Sec. Gates: Anti-Surge Resolution Emboldens The Enemy
And it does, too, every bit as much as calling for a full-scale retreat.
What it tells our enemy is that we’re not serious about winning the war. That we’re willing to have our troops in harms way to fight the war but not send them the reinforcements they need to succeed. That we’re only willing to commit a finite amount of resources to this war before we’ll give up and come home.
What it tells them is that they’ve got a chance to win.
The message our political leaders should be sending our enemies in the middle east is that we’re not afraid to do what it takes to win. That we’ll send more troops in now to win, and we’ll send even more in later if necessary. Such a message would dishearten our enemies and push them toward abandoning their cause. But, unfortunately, that’s not the message they’re getting.
The message they’re getting is that we are so divided here at home that if they just keep pushing, just keep setting off a couple of bombs a day for the reporters to cover, the defeatists here will win out and our troops will come home leaving Iraq to their clutches.
