Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld got the ball rolling on this new tactic earlier this week:
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Tuesday the world faces "a new type of fascism" and likened critics of the Bush administration's war strategy to those who tried to appease the Nazis in the 1930s.
He portrayed the administration's critics as suffering from "moral or intellectual confusion" about what threatens the nation's security.
Speaking to several thousand veterans at the American Legion's national convention, Rumsfeld quoted Winston Churchill as observing that trying to accommodate Adolf Hitler was "a bit like feeding a crocodile, hoping it would eat you last."
"Can we truly afford to believe that somehow, some way, vicious extremists can be appeased?" he asked.
"Can we truly afford to return to the destructive view that America -- not the enemy -- is the real source of the world's troubles?"
How dare they. Who do they think they are? They should be ashamed and should apologize to the American people for such rhetoric.
The fact is, the course we are currently on in Iraq is failing. Each and everyday we are losing men and women on the ground and spending millions of dollars for what? What progress is being made? None.
Why can't the Republicans just admit that their strategy is flawed and fix it. That would be the right thing to do. However, that would take real leadership and political will; something the Republicans are lacking.
Most Americans agree that we cannot leave Iraq now. I agree with that and so does Congressman Ford. They also agree that it is clearly time for new ideas and strategies in Iraq. Congressman Ford is one of those Americans.
He recently released the following set of proposed policy changes that he feels could make a difference in Iraq:
- President Bush should ask for Secretary of Defense, Don Rumsfeld, to resign. His gross mismanagement of the Iraq War has weakened our chances of winning in Iraq and undermined our national security interests in the region.
- Because the sectarian violence is escalating inside Iraq, we need to consider implementing a three-state solution that will create separate and sovereign regions for the Sunnis, Shias and the Kurds. The policy and model that we used to bring the Bosnian conflict under control should be used as a guide to develop our approach in Iraq.
- We need to undertake a large-scale effort with our allies and moderate Arab regimes to rebuild Lebanon. This will require considerable resources and our active involvement. The best way to undermine Hezbollah's influence in Lebanon and Iraq is to facilitate the restoration of a stable government. I applaud President Bush's pledge of a total of $230 million to help rebuild Lebanon. That is a good first step. But we also need to do everything we can to see that the ceasefire holds and that the global community commits the troops and the resources necessary to disarm Hezbollah and enforce the peace.
- We need to move forward quickly and aggressively to break our dependence on foreign oil. We need to develop a Marshall Plan to invest in renewable and alternative energies, like wind, solar and nuclear and using Tennessee's agricultural products for farm-based fuels. Unless and until we break our addiction to oil, we will always be the world's oil cop. This needs to end."
Those are real ideas and real strategies that need to be considered if the President is serious about winning in Iraq.
Donald Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney, President Bush and Bob Corker all like to question the patriotism of those of us who are calling for a different direction and a new vision in Iraq. They say we don't support the troops, are sympathizers to the terrorists, and are weak on defense.
They could not be more wrong. Having a new vision in Iraq is the best thing that could happen for our troops, the best thing to improve the war on terror, and the best thing to bolster our national defense.
If these goons spent as much time on coming up with a real plan for Iraq as they do coming up with three worded buzz phrases (cut and run, adapt to win, stay the course) and attacks on those who disagree with them, things would be going pretty good.
Be a patriot; vote for change; vote for Ford!
