December 3, 2005
The Stakes in
Iraq
By Jon Kyl
"The
republican principle demands that the deliberate sense of the
community should govern the conduct of those to whom they entrust
the management of their affairs; but it does not require an unqualified
complaisance to every ... transient impulse which the people may
receive from the arts of men."
- Alexander
Hamilton The Federalist Papers, #71
President
Bush gave an important speech last week that stems directly from
Hamilton's observation that responsible leaders must at times
rise above transient public opinion influenced by clever politicians
to guide society toward the greater good.
Recognizing
that the protests of anti-war activists, amplified by partisan
attacks, have begun to affect public support for our presence
in Iraq, the President took to the podium at the U.S. Naval Academy
to remind the nation of the nature of the enemy we face in Islamic
extremism. Perhaps his most important message was that victory
in Iraq is a vital U.S. national interest: what happens there
will either embolden terrorists to expand their reach, or deal
them a decisive and crippling blow. In a world of instant soundbites
about casualties, and politicians focused on the next election,
it falls to the Commander-in-Chief to constantly remind us of
the big picture.
As critics
- most recently House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi - have begun
to call openly for a withdrawal of U.S. troops within six months,
Bush's response merits quoting at length:
"[The
terrorists'] objective is to drive the United States and coalition
forces out of Iraq, use it as a base from which to launch attacks
against America, overthrow moderate governments in the Middle
East, and establish a totalitarian Islamic empire that reaches
from Indonesia to Spain. That's their stated objective.
"This
is an enemy without conscience - they cannot be appeased. They
share the same ideology as the terrorists who struck the United
States on September the 11th, who blew up commuters in London
and Madrid, murdered tourists in Bali, workers in Riyadh, and
guests at a wedding in Jordan. If we were not fighting and destroying
this enemy in Iraq, they would not be idle. They would be plotting
and killing Americans across the world and within our own borders.
"Just
last week, they massacred Iraqi children and their parents at
a toy give-away outside an Iraqi hospital. These terrorists
have nothing to offer the Iraqi people. All they have is the
capacity and the willingness to kill the innocent and create
chaos for the cameras. They are trying to shake our will."
Fortunately,
most Americans, even those who may have opposed the war in the
first place, recognize that no war has ever been won on a timetable.
My colleague Democratic Senator Joseph Lieberman noted in a recent
Washington Post op-ed that setting such an artificial
schedule would "discourage our troops... encourage the terrorists,
[and] confuse the Iraqi people." It would also send a message
across the world that America is a weak and an unreliable ally,
and a signal to our enemies that if they wait long enough, America
will cut and run and abandon its friends. (Remember Osama bin
Laden's observation that the United States was a "weak horse"
and he was a "strong" one.)
Worst, it
would invite new attacks on America, which we elect a Commander-in-Chief
to work to prevent. That's what President is doing, regardless
of partisan attacks and their effect on the polls. I believe that
history will vindicate him.
Sen.
Kyl serves on the Senate Finance and Judiciary committees and
chairs the Senate Republican Policy Committee. Visit his website
at www.kyl.senate.gov.
