Harry Reid: "This War is Lost"
He Has Not Yet Begun To Surrender
By Dan McLaughlin Posted in War — Comments (42) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
Well, the insurgents pressed a button yesterday and the desired response was produced by the Democrats' leader in the Senate:
"I believe myself that the secretary of state, secretary of defense and - you have to make your own decisions as to what the president knows - (know) this war is lost and the surge is not accomplishing anything as indicated by the extreme violence in Iraq yesterday," said Reid, D-Nev.
Mark this day down on the calendar - this should be the end of any effort on the part of Reid's party to claim credit for the surge's accomplishments and, if Reid means what he says, ought by all rights to be followed by a willingness on his part to take the political heat for refusing to offer any more support to the war effort, since one does not generally put more resources into a war if one has already lost it. So what, precisely, is Reid going to do? The White House wants to know if he is serious:
Read On...
White House spokeswoman Dana Perino called the Democrat's stance "disturbing" and all but dared Reid to cut off funding for the war.
"If this is his true feeling, then it makes one wonder if he has the courage of his convictions and therefore will decide to defund the war," she said.
Reid may have lost faith in the troops in the field, but he remains optimistic about the battle in the Senate:
Reid has left that possibility open. The majority leader supports separate legislation that would cut off funding for combat missions after March 2008. The proposal would allow money spent on such efforts as counterterrorism efforts and training Iraqi security forces.
Reid and other Democrats were initially reluctant to discuss such draconian measures to end the war, but no longer.
"I'm not sure much is impossible legislatively," Reid said Thursday. "The American people have indicated . . . that they are fed up with what's going on."
Your move, Harry. But don't think the folks back home won't have other options if they disagree with you:
"I have more faith in our soldiers than the Senate majority leader," Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev., said Thursday. "I believe our troops can win this war as past generations have prevailed when our country's future is at stake."
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Harry Reid: "This War is Lost" 42 Comments (0 topical, 42 editorial, 0 hidden) Post a comment »
Like the first time Jack Murtha stood up and shot off his mouth and Bush not only didn't tell the old bas**rd to sit down and shut up but prefaced their remarks with what an honorable and patriotic American he is.
We're not here because of the Democrats. We're here because Bush won't deviate from NewTone™ even with the lives of our military on the line.
____
Those who live by the sword get shot by those who don't.
they will continue to say stupid things. It's in their DNA.
We simply need to let them, in their own pathetic way, unleash the inner turd that is deep inside each of them.
I'm up for it---who's with me? :)
"Who will stand/On either hand/And guard this bridge with me?" (Macaulay)
They do it on their own and seem to enjoy it.
______________________________
"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
-Thomas Paine: The American Crisis, No. 4, 1777
My wife has "adopted" two or three military members in Iraq through www.AuntNancyUSA.com for a couple of years now. As they rotate back to the US, she adopts a different soldier or Marine. We send them goodies, stuff it's hard for them to get in Iraq, and letters expressing our support and gratitude. Most of them write back, letting us know something about themselves.
Today, we received word that we had lost "our" first soldier in combat to a roadside IED.
Today, Harry Reid made his asinine statement.
Words cannot express our loathing for the Democrat Senate Majority Leader, who has decided to regularly make statements and push legislation that put our fighting men and women in greater danger. His actions and words are beneath comtempt.
Harry Reid on Iraq: “I say we’ve lost. Let’s bring our boys home in, oh, say 18 months. In the meantime, no more funding for them.”
Does that mean the Civil War is lost? Should the Union withdraw now? Someone call Lincoln!
“They chose dishonor. They will have war.” - Winston Churchill
It's not high.
"No compromise with the main purpose, no peace till victory, no pact with unrepentant wrong." - Winston Churchill
Formally known as Deagle... "Golf is a way of life..."
in case you never saw the movie, Graham Chapman as King Arthur, and his knights, are about to start shouting: "Run away! Run away!"
They flee.
Harry's statement was a defining moment for the new Democratic majority.
But it would be inaccurate.
"No compromise with the main purpose, no peace till victory, no pact with unrepentant wrong." - Winston Churchill
Some of the military experts in the Democratic Party thought President Bush was doing a terrible thing when he changed the military leadership in Iraq. Firing people that disagreed with him, and all that.
I guess that by these Democrats' standards, Abraham Lincoln shouldn't have fired Generals McDowell, Pope, McClellan (twice), Burnside and Hooker. (That's just the Army of the Potomac, folks....and I may have forgotten a couple.)
Lincoln shouldn't have run around George Gordon Meade (a good fighter, BTW), and brought east a man named Grant.
Of course, President Lincoln was looking to WIN the war he was in charge of. So is George W. Bush. Too bad so many Dems apparently aren't like minded.
Bush stayed with a failed Sect of Defense for a long, long, long time. Lincoln had no where near that level of patience.
I wasn't necessarily comparing Lincoln's command changes with Bush's. I was pointing out the relative stupidity (or dishonesty) of the Dems' remarks about changing commanders that aren't getting it done.
