Rooting for Failure Is Not an Option

Happy Labor Day to all! I celebrated Labor Day by laboring at work all day - there's no federal holiday for nurses...

If we ever needed proof of how much the driveby media and the Democrats have damaged our fight in the war on terror, all you have to do is read the papers and blogs today.

The Washington Post has an op-ed today by Jackson Diehl - Not Wanted: An Exit Strategy. It is truly interesting reading because it is not all "opinion". Diehl was involved in a Q&A held by Adel Abdul Mahdi for journalists. Adel Abdul Mahdi is the Vice President of Iraq. According to Diehl, Mahdi was here on behalf of Shiite Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani for private visits with President Bush, VP Cheney, SOD Rumsfeld and "key Senators and Congressmen".

What message was Mahdi here to deliver? Mahdi told the journalists "the ayatollah wanted to know if the United States is still on board as well." Why would there be any questions about the United States' committment to Iraq? President Bush certainly hasn't wavered. The military leaders in Iraq have not wavered. Where in the world did Ali Sistani get this idea?

You guessed it - the damn media. Mahdi said "When I read the [American] press, I'm confused."
Welcome to OUR world Mr. Mahdi - so are we.

Take for instance the UK Telegraph's article that implies that Ali Sistani is "resigning" from politics. Of course this is from his "aides". The article came out a day before Diehl's piece. Of course since the Telegraph's article was a negative report, THAT is the one getting the airtime. Larry Johnson and Juan Cole lead the pack of those touting the Telegraph's report.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, we have this interview with General Abizaid from the St. Petersburg Times. Seems that the General also has some worries about the media reports and the negativity oozing out of DC.

Here's a few of the noteworthy comments...
Q: During a briefing in Afghanistan you told your ground commanders that soldiers have to do a better job of educating the world about the enemy. Why?
A: It's important to talk about it because this isn't a group of people that are doing this to us by accident. They have a desire to dominate the region and to impose their way of life on the people of the region in a way that can be extremely dangerous for our way of life over time.

Q: How does American public opinion affect the way you do your job, the way you prosecute the war?
A: I struggle with it a lot. I'm always perplexed as to why in Washington there will be such lack of confidence in some quarters. It's difficult to see the broader picture of the progress that we've made because it's slow progress, but it's steady progress. It's difficult to think of us as winning because there's so much ambient violence. Sometimes the 24/7 news cycle drives people's opinion that it's only chaos and there's no hope for victory, but that's not true. Am I discouraged by bad publicity? Sometimes. Am I worried about the outcome? If day-to-day public opinion is so driven that people lose confidence in this enterprise that we can't ultimately be successful, then we fail."

Wise words from that KNOWS what is going on - not an armchair Monday morning quarterback. Of course, there will be some that claim Abizaid is only parroting what his Boss tells him to. But then again, those are the same people that still believe Jason Leopold's 24 Business Hours claim...

My buddy, Suzie, has posted one of the best rants I have read in ages! I highly recommend it. Here's one of my favorite parts...
"We did not start this WAR ON TERROR....for the pea brains out there that think otherwise, do your research. We have been attacked many times prior to 9/11, but no one had balls to do anything about it until President Bush and our brave and courageous military soldiers took action."

This is not a game. All the negative bleated in the driveby media is used to fire up the masses - AKA those that want to do us harm. Don't think for a minute that the terrorists will ask which political party you belong to before hacking your head off with a dull kitchen knife. Right or left you are still an infidel and your life means nothing to them. Rooting for failure is not an option.