The Wall Street Journal cuts to heart of the matter (again) in its commentary on the defeatist mewlings of the Left concerning our policy and strategy in Iraq.
Just as the going gets rough in Iraq, some of our elites are losing their nerve.Posted by Alan at November 1, 2003 10:36 AMThis of course is precisely the goal of the terrorists in Iraq who this week began their Ramadan offensive. Their car bombs and rocket attacks are destructive and terrifying but not a serious military threat. The guerrilla insurgency remains leaderless, with no great power support and largely confined to the Sunni Triangle surrounding Baghdad. The overwhelming majority of Iraqis continue to support the U.S. presence, and progress continues toward Iraqi self-rule. In short, Iraq is not in "chaos" or on the verge of a popular uprising, and this anti-guerrilla war is clearly winnable.
But the Baathist die-hards know that they do not have to win in Iraq; they merely have to prevail in Washington. So like the Tet offensive of 1968 and the Marine barracks bombing in Beirut in 1983, their terror campaign is intended to shake American resolve.
In this, we regret to report, they are having some success. A good portion of the Democratic Party and its intellectual cohort are already predicting American defeat.
We are not saying that these voices want the U.S. to lose. But their criticism is so virulent and unconstructive that it is clear they won't let themselves believe that America could win.
The Bush policy has been to take the battle to the terrorists and their state supporters. Iraq is now the central battlefield of that campaign. It is a fantasy to believe that if we are driven from Iraq because of flagging American resolve then the terrorists would leave us alone. They are sure to follow us here and kill more innocent civilians until we cease to pursue them anywhere and in any way. The Kerry strategy--now dominant among Democrats and liberal intellectuals--is a Maginot Line that guarantees our eventual defeat.