Nice to see one of Reid's homestate congresshumans of the Republican variety responding, but let's face it, folks. The Dems are Nelson Muntz, and the Pubs are Lisa Simpson....and she needs to start consulting with Bart pronto.
(N.b. - Caught in midstream, thus copying same comment to newer place.)
I know, it took me a while to settle down too. This is about the worst thing I've ever heard come out of Washington, and that's really saying something; you have to go back to that infamous "Dear Commandanté" letter that Jim Wright et al. sent to Daniel Ortega c. 1986 to find something that comes even close to being as putrid.
Seeking defeat so vigorously won't be much of a selling point politically.
But the right question was raised earlier:
Why is Harry in such a hurry to wave the white flag?
We've been here before. The Iraq Project has had its ups and downs, but there has been one consistent indicator. Having made the foolish mistake of tying their own political fortunes to those of our enemies, the usual suspects (Democrats, kooks, Europeans, Canadians, nutbars, the BBC, etc.) always begin jumping up and down like epileptic monkeys right before good news begins to arrive. It's not a coincidence - whenever good things happen (recall the immediate prelude to any of the elections in Iraq), they have to desperately declare defeat to try to suppress (or devalue) the impending good news.
So, friends - be of good cheer. If Harry is squeakin' and freakin' we know that good things are happening on the ground Over There.
(p.s. Since Harry apparently never read this, someone please forward him a copy....)
read that. Reading about "The 'Canal" (as my late father called it) is to read about valor, sacrifice and a commitment to victory.
I don't think the three virtues mentioned above fit Senator Reid's agenda concerning our efforts in Iraq.
How can the Senate Majority leader declare victory for our enemies and it not be treason?
Envisioning when all that is Left is the Right.
It also confirms the accuracy of my tagline:
Democrats on Iraq: "We don't want to win. We just want to quit."
Maybe I'll change it to "Reid on Iraq........"
...our enemies are not the same as Reid's enemies. Our enemies are Islamic extremist terrorists. Harry's enemies are GWB and Wal-Mart - mainly because they're not as dangerous when they fight back.
Only about 60% of the surge has been deployed in Iraq, yet Harry declares it a failure. General Petraeus doesn't brief Congress until next Wednesday, yet Harry has already made up his mind that the General's report is inconsequential.
So why is Harry so anxious to wave the white flag? Because he is *far* more afraid of the political consequences of a U.S. victory than he is of the mortal consequences if we lose.
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"We want great men who, when fortune frowns, will not be discouraged." - Colonel Henry Knox
That's my opinion after making totally contradictory statements.
That's what happens when you elect someone like Reid to a leadership position. He clearly isn't ready for primetime.
I’d like to believe Old Harry’s prostrations mean waves of good news are about to break down upon us. But, Old Harry wouldn’t know good news was coming, because Old Harry doesn’t attend the intelligence briefings. 99.9% of the Surrender Now Dems wouldn’t know an intelligence briefing if it ran up their asses and exploded in their heads. Still, we can hope, can’t we?
On another note, politics aside, but is Pelosi the worst press conference holder ever? The woman has no clue once she’s before the cameras. I mean, you shouldn’t criticize the president if you can’t do a better job (relatively speaking, of course).
R.J.
(Grow some coconuts when talking to CodePink, Harry.)
MINSTREL: [singing] Brave Sir Harry ran away,
Harry: No!
MINSTREL: [singing] Bravely ran away, away.
Harry: I didn't!
MINSTREL: [singing] When danger reared its ugly head, he bravely turned
his tail and fled.
Harry: No!
MINSTREL: [singing] Yes, brave Sir Harry turned about
Harry: I didn't!
MINSTREL: [singing] And gallantly, he chickened out. Bravely taking to
his feet,
Harry: I never did!
MINSTREL: [singing] He beat a very brave retreat,
Harry: All lies!
MINSTREL: [singing] Bravest of the brave, Sir Harry.
Harry: I never!
--
See the Academy
General Reid is much better at real estate scams than generalling.
What a douche. No wonder they call him "Dingy Harry."
Blogs 4 Brownback is documenting the latest Brownback buzz!
Since when is Reid a general? Since when is the Senate majority leader the C-in-C? He's the worst of both worlds: someone who is in a high enough position to give his words importance, but someone who is totally unauthorized to make unilateral decisions on the issue. If he disagrees with what's going on, he should have a constructive plan on what should be done and, most importantly, he should meet with the president to discuss it. It's the President's call to make decisions like this, not Reid's.
This whole situation really makes our entire system look bad.
...underlying Pelosi's and Reid's proposals is this: Because we have already lost. Harry proved me wrong, though. He is brave enough to proclaim that we've lost, but he won't cut off funding.
Harry says he'll back the Feingold attempt to immediately defund the War.
So, he's committed to defeat. And he'll do whatever he can to force the US to surrender.
