What Does Palin Mean when She Says “Victory” ?
Palin’s term “Victory” is useless and illuminates a fundamental misunderstanding of the war here in Iraq. There is no Victory. There never was and never will be. That’s not just my opinion. It’s the belief expressed daily by senior military officers. The search for Victory in Iraq or in the “War on Terror” is futile and a dangerous notion that derails any chance for the measured control of extremism or religious fanaticism. You can’t kill it with bullets.
When the war began the US Army and Marines came in as warriors. They kicked down doors and hunted down bad guys. A day before a major sweep of the lawless town of Samarra I walked along an old gravel pit to survey the men and machines that would make the assault. “General, how are we doing?” The one star looked at me, and answered “We’re killing a lot of bad guys the question is are we making them faster than we can kill them.” That was in 2003. Even then they knew the fundamental problem. Now, if you go out and visit the soldiers they are consumed with such tasks as spraying date crops, getting a bus factory back on line or handing out microgrants. The warriors are nation builders. At the direction of General Petraeus they also became police–his order was not to kill but to secure the Iraqi public. Once those Iraqis, who want what we want, believed they could do the right without being killed–they took control of their lives and turned in the bad guys. If anyone declares a victory it’s them.
Victory for the U.S. implies an end. There is no end–it’s a process that requires the use of all the tools, including diplomacy, money, and a measured use of human lives. It’s not just a fight with bullets and guns. It’s also about poverty, education and the eradication of desperate men with little hope. There were a hundred Osama Bin Ladens before 9-11 and there will be a hundred more after him.
It’s dangerous to talk about Victory. It shows that the lives of 4178 soldiers have meant nothing. At least their sacrifice should have taught us to stop talking about “winning.”
Bologna.
Of course you can call for victory in Iraq. Tired liberal willingness to clutch for defeat from the jaws of victory for political “I told you so’s” is staggering to me.
Victory is defined as defeat of your enemy. It’s pretty clear to me that our enemy is leaving Iraq and a peaceful self ruling nation is rising above their chains with the worlds help…led by America. God Bless her. They aren’t leaving because we negotiated them to death.
That is victory…un-nuanced and bold faced.