The Anti-War Lie

There's been quite a bit of positive news on Iraq lately. We have the BBC saying this:

"Iraq faces a period of economic growth and political progress, according to assessments by the International Monetary Fund and the UN.

"The IMF sees 7% growth in 2008 and a similar rise next year, and says oil revenues from buoyant exports should be up by 200,000 barrels a day."

That's very good. This is the sort of change we've needed to start seeing. Everyone knows the security is thus far still improving, but economic gains reflect confidence in arenas other than just security. And if the economy picks up, that means it'll generate jobs and get people off the streets in a constructive manner. Unequivocally good deal there.

Unfortunately, we still are not able to move from "cautious optimism" to just plain "optimism" when we're talking about the ISF. From CBS:

"Lt. Gen. James Dubik, head of the Multi-National Security Transition Command, said the Iraqi defense minister has stressed to him that the country could not assume responsibility for internal security until as late as 2012. Also, it would be unable to defend its borders until at least 2018.

"'There are positive signs, indeed, and steps forward, but the truth is that they simply cannot fix, supply, arm or fuel themselves completely enough at this point,' Dubik told the House Armed Services Committee. "

They still need a lot of big-ticket items, and unfortunately the purchasing system doesn't work very well so that will take some time, and so will the training, as the article states. But this isn't so discouraging as we'd like to think, as we don't intend to hand over control just yet. But, defying all intelligent thought and reason, there are people who want to:

"RETREAT IS NOT AN OPTION FOR THE ANTI-WAR MOVEMENT and it is NOT on our agenda."

What he really means is that retreat is the only option; I know, it confused me too. But here's the big lie that the Anti-war movement tells you without ever saying the words: when they say they want us gone, it's not because they care about what happens to Iraq or Iraqis. It's because they do not want to sacrifice to move the human condition forward. When we listen to the arguments they make, it becomes obvious.

"Despite the fact that more than two-thirds of Americans want Congress to stop the bleeding and get our troops out of Iraq, Congressional war spending is likely to eclipse the one TRILLION dollar mark in 2008."

When they say "stop the bleeding," they don't realize that the withdrawal of American forces at this point will only stop the bleeding of Americans. Iraqi civilians will die in greater numbers without the protection led by American forces. The ISF will not have American leadership, and will become less effective. They too will die in greater numbers without the guidance and mentoring the Americans have provided. But our soldiers won't die, and that's all that matters to them. They don't care about seeing Iraq's war end. They just want to see our part of the war end, because that's all that will stop if we leave now.

An argument one hears on a daily basis from the American Left is how many social services could be put in place or improved with the money that's being spent on the war in Iraq. They're certainly right, we could spend the money making sure every man, woman and child in America can get a flu shot or prescription medication. Or we could spend that money saving lives and trying to better the conditions in a third-world country. We could have medicine, or the Iraqis could have food and safer streets for their kids. The American Left would rather have their "free" medicine, thanks very much. If the problem can't be fixed by flooding the market with donations or hosting a march, they haven't got the steam for it.

This isn't what one should expect to hear from people who declare themselves to be "citizens of the world". We should be hearing about what we can do for the Iraqis to lift them up. We should be hearing them ask us all for patience and resolve, so that their fellow men can someday live in a nation worth living in. We should be hearing them ask us to do more; to donate, to volunteer for the cause of peace in Iraq for all Iraqis, not just ourselves.

We should not be hearing them howl like fools to abandon our fellow men in their time of need.