A balance

Early on at his confirmation hearing yesterday, Secretary of Defense nominee Robert Gates said he agreed with General Pace, that U.S. is not winning in Iraq but not losing either.  Later on he took a moment to clarify.

GATES: ...Mr. Chairman, before I answer that question, with your indulgence, could I amplify on one of my answers this morning?

WARNER: Yes.

GATES: And only because I'm concerned that the troops in the field might have misunderstood something I said.

While I was having lunch and eating my sandwich, I was watching the news. And I certainly stand by my statement this morning that I agreed with General Pace that we are not winning but we are not losing. But I want to make clear that that pertains to the situation in Iraq as a whole. Our military forces win the battles that they fight. Our soldiers have done an incredible job in Iraq. And I'm not aware of a single battle that they have lost. And I didn't want my comments to be interpreted as suggesting that they weren't being successful in their endeavors.

The picture that takes shape is of an unbeatable army held back from pursuit of military victory and engaged in a something of a balancing act instead.  Administration strategy has limited U.S. military force with the expectation that Iraqi military and political force would fill the breach.  They didn't.  And because the strategy has not lead to victory so far, Senate Armed Forces Committee members are in unanimous agreement that something has to be done, but divided on what exactly that is.  Inevitably the "what" centers on troop levels with one side represented by Senator John McCain favoring more troops and the other represented by Senator Edward Kennedy who favor pulling troops out.

But adjusting troop levels isn't a change in policy.  Bush has said time and again that victory is the only viable exit strategy, and his Secretary of Defense in waiting has said we have one president and he will make the final decision.  The committee's unanimous approval of Robert Gates puts members for this brief instant all on the same page, which may have the effect of forcing them into the position where they should always have been -- deliberating over how we can win instead of squabling over whether or not we should continue trying. 

The Democrats have been engaged in a balancing act of their own.  They loudly demand American troops be withdrawn from Iraq -- a wish echoed by the terrorists in Iraq -- while claiming it's a strategy for victory.  Nobody believes the part about it being a strategy for fighting a war, but it's been a good strategy for fighting George Bush.  It got them a majority in Congress, but how long can Democrats go on fighting against George Bush and not be recognized as fighting against the American people.  So the question now is, has the Gates confirmation provided Democrats with the political cover they need to openly favor victory in Iraq?

Comments

[Teresa]

Sadly for our troops, Mr. Gates didn't think before making his first statement. (Thank you very much Mr. Gates for immediately giving the MSM a terrific sound byte to tout in their headlines). It's too late to restate in the afternoon. Too bad he couldn't have managed to remember that little tidbit about our troops winning all their battles BEFORE he left the general impression that our men lose all the time. This just aids and abets the MSM in tearing down our troops and what they have accomplished. Because even with their hands tied by the current leadership - our troops have done amazing things. Yet never once do they get a headline in the NYT or CNN... God forbid the MSM make our troops look competent. ARG - it all makes me sick.

[ny patriot]

If publicly speaking the truth about what is happening makes you "sick" than you must be suffering from Bushitis. You know Bushitis - it's the type of illness where you refuse to acknowledge reality and instead only choose to listen to the message that you want to hear. Very quijotic if you will.

But having said that, perhaps turning in regularly to this blog will help reinforce your fantasy about what it actually means when you say supporting the troops. The best way to show support for the troops is to call for their return home today - ALIVE. Because God forbid if it was your child over their I'd love to hear how sick you are about then.

[Teresa]

Well, ny patriot, thank you very much for your concern about my son... who is in the Army - he is a Crew Chief on a Chinook (one of the more dangerous jobs in the military). I'm sure he'll be touched to know you care so much about his welfare. He has been to Afghanistan and will be starting the run up to his July deployment in Iraq in January - yeah they train for SIX months before heading down range - even though they've been deployed before, they still train and train. That's so they can do the terrific job they are doing that is never ever talked about.

Of course he'd be happier if you people gave some credit where credit is due... like acknowledging that they really do a good job. Acknowledge that things have improved out of recognition even in the single year he was in Afghanistan. Acknowledge that while things have been floundering in Iraq, our guys are not losing. But no, you'd rather not admit that they do anything right at all because YOU are the one concerned about how President Bush looks - and that might, just might reflect well on him.

Let me tell you now - I am not happy at all with the way the Administration (including the President) has handled the PR and even parts of the war in Iraq. I am not on the "Bush is great" bandwagon. I am on the - our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines are doing one hell of a job and getting absolutely NO CREDIT for it, bandwagon.

So take your "concern" for my son and our troops and put it to good use. Find out what they are doing right and insist your little buddies at the NYT and the rest of the MSM - give them some good press instead of harping on miniscule number of soldiers who have committed crimes AND been punished for it. That would be of greatest service to our troops - and one they would appreciate most. Don't believe it? Hit the milblogs and see what the guys IN THE MILITARY are saying. Don't put words in their mouth or think you know what they think - or what I think as a military mom for that matter.

[ny patriot]

You know, it's tough fight logic like that. Your son is in Afghanistan fighting a war that is almost entirely supported by the whole country as well as the global community. Great. A noble mission indeed. Yet he will be shipped off to Iraq in 6 months to fight a war that the majority of this country, not to mention the entire global community, views as not only ignoble but as a losing cause as well and a fight that quite frankly nobody any longer wants to fight. And yet all you complain about is the lack of support and "concern" for your son by "me and my buddies at the NYT and the MSM." No offense Teresa but I'd say you've got your priorities completely out of whack.

Instead of preaching to people about the ills of the MSM - which IMO has ALWAYS fully supported the well-being and care for the troops (how many articles were written about the lack of armour??!) - you should be lending your vocal support to making sure your son is not deployed to fight a battle that should no longer be fought. No offense Teresa but I'd say my concern for your son's well being is focused on his ultimate well-being rather than whether or not he's feeling good about his next mission.