I support Congressman Murtha's approach. I did not see Congressman Murtha's last few press interviews, but I did listen to his original press conference. He doesn't use the word withdrawal. He has been very clear -- he uses the word "redeploy".
As a War Hero and a Congressman, Murtha has a different relationship with high ranking military officials than other Congressional reps. When he meets with them in private, he hears the truth, not the Pentagon's talking points.
Congressman Murtha really isn't talking about bringing all the troops home. I understand him to be saying that our very presence is the primary motive behind the insurgency. I think he wants us to move troops out of the cities and out of the way of the Iraqi people so that they can start to govern.
Time for a New Military Strategy
We have bred contempt in these people. The real experts are trying to tell us that we have reached a breaking point here -- our very presence is now creating more violence than we are detering.
The Sunnis and the Shi'a may not get along any better than 'Northerners' and 'Southerners' in the U.S. in the 1800's. We worked it out and we owe it to the Iraqi people to have a chance to work this out among themselves as well.
I think we need troops to stay to make certain that the innocent people in that country do not become victims (anymore than they already have been) and that the chaos in Iraq does not de-stabilize other areas of the region.
The Administration has repeated, ad nauseum, that the world is a better place without Saddam. Well, Saddam may have been evil, but under his leadership, his country was not a haven for Osama Bin Laden followers. Saddam was a secular leader and he ran a secular country. Osama bin Laden was likely happy to see Saddam taken off his throne. So, in that sense, I think we need to be very careful not to leave Iraq in a situation where it becomes the new Taliban training camp.
The best thing we can do though is to promote stability through some means other than the barrel of a gun. People in Iraq want to get back to running their shops and going to school and taking care of their families.
Role of the International Community
So, when I hear people, including Congresswoman Pelosi supporting Murtha, I don't hear her calling for immediate withdrawal. I hear her calling for the military to implement a military strategy for redeployment of troops in an effort to stabilize the country.
Meanwhile, we should be meeting with all of our allies individually and then collectively at the U.N. We need an international strategy for assisting Iraq and the region. When I say "assist", I mean help, provide aid, offer the cooperation of the global community. I do not mean the Bush Administration definition of "assist" which means to take over and force them to do things our way or face the open end of a gun barrel.
The Iraqi people are descendants of the earliest most sophisticated culture in the world. They have survived countless wars. They are among the most educated people in the world. Let them elect their leaders and choose a government and then let us let them govern. They may not do things the good old American way, but we have no right to force them into being some version or reflection of America. Iraqi's need a government that will take good care of their people and that will co-exist peacefully in the world. (Which, by the way, sounds like a pretty good idea for America too. Clearly we have a few things to learn from this experience as well.)
Leadership of the Democratic Party
There is an old story about a father who was so poor he couldn't afford to send his children to school so he told them each to go out and find a smart person and then just follow them around.
When we find people who know the truth, we need to listen. When we find people who know what to do, we need to assist.
Congressman Murtha has been in war. He has been a military leader. He has close friends that are in the military. They trust him. He knows the truth. We need to listen. He knows what needs to be done. We need to assist him.
Congresswomen Pelosi is showing us real leadership. After 5 years of Bush/Cheney and a Republican Congress, it may be difficult for some to recognize real leadership. We certainly haven't seen any from the ruling party.
She recognized that Congressman Murtha had knowledge and a plan. As a leader, she wants to support him and help bring his knowledge to the forefront and bring his plan to fruition.
What more can we ask for from our leadership other than knowledge, a plan, and the proper and successful execution of the plan? Isn't that the way a government is supposed to operate?
Rhonda Ross for Congress, MI-09
www.ross4congress.org
P.S. I think one of the Democratic Parties greatest assets is the diversity of opinion within the Party. We are not a party of one voice. We are a party of all voices. For that we should be proud.