Jane Chastain : Politically Direct

The last thing we need is 535 ‘generals’ in Congress telling our troops how to win this fight. Sen. James Inhofe, R.-Okla.

Sen. John Warner’s call for a symbolic troop reduction in Iraq is an indication that perhaps we should consider a mandatory retirement age for members of Congress. Read the rest of this entry »

For those wondering how Democrat leaders manage to keep straight faces when calling for a retreat in Iraq after the recent progress in the region, I offer Sen. Russ Feingold of Wisconsin as “Exhibit 1.”In an appearance on “Meet the Press,” Feingold said he was “shocked” by the president’s response to the calls for a surrender – he calls it a withdrawal – “in light of the November election.” Read the rest of this entry »

How does this Congress plan to win the war on terror?  Pork – pure unadulterated pork!

The nation’s senators have spent weeks debating a resolution to condemn President Bush’s plan to send more troops to Iraq. Lawmakers in the House of Representatives now are spending a week on the same useless activity. This could best be described as the “Anna Nicole Resolution.” It is a sexy piece of legislation that has no real meaning, like the life of the infamous gold-digger centerfold, who died last week an untimely death.What a spectacle! What a waste of airtime and newsprint!Congressional resolutions have no force of law. Most resolutions are for things like expressing condolences or to praise the work of an organization or civic leader. These things are rarely mentioned by the news media and are completed in a perfunctory fashion. It’s a pleasant little diversion for our lawmakers that takes up little time and does no harm.

This is not the case with the Iraq resolution, which empowers our enemies, undermines our military leaders and destroys the morale of the men and women we have sent into harm’s way. Read the rest of this entry »

“Phased withdrawal” and “troop caps” are euphemisms for “retreat and defeat” in Iraq. In recent years, U.S. withdrawals have become an all too familiar pattern for the United States: Vietnam, Beirut and Somalia. This behavior has empowered the radical forces seeking to destroy us.Iraq is the most deadly battlefield on which the war on terror is being fought. On one side are the extremists sponsored by Iran and Syria. On the other side are the moderates and those favoring democracy in the fledgling government backed up by United States troops. In the middle are an under-trained military and millions of innocent civilians. Read the rest of this entry »