Locke and Load

What's My Line?

I'm confused. The current Democrat Talking Points seem to be this:

1. The President lied to the American people to lead the country into war.

2. Therefore, we need to pull out of Iraq now.

Would some nice, thoughtful, patient liberal please explain where I am wrong in my analysis of these positions?

First, which President are you talking about? The Clinton administration made repeated claims that Iraq was in development and possession of WMD. Did, in those few short years, the evidence change that dramatically? And what of all the supporting intelligence from other countries? And what of the fact that the British, the suppliers of the intelligence that lead to the "16 words", still, after an investigation, stand by their assertion? And what of the fact that Iraq had been exploiting corruption in the U.N.'s "Oil for Food" program to get around sanctions? And what of the fact that the U.N. has still not certified Iraq as "disarmed" because they have not even been able to account for the weapons Iraq had already claimed?

Second, our government is built on a series of checks and balances. Where was congress when this maniac president was doctoring intelligence to whip up support for the war? Where was the oversight? Ok, the President doctored the intelligence before sharing it with the American people. Did he doctor the intelligence the Senate Armed Services Committee saw? The Senate Intelligence Committee?

And as for pulling out now, I have yet to hear a single Democratic proposal on what to do in the aftermath or what that would mean to the overall war. And we are in an overall war. If you don't accept that, then you are either hopeless, or must have been on a desert island on 9/11. And if you accept that, how can you possibly make the case that Iraq is not the current front of that war? Iran and Syria, the two biggest supporters and exporters of terror, are both supplying fighters and weapons for the war. If we pull the troops out, what do we do? Allow Iraq to become the new Afghanistan? Regardless of your conclusions on Talking Point 1, to pull out now is to fall back in a war in which we should be on the offensive.

And finally, the entire rhetoric represented by both Points, unless supported by proof (#1) or an alternate strategy (#2) is cowardly, unpatriotic, and undermines our fighting men and women while they are in the field.

If you are a liberal, or know one you can direct here, please help me to understand this. These are serious questions in serious times. Please help before the Christmas parties start so I can at least understand the conversations.

posted by The Man @ 5:48 PM