Dear President George W. Bush,
I am not a big fan of yours. It's not your fault, but your dad's. I am just telling you this so that you understand where I stand. I am a member of the Libertarian Party. I and many other Conservatives were very disappointed by your father's
dismissal of the Reagan Revolution. When you were inaugurated in 2001 I
was certain you would prove yourself to be a RINO (Republican In Name Only). I still expect that and with a Democratic (or Demo-critic) Party in power in Congress I really do expect you to go that way.
Having said this I am also dismayed by the vitriol that is levelled at you and the members of your administration for the handling of the Iraq war. It is unfortunate that most of the members of Congress have never served in the military for they would have learned that NO military activity goes without mistakes, particularly something
as massive as a war. Unfortunately they think that this is just a game with referees, not unlike a football game.
You would think that they would not be so critical if they just realized that they can't even run a political campaign without mistakes. I am reminded of a
story my dad told me when he was a surveyor for the Los Angeles County Road Department (as it was called then). During his survey of a new street an error crept into the calculations. This was when slide rules were used. That error resulted in a minor misalignment of the road with the easement centerline . One of the workers criticised my dad about the mistake. Dad grabbed a pencil out of the man's pocket, pointed to the well-worn eraser, and told him that apparently he was not perfect
either.
The differences between mistakes and failures are merely if one corrects or is allowed to correct a mistake. Perfection is impossible with such a large task as conducting a war. When imperfections appear then you must be allowed to correct them. If anyone prevents you, sir, from making the corrections then it becomes THEIR failure. Right now the Democrats are trying to make you fail. Just put it back on them. Do you remember, during the budget battle in 1994 (sic), when President Clinton shut down the government and then blamed the Republican-controlled Congress? Do the same thing to them. If they force you to stop the war then we get hit again it's their fault.
The American people are frustrated. Time after time they saw situations come and go which they believed were signs that we were about to be done with this. Hussein deposed. The temporary government in place. The Constitution ratified. The permanent government installed. Each of these seemed to be signals that we could begin to leave. Yet it seems as if we are in mission creep and now there is nothing else to look forward to for a sign we are out of there. I get the feeling that it will be just a few more months for the new Iraqi government to take full control.
In the meantime, Mr. President, I recommend to you that you talk to the American people showing on a map of Iraq where the safe areas are and where it is still unsafe. And, if you can do so, get the troops that are doing infrastructure
rebuilding into the areas of turmoil and hand over infrastructure to the Peace Corps. Americans are visual. They need to see a whole picture, not just the little bit that the networks show, but the whole darn thing. Once they see how much of Iraq is stable then they can renew their belief that the war is almost over, at least in Iraq.
Gary the Brave
P.S-Could you please instruct all the members of your administration to quit using the phrase, "At the end of the day..."? That sends an unintended signal that everything will be wrapped up after the next commercial break. Thank You
