Good News For Iraq, Bad News For The Liberals

February 2, 2005

It was the day after the historic elections in Iraq. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi addressed the National Press Club. If you didn't know better, you'd think they were addressing the nation the day after September 11, 2001. With somber faces they approached the podium. “President Bush needs to do much more to live up to his obligations as commander-in-chief,” Reid whined. What? If anything, the astounding turnout, in the face of death, by the Iraqi citizens vindicated the president.

 

Iraqi voter turnout topped 72 percent. In Nashville, one of only five voting locations across the country, turnout was over 95 percent. Does this sound like a people who long for the days of Saddam?

 

Senator Reid tried to put the best spin on his party's decidedly anti-war rhetoric. “America stands united in waging the war on terror,” he said. Oh, really? All we've heard from the other side is this was “the wrong war at the wrong time.” Now that the elections were a resounding success, Reid, Pelosi, et al had no choice but to engage in “me too” politics. To differentiate his party from the party of power he added, “We Democrats simply believe we need a stronger strategy for winning this war.” Here's a little newsflash for Mr. Reid. The war in Iraq is over. It was over in less than a month. We marched into Baghdad in 21 days, a feat the left claimed would take months, if not years, and cost tens of thousands of American lives.

 

What we're doing, and have been doing since then, is helping to stabilize the country. Germany surrendered in May of 1945. Their first elections were held in August of 1949 – over four years after the end of the war. Allied occupation of post-World War II Germany stretched from 1945 until 1952 – seven years! By historical standards, we're way ahead of schedule in Iraq and this is what frightens the left. They're well aware that their predictions are now being roundly dismissed. They've been wrong since the beginning and they're still wrong.

 

What is most disturbing is their “win-at-any-cost” attitude. They oppose this war because it has been prosecuted by a Republican. They embraced our intervention in Bosnia for one simple reason - Bill Clinton. As you'll recall, Republicans backed then-President Clinton in a bi-partisan display of unity and patriotism. Think about this for a moment. Had Bill Clinton prosecuted this war and brought freedom to Iraq, he would be up for a Nobel Peace Prize.

 

It's sad but true that the Iraqi elections have been the worst news possible to the liberals. You know they're having a bad day when they can't even bear to watch CNN. One blogger on DemocraticUnderground.com complained that all they were showing were Iraqis dancing in the street and touting the high voter turnout. “Where are the freedom fighters?” she asked, referring to the terrorist insurgents. She maintained that Iraq was a victim of “American imperialism” and longed for the day they would drive us out of the country.

 

I liken our efforts in Iraq to teaching a child how to ride a bike. You don't just push the child off and hope they stay up. You run alongside in case they start to fall. You shout encouragement and offer support. If they fall, you help them back up. When they're able to ride all alone, then you can walk back in the house. The liberals would leave the Iraqis to bleed on the pavement. Thankfully, George Bush won't. That is what he means by compassionate conservatism.