By William John Hagan
Thursday, November 23, 2006
The newly Democratic controlled Congress has not even been seated and the word on the street is that the United States can not win the war in Iraq. This revelation has been amplified by such senior statesmen as former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and United States Senator John McCain, and must come as a great relief to Usama bin Laden and Iran's President Mahmoud ahmadinejad. In concert with Kissinger's statements, Presidential hopeful Senator John McCain of arizona said american troops in Iraq were "fighting and dying for a failed policy." Kissinger is even calling upon the United States to enter into talks with our enemies, Iran and Syria. Kissinger's suggestions are vaguely reminiscent of the negotiations that resulted in the United States losing the Vietnam War; meanwhile, McCain's plan- or lack thereof - seems to be little more than an attempt to advance his Presidential ambitions.
There is no question that the new political climate in Washington will require the Bush administration to reevaluate their policies for victory in Iraq. The new Democratic Congress will attempt to cut funding for the war and bog down the administration in redundant and fruitless investigations into past actions. This will truly be a defining moment for the Bush Presidency. If Bush follows a path of defiance and strength then he may go down in history as the savior of the Western World; while, even the slightest misstep will result in him being painted as a modern day Nero.
There is no question that the Bush administration's accelerated plan of nation building in Iraq has been a well intentioned failure. It appears that President Bush's high moral convictions and Biblical beliefs in good versus evil have allowed him to follow a path that has done little to bring the Iraqi war to a conclusion. The administration has wasted billions of dollars and countless man hours attempting to rebuild the infrastructure of a country still under siege. It is not the job of the military to replace sewer lines, build schools, or construct state of the art hospitals. The job of our military is simply to fight and win wars. Our mistake, an honorable but distorted relic of the Marshall Plan, was to confuse military victory with nation building. Rebuilding the nation of an enemy comes only after their complete and utter surrender.
In order to win in Iraq, the United States must consider removing its troops from that country's population centers. Urban warfare is the talisman of the terrorist and the bane of civilized nations. Only the most malicious and backward enemy uses it cities, teeming with civilians, as a defense shield for its military objectives. The Iraqi government must take control of its cities. american troops should be used to protect the vital oil fields of Iraq as well as its ports and pipelines. In addition, our troops should be used to secure Iraq's vast borders with Iran and Syria in an effort to prevent the further influx of weapons and mercenaries into Iraq for the benefit al-Qaeda. It would also be wise for Iraq's own government to consider moving out of the Green Zone in Baghdad to a more secure location far from the major cities in which al-Qaeda's terrorist cells seem to feel free to operate.
It will take years for the Iraqi government and the United States to finally defeat the enemy but we will not be able to even begin without major adjustments to the way we fight today's urban war. The United States can no longer afford to fight wars based on some fabricated rules of civilized warfare. If an Iraqi city falls to al-Qaeda, after our troops are repositioned, then that city must be made an example for the entire world to observe. The first city in Iraq to fall into the hands of al-Qaeda terrorists should be obliterated as a testament to our United States' airpower and artillery might. The scorched earth should then be left as a permanent reminder of what happens to those who defy the will of the United States of america.
William John Hagan has most recently served as Communications Director for former Congressman Mac Collins. His editorial work has appeared in the Providence Journal, the Houston Home Journal, the Canada Free Press, World Net Daily, Freedom Today Magazine (U.K.), and in other publications.
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