al Zarqawi Eliminated!

by Robert J. Romano

June 9th, 2006

In the midst of a major offensive against al Qaeda in Iraq, coalition forces, led by the U.S. military and intelligence network, delivered a crushing blow yesterday to that terrorist network by eliminating Abu Musab al Zarqawi, his spiritual advisor, and several other members of his entourage in an air strike by F-16's.  This great victory for the Iraqi people, and the free world, promises to begin to bring an end to the reign of terror which al Zarqawi had waged against Iraq and the MNF, and is a testament of the patience and determination of our brave servicemen and women who still stand in harm's way in the war on terrorism.  Their hard work, along with our Iraqi allies, deserves the credit for bringing justice to the enemies of a free Iraq, and cannot be undermined or taken away by politicians and pundits who would seek to downplay its implications.  This victory gives hope to the Iraqi people, who know that their enemies are not untouchable, and that their allies will stand by them in this long war.  Of course, perhaps the dust had barely settled on al Zarqawi's corpse as calls for the U.S. to pull out of Iraq were renewed.

        Of course, if some Democrat politicians had had their way, the last of U.S. troops would have been completely "redeployed" out of Iraq over two weeks ago, as was prescribed by Representative John Murtha (D-PA) on November 17th, 2005.  Then, in a statement, which read in part, "It is evident that continued military action in Iraq is not in the best interest of the United States of America, the Iraqi people or the Persian Gulf Region," Representative Murtha made the case precisely for an "immediate redeployment" out of Iraq, where it has been suggested that such a withdrawal would take approximately six months.  Representative Murtha, by his previous statement, is against the types of actions and offensives which have devastated the terror network, al Qaeda, in Iraq in the past few years. 

        Clearly opposed to the use of force in Iraq, it is clear, to me at least, that the Iraqi people, security forces, and our military deserve all of the credit for this victory today, and that these critics deserve none.  But of course, perhaps prepared for this line of critique, the defeatists are suggesting that al Zarqawi could have been terminated from a redeployed position, which is precisely what Representative Murtha called for back in November: "My plan calls: To immediately redeploy U.S. troops consistent with the safety of U.S. forces... To create a quick reaction force in the region... To create an over- the- horizon presence of Marines... To diplomatically pursue security and stability in Iraq..." Diplomatically? Instead of bombs, should we have sent our top diplomats into the safe-house where al Zarqawi and his comrades were holed up? The major operations that have been underway for weeks which led to the discovery and then bombing of al Zarqawi's safe-house would have not even been occurring if their advice had been followed, and it is disingenuous of these defeatists to claim that their plan would have been equally as successful at eliminating this terrorist mastermind. 

        If these critics had had their way, the elimination of al Zarqawi in Diyala, indeed, the continued destruction of his network, would have been and would be completely impossible.  Indeed, if they have their way now, the U.S. would - in light of this victory - redeploy out of Iraq by the end of the year! Just yesterday, failed presidential candidate, Senator John Kerry (D-MA) stated: "Our troops have done their job in Iraq, and they've done it valiantly. It's time to work with the new Iraqi government to bring our combat troops home by the end of this year." This call was echoed by Representative Murtha, who renewed his call for an immediate redeployment in light of the slaying of al Zarqawi.  How many other targets would the coalition miss out on if it were to prematurely withdraw from Iraq?

        Perhaps so committed to their base which opposes military action in Iraq, these politicians would sacrifice the security of Iraq.  There is no excuse for their irresponsible calls for cutting and running in the midst of victory, as those calls sound remarkably out-of-touch when the insurgency is suffering major blows at this moment.  Now is not the time to lay off the enemy.  Instead, we must strengthen our resolve and stay the course. 

        The Democrat party of today seems remarkably willing to allow terrorists to have a safe-haven in Iraq.  God forbid they are ever able to follow through on their plans.  Every terrorist in the world might as well travel to Iraq after a Democrat victory at the polls, since that is the one country in the world they will not pursue them to! What other countries are off-limits as it relates to pursuing terrorists? Iran? Syria, perhaps? Any place where the President determines they're hiding? Their aversion to military force against terrorists in the midst of this war against terrorism, their continued denials that Iraq is even a theatre in the war on terror when al Qaeda has determined to make a stand there, demonstrate their inability to lead this war effort at a critical time in our nation's history, and at a time when we are helping to stabilize the country, pursuant to our international obligations - which they only seem to care about when they agree with them! Under UN Security Council resolutions authorizing the MNF in Iraq, we are required to maintain peace and stability in that country, and as a moral question, we must not turn our backs on our Iraqi allies.

        As the American people go to the polls in 2006, it is clear that they must decide to either stay the course to victory in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the other theatres in this global war on terrorism and tyranny, or if they shall give in to the political shenanigans of a defeatist agenda which does not place primacy on the use of force in the middle of a war! The American people deserve leadership at this critical juncture, and it is clear that recent raids against the terror network, coupled with the destruction of the al Qaeda leadership in Iraq, has yielded much intelligence which has expedited even more raids against the enemy.  Steadily staying the course in Iraq is the right prescription, and we must stay for as long as Iraq requires our presence to promote safety and security as the newly formed government gets a handle on the security situation.  These times require steady patience, which the political opponents of the President do not possess, and leadership in the war effort, which they do not offer.