A letter to my elected representatives on Iraq

The following is a letter I sent to each of my three elected representatives in Congress. One is new, since redistricting, and is not my representive of choice... Thank God the other two are. We'll just have to wait and see what kind of response I get from the Democrat...and the Republicans, for that matter.

After listening to the certain politicians’ responses to the President’s speech last night, I am very concerned that there will be attempts to withdraw our military forces from Iraq before the mission is completed. I worry that Congress will do the same thing to our military now, that was done to them in Vietnam – even though we have not lost militarily. Negative public perception will cause Washington politicians who put public opinion polls above what is best for the United States’ national security.

Abandoning Iraq without a stable, self-sustaining, democratic government will perpetuate the belief of our enemies that America can’t sustain a long war. In theirview, all you have to do is kill enough Americans, and they will leave with their collective tails between their legs, just as happened in Vietnam, Beirut and Somalia. If that happens, the terrorists, who want nothing more than the annihilation of the United States and all that we stand for, will be emboldened. They will have a new Afghanistan from which to operate. They will continue to plot and plan attacks against the United States and our interests around the world.

This being said, I am willing to give the President’s plan a chance. So long as there is a defined mission, which there seems to be, and so long as the troops are not hampered by excessively restrictive rules of engagement, which it is my understanding will not be the case, we must give our military the opportunity to complete the mission they have been given. Politicians who don’t have the stomach to see this fight against Islamic extremists through to the end, with our victory and their defeat, do not, and will never, have my respect or my vote.

Our military is the best in the world. They need to be allowed to finish what it is we asked them to start. Do not allow any of your colleagues to put politics over what is best for this country. Do not allow your colleagues to repeat the mistakes of the past by defunding an ongoing war against a determined enemy. You cannot say you support the troops, but then deny them the ability to complete their mission. Our military must defeat the terrorists in Iraq, and cannot do so if they are withdrawn prematurely just because it is politically expedient for members of Congress. Please don’t be one of those politicians.

Sincerely,

Miss Ladybug