Anti War or Anti American?

I am sure that many of the folks calling for an immediate end to the war in Iraq are well intentioned, but that doesn't make then right. I am just as sure that some percentage of the anti war crowd have very bad intentions. There are some who want this country to be defeated, embarrassed and ultimately worse off.

The anti war groups had their chance to prevent this war and they failed. That chance was before we invaded Iraq and the peace activists need to know that their time is before the decision is made. Their time is before military action is taken. That is when they can try to convince Americans that they are right and no action should be begun. Once a majority of the American people support action and our elected representatives authorize that action the time for protests has passed.

Protesting the war once our forces are in harms way is wrong. It emboldens our enemies and gives them the hope they need to keep killing our young men and women. Placing the blame for every death in Iraq on America gives the terrorists a pass on their heinous attacks on innocent Iraqis. We are fighting an enemy that attacks and then hides behind women and children. The peace movement people never blame the terrorists committing these atrocities, they blame the coalition forces who are trying to stop the killing.

Calling our troops home to "protect" them is nonsensical. These are men and women who chose to defend their country. They did not join the military to be safe. They joined to keep us safe. Pulling them out before they have achieved their goals is the worst thing we could do to them. They are willing to die for a cause but you want to take their cause away, or say it is a worthless cause or an impossible cause. You say you want to protect our troops but the only way you try to do so is by forcing defeat on them.

One of the things I heard repeated often in the 18 months of discussion prior to the invasion of Iraq was "The first President Bush should have finished the job in the Gulf War". Well, now some of those same people want to leave the job unfinished a second time. If we do this is a battle that will have to be fought again in ten to fifteen years and by then the terrorists might have nuclear weapons. How many of our brave soldiers and marines will have to die to win that battle?