Diplomacy by other means

Some Republicans warned President Bush that they don’t have the testicular fortitude to defeat terrorists, according to the Washington Post this morning;

House Republican moderates, in a remarkably blunt White House meeting, warned President Bush this week that his pursuit of the war in Iraq is risking the future of the Republican Party and that he cannot count on GOP support for many more months.

But the meeting between 11 House Republicans, Bush, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, White House political adviser Karl Rove and presidential press secretary Tony Snow was perhaps the clearest sign yet that patience in the party is running out. The meeting, organized by Rep. Charlie Dent (Pa.), one of the co-chairs of the moderate “Tuesday Group,” included Reps. Thomas M. Davis III (Va.), Michael N. Castle (Del.), Todd R. Platts (Pa.), Jim Ramstad (Minn.) and Jo Ann Emerson (Mo.).

“It was a very remarkable, candid conversation,” Davis said. “People are always saying President Bush is in a bubble. Well, this was our chance, and we took it.”

A bubble? The President lives in a bubble? After the grillings he gets from the press corps and the media’s 24/7 coverage of every malcontent in the country protesting Bushitler? Well, I could tell these linguini-spined Republicans were RINOs as soon as they placed the Party before our national security. That’s what Democrats have been doing for the last five years. It only stands to reason that RINOs would begin caving soon. Gutless cowards.

Meanwhile, the Washington Times reports that Defense Secretary Gates told Congress that the debate over Iraq is aiding al Qaida (as if Congress didn’t know that already);

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates yesterday told Congress that al Qaeda will establish a stronghold in Iraq’s Anbar province if U.S. troops pull out prematurely and that the group is reacting to the war debate in Washington by stepping up attacks.
    Furthermore, the entire war effort will be disrupted unless Congress quickly passes an emergency funding bill acceptable to President Bush, he said.
    Mr. Gates’ testimony before the Senate Appropriations Committee preceded today’s scheduled House vote on a bill that the White House promises to veto because it rations war spending and sets up a July vote to cut off funds if progress in Iraq is inadequate.
    “If we were to withdraw, leaving Iraq in chaos, al Qaeda almost certainly would use Anbar province as another base from which to plan operations not only inside Iraq, but first of all in the neighborhood and then potentially against the United States,” Mr. Gates told the committee.

But Congress is only concerned about it’s members job security.

The Washington Times also tells us that Bahrain is warning against our withdrawal from Iraq;

The U.S.-led war in Iraq has damaged America’s image in the Arab Middle East, but a premature withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq would make the situation worse, Bahrain’s information minister, Muhammad Abdul Ghaffar, said yesterday.
    “We all know the situation is not easy, but militarily speaking it is not wise now simply to withdraw from Iraq,” Mr. Abdul Ghaffar said during a luncheon with editors and reporters at The Washington Times.
    He acknowledged growing questions over the U.S. commitment in Iraq after the Democratic takeover of Congress in November, but said Iraq’s various factions and ethnic groups still need time to create a workable national government.
    “There is still much work to do on real national reconciliation, and without reconciliation we will not have a stable Iraq,” he added.

If a third world backwater country can recognize the importance of staying the course in Iraq, why can’t the over-educated members of Congress? It’s also a view that Mohammed of Iraq the Model shares;

We must keep fighting those criminals and tyrants until they realize that the freedom-loving peoples of the region are not alone. Freedom and living in dignity are the aspirations of all mankind and that’s what unites us; not death and suicide. When freedom-lovers in other countries reach out for us they are working for the future of everyone tyrants and murderers like Ahmedinejad, Nesrallah, Assad and Qaddafi must realize that we are not their possessions to pass on to their sons or henchmen. We belong to the human civilization and that was the day we gave what we gave to our land and other civilizations. They can’t take out our humanity with their ugly crimes and they can’t force us to back off. The world should ask them to leave our land before asking the soldiers of freedom to do so.

Meanwhile Hugo Chavez, the self-proclaimed new Simon Bolivar, is urging the Latin world to support Iran;

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is encouraging his Latin American allies to expand ties with Iran, which is offering trade concessions and financial incentives and winning influence in the region.
    During two recent visits to Venezuela, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad signed more than $17 billion worth of economic agreements with Mr. Chavez.
    Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega last month received Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki while Bolivian President Evo Morales announced a new trade deal with Iran.
    “The struggle for justice and truth in the framework of economic development is the principle objective of the government in Nicaragua and of our friends in Iran,” said Mr. Ortega when Mr. Mottaki arrived after stopping in Venezuela for talks with Mr. Chavez.
    Mr. Ortega called Iran a “victim” of the U.S., which he accused of “supporting terrorism.”

Hezbollah in Paraguay, anyone?

So weak-kneed Republicans who put party before our national survival, pick this point to start looking to jump ship. The Administration has stopped several attacks on our soil mainly because the terrorists are disjointed and not able to coordinate support for cells abroad due to al Qaida’s focus on Iraq and Afghanistan. Terrorists have had a decade to build their support structure from Afghanistan unhindered and it’s crumbling into a few weak attempts like a guy trying to light a bomb in his shoes with wet matches.

We are provably winning worldwide with small steps forward, but apparently the politicians don’t have the wherewithall to see it through to the end. They don’t have the guts to write our future like the politicians in our past have had. Can you imagine today’s RINOs during the years of steady losses during our Revolution? I doubt they’d have the courage to even sign the Declaration of Independence.

Category: Foreign Policy, Hugo Chavez, Politics