see the obvious. Same with Lanny, after a period of time you start to look really stupid when you can’t acknowledge the truth. Unfortunately, there are those who don’t care how stupid they look.

So, how long does it take for Bush to get any credit for the Iraq success? Probably not in my lifetime but if historians are honest my grandchildren will be fasinated how a failed cruel dictatorship turned into a stable democrocy in a few short years.

Congrats to Lanny, better late than never.

God Bless you Lanny Davis. i think that is the first time I have ever heard a Democrat, other than Lieberman who is a hero to me, say those kind of words about our War effort.

Obama is nothing but a hollow suit trying to wing it as he goes along. Change? what change? I have heard nothing but empty words coming from his and his wifes mouth. They both cry foul when someone responds to their rhetoric and challenges what they say. When they cannot respond appropriately, they simply play the race card. If she doesnt want to be challenged, simply shut the heck up!! When have you ever heard Laura Bush put herself in that position? She conducts herself in a respectful manner at all times from what I have seen. Mrs. Obama–take a lesson from Laura Bush! Is the American public ready to sit still and believe that Obama had his children baptised in the church that spouted all the Anti-white speeches for 20 years and didnt subscribe to any of it? He must be dreaming.
I am sick and tired of hearing George Bush slammed in the papers and from the Democrats mouth. Our country was attacked and he responded immediately and kicked their butts. It is exactly what he should have done. Of course the wacko Democrats cant acknowledge that without compromising their position. Thats just lovely– deny the obvious for what you perceive as your own political gain and not what is true and best for our country. Thats what our country is headed for is this guy is elected. God help us!!!

Don’t anyone worry about Obama and foreign policy. With the way he has been responding to reporters and just plain making statements over the last two days, People are going to start waking up to the “real unscripted Obama”. If the American people fall for this guy’s line, the survival of Israel will not be an issue, but the survival of the U.S., that may be tougher

How interesting that all these Democrats now can see and understand that we cannot just “pick up and leave” this country. Did we just “pick up and leave” Germany, Japan, Korea, etc…NO. I’m a registered Independent and I truly do not understand how anyone with a conscience can call themselves a Democrat. Their hatred of President Bush has blinded them to everything else that is going on or what truly matters to Americans.

The average American is not blind to the media’s love of Obama or the media’s obsession of President Bush. I truly did not care if Obama was white, black, or purple, but the more I listen to the media the concerned I am about Obama’s race. If I’m made to believe that I’m a racist because I do not agree with Obama, you can believe me now, that he will be last person on the face of the planet that I would vote for.

God help us through this election. We’re going to need it no matter which candidate wins the election.

We don’t owe any Iraqis any immediate immigration rights, or any immigration rights at all. If they