I don't think the American people are ready to bite down on his surrender sandwich. Even if Code Pink argues they are.
who Harry thinks will retire to the farm. What war is Reid thinking of, and what enemy? People who love war and killing don't ordinarily quit after a victory, not if that victory doesn't secure and guaranty their overall goals.
History may be as the dark side of the moon to Reid and the left, their brains both challenged and limited to TV news and the first paragraph of carefully selected print articles, but the people we are fighting think in centuries and yearn for extinction, ours.
They are not likely to lay down their weapons and build shopping malls, instead having tasted an indisputable victory they will press on, lusting for more.
Harry may have new opportunities to reprise "the war is lost".
Perhaps he should say "this war is lost now let's move on and lose the next one".
What can you expect from people for whom raising the minimum wage is more important.
"a man's admiration for absolute government is proportinate to the contempt he feels for those around him". Tocqueville
The democrats of today have cornered the lows completely.
They betray the war they voted for. They deny the intel they vetted. They undermine the general they voted for.
They do encourage the terorrists at every opportunity. They do bristle when their anti-patriotism is pointed out. They do divide at every opportunity.
So they are good for something.
Michelle Malkin is hosting comments from the active military regarding Harry Reid's politically inept, treasonous comments.
Worth the read.
The Democrats are playing a dangerous game in Iraq. If we leave Iraq, they WILL follow us.
If we leave Iraq and turn over the "bank" sort of speak to the terrorist, they will use the oil field revenues to fund an expansion of terror around the world.
Turning over Iraq and it's oil fields to the terrorist would clearly be treasonous.
Playing politics with foreign policy for political game put our country and the men and women serving our country at great risk.
Saulius "Saul" Anuzis
Chairman
Michigan Republican Party
True, the Dems are playing dangerously. But by what means will an enemy with no army, navy, or air force follow us? Another question is- why would they? There's a free pass at the Mexican boarders.
Applying lipstick to a pig doesn't change the fact that it's still a pig.
and for the same reasons.
And thanks to Harry and his surrender now comrades, they will be even better prepared to inflict more carnage on our shores.
The secret they don't want us to know hides in plain sight: you can't defend the whole country because there's too much of it and it has too many soft targets. Even combining the worst of the Stalinist and Hitlerian regimes as a security apparatus for our country wouldn't yield the kind of security you need to protect against that mode of attack, and I for one am not willing to implement that regime. The only way to win this war is to kill them before they get here. Or at the very least, keep them distracted in a foreign country where at least most of our people are prepared to fight back when the cowards strike.
if we stay in Iraq, AQ can no longer plot their schemes in Afghanistan caves?? And we stay how long? ---"The only way to win this war is to kill them before they get here. Or at the very least, keep them distracted in a foreign country". Kill them all? Kill all terrorist? Kill all people that inflict and/or wish bad things on us? Untill they all decide we're pretty good Joes anyway? To say that our mission is to keep them "distracted" over there in order to be safe over here defies logic. I'm not saying Reid is correct. I'm saying that "follow us here" or "fight them here" is simply fear mongering rhetoric.
Applying lipstick to a pig doesn't change the fact that it's still a pig.
...is to confront and kill as many of the enemy as possible on their own turf. That's short-term in a historic sense, not short-term in a Joe-Biden's-attention-span sense.
Our long-term mission in Iraq is to help the Iraqi people establish a representative government that will give hope to the rest of the region that the dynamic of the Middle East doesn't have to be an endless parade of psychotic dictators and oppressive fanatics.
The Democrat alternative is to give up on Iraq and 25 million Iraqi people, make nice by smiling at meet-&-greets with Assad, and blame it all on GWB.
--
"We want great men who, when fortune frowns, will not be discouraged." - Colonel Henry Knox
all the newly converted muslims, from prisons, and large cities have to do is take seriously the verses of the sword and Muslim history.- They will either embrace it or shun it, odds are there are enough here that some will take it seriously as their solution for gaining Paradise.
Stuff about the founding fathers of the USA are starting to make sense that a Republic can only prosper with a pursuit of true religion, Islam is not it, Biblical knowledge and Enlightenment ideas are the salt that prevents Islam from following their dictates of murder and subjugation of non muslims.
I blame the voters in Nevada for having allowed this piece of wishy washy garbage into office in the first place. Shame on them.
"Beware of he who would deny you access to information, for in his heart, he dreams himself your master."
Harry and his followers are chicken hearted. If they are so affread of defending our country then they should resign!!!!
Nevada needs to vote this chicken hearted man out of office.
Nevada voted this goof in for the entertainment value. He is, and truly represents, the out of whack 'left'. Anyone in his position that calls the President of the United States a 'liar' and a 'loser', loses all credibility. He says the first thing that comes into his little head, just as a little kid on the playground would do. One has to look at Reid as a stand-up comic. Everything he says is meant as a joke, not be taken seriously. Unfortunately, he currently is the majority leader of the most powerful legislative body on Earth, so they are publicised. I'm very confident our congress in both houses would not let this goof have his way. We're smarter than that, right?
November 7, 2006