Time To Stay The Course

The recent horrendous waves of bombing against the Iraqi people in Baghdad today have shaken the people of Iraq and of the United States and our allies. The terrorists used vehicles disgused as ambulances and police cars and struck at softly defended targets. These unconscionable acts of destruction were targeted against groups such as the ICRC who are working to rebuild the shattered infrastructure of Iraq and heal the Iraqi people after decades of neglect.

The acts cannot be allowed to influence the reconstruction of Iraq. Those politicians such as Rep. Kuncinich and Al Sharpton who advocate leaving the Iraqi people to be murdered in cold blood by terrorists and their former Ba’athist tormenters are arguing for a policy that is morally and politically unacceptable. To leave Iraq who be to admit that a few suicide bombings can influence American policy – it will only encourage more and more terrorism against Americans worldwide. To abandon the Iraqi people would be to abandon the very principles of humanitarianism and democracy and is absolutely and completely unacceptable.

Nor is it acceptable to argue that the UN can take our place and do a better job. Given the massive failures of UN peacekeeping troops in Mogadishu, Srebrenica, Abidjan, and elsewhere it is clear that the UN would quickly abandon the Iraqi people and would be unable to improve the security situation.

The original plan for rebuilding Iraq has not failed any more than any plan can fail. The original plan was to rebuild the Iraqi infrastructure, begin creating a system of civil society in Iraq, and secure the country from terrorism long enough for the Iraqis to build the tools they need to be self-sustaining in the long term. This mission has been made more difficult by the inhuman acts of terrorism, but much progress has been made. Iraq’s infrastructure is being rebuilt, the main Iraqi bank is back in business, and despite the terror life has been able to continue in freedom across much of Iraq. Those who criticize the Administration’s policy bear the burden of telling the world what they would that is different and showing why that alternative would be better. To this date, few of the Administration’s critics have met this burden, with the notable exception of The New York Time‘s Thomas Friedman.

The world cannot allow this sort of barbarism to continue unpunished. The United States should use all means at their disposal to find and eliminate these terrorist cells. The government of Syria should be placed under watch for allowing foreign terrorists to slip across their border into Iraq.

If we fail the people of Iraq we only invite more blooshed on our own shores, we show the people of the Middle East we truly do not care for their well-being, and we let down millions who look up to us as a beacon of freedom. Now is the time to stay the course and finish the crucial job we started.