The President and I cannot prevent certain politicians from losing their memory, or their backbone – but we’re not going to sit by and let them rewrite history. We’re going to continue throwing their own words back at them. And far more important, we’re going to continue sending a consistent message to the men and women who are fighting the war on terror in Iraq, Afghanistan, and many other fronts.
In today’s Washington Post, Major General William Webmaster had a few words to say about setting a date to leave Iraq:
A top American commander in Iraq on Wednesday denounced calls by some U.S. senators and others for a deadline on withdrawal from Iraq, calling that “a recipe for disaster” for the 2 -year-old war.
“Setting a date would mean that the 221 soldiers I’ve lost this year, that their lives will have been lost in vain,” said Maj. Gen. William Webster, whose 3rd Infantry Division is responsible for security in three-fourths of Iraq’s capital.
Do you want to see the deed through to the end? Or do you want to set a date to come home?
You can’t have both.
The right thing to do is to see this through to the end – a free Iraq that is able to protect itself both internally and externally from those that would wish a democratic government ill.
That might be three months from now, it could be three years from now, it may be ten years from now.
Setting an arbitrary date is ignorant, stupid, ill-conceived, and certainly doesn’t support the troops.
Want to have a reason for over two thousand men and women to have died in vain? Set a date to go home before the battle is won.
It’s snowing here. Just ask Lileks:
The Water Feature repairmen returned. In parkas. It does not bode well when the gentlemen trying to fix a leak are dressed for a polar expedition.
Friday night I took a spill down the stairs after tripping over my own damn feet. Having caught my big toe on the way down and bending it in a way that it wasn’t meant to be, I was startled to find when I landed that my toe didn’t feel so hot.
Being the stubborn male that I am, I thought I had merely sprained it. So some ice here and there, foot up in the air for a day on the coffee table. After all, I was getting around pretty well…
Worked from home yesterday (a highly productive day, mind you, more so than most) and then made the trek into work today for a full day.
Big mistake.
More foot pain and a larger bruise by mid-day.
By 1:00pm I’d had enough – went home and off we trekked to the ER.
Quick service, only an hour, X-Rays and all…
Spiral fracture of the “great toe”.
Great toe.. because big isn’t good enough.
As is appropriate, the Indiana State Police made the arrest in a case making national news today, as reported in today’s Indianapolis Star:
A man wanted in the slaying of a Pennsylvania couple and the possible abduction of their 14-year-old daughter fled from Indiana state troopers at speeds in excess of 90 mph, running other cars off a two-lane highway before he crashed and was captured today, police said.