Stand Up or Stand Down?

In America’s political system, the people are represented by two separate -- but not necessarily equal -- groups: Republicans who set off to hunt down, prosecute, and eliminate terrorist regimes and Democrats who draft deadlines in favor of admitting defeat.

Since the birth of this nation, procedural and legal dramas have been the bases for the system we call “political.” In recent days, these stage shows have spawned self-destruction rhetoric from the Left: a timed withdrawal from Iraq (which coincides with another Iran hostage crisis that has ignited international furor, this one involving captured British sailors).

Congress’ plan to pull out our troops was loosely addressed to the American people. In actuality, the audience viewing and hearing such imprudence is worldwide and thus seen and heard by our enemies -- and could not have been broadcast (and repeatedly re-broadcast) at a worse possible time in view of Iran’s seizure of Britain’s military personnel and property.

The plan, especially now, can only serve to promote the false idea that we and our allies are credulous; and it will exacerbate the festering hatred of everything and everyone American and allied to America, both in the U.S. and abroad. The plan’s authors seem unable to comprehend that they are also recklessly wagering our country’s existence against President Bush’s unyielding efforts to extinguish terrorism.

As expected, protecting America and its citizens has evolved into a mêlée for absolute power on the part of Democratic leaders in the House and Senate, particularly third-in-line-to-the- Presidency, Nancy Pelosi. Coupled with this is Congress’s voracious craving to paint our Chief Executive a fool with public statements such as: “[The President should] calm down with the threats … there’s a new Congress in town,” from Pelosi; and “[The President should] get real with what’s going on in the world” from Harry Reid -- as Iran plays Russian roulette with members of England’s Royal Navy.

These are the same addled pronouncements mouthed by liberals to evade the fundamental issues. Rather than assist in fortifying our nation’s moral fiber, shoring up our borders, and taking positive and responsible leadership for the long-term, this new Congress seems incapable of arriving at unassailable solutions to bring down terrorists; they prefer to take the overcrowded low road of mercilessly censuring, demeaning and vilifying our President and his administration.

Congress’ plan to disassemble our offensive barriers will backfire disastrously, for us and for all of humankind. It shouldn’t take a Rhodes scholar to calculate the math, that at the moment the last uniformed soldier steps off Middle East soil there will be a worldwide, all-out holy war declared by the dedicated forces of evil. Thereafter, not a minute, hour or day will pass without the global media delivering staggering accounts of noncombatant civilians -- both non-Muslim and Muslim -- summarily dismembered, blown up, and shot down. Sociopathic madness will stampede out of control and the countries under attack can blame none but themselves for having left the terrorists uncontained and their borders undefended and vulnerable.

To Speaker Pelosi and Harry Reid: This includes the United States of America.

These nightmare scenarios are not spun from a storyteller’s imagination. They are the present day realities, and are precisely what President Bush has worked hard to prevent from happening (again) on U.S. soil as well as throughout the enlightened world. He has never asked for plaudits or shiny medals or a fatter bank account for his endeavors. He does it because it was, is, and always will be the right thing to do. At the same time, it has taken an insurmountable leap of faith and strength of will on the part of our President to battle not just the terrorists but also his own Congress.

President Bush’s concept to wipe out terrorism is unique inspiration. After September 11, 2001, he did not shirk his responsibilities and act as if all was, once again, at peace with the world. With the majority consent of Congress at the time, our President deployed the matchless power of our all-volunteer armed forces to fight terrorists on their ground. That was then.

This is now:

The world has turned its back on America and on the battle against terrorism. Congress are doing the very same, because it is they, not the President, who are ill equipped emotionally to deal with “...what’s going on in the world” -- because the Democrats do not, and apparently will never, possess the chutzpah it takes to ride the lonely high road and be as unique and courageous as George W. Bush.