My last posting on this subject was November 1st. Now it is November 13Th and during these past 12 days we have lost ANOTHER 31 souls to the misguided "war" in Iraq and an additional 153 have been wounded! The totals are now 2848 DEAD and 21572 WOUNDED. These are REAL PEOPLE! Click on this link to see the sons and daughters and brothers and sisters that are being KILLED; http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2003/iraq/forces/casualties/

This is an URGENT crisis and there is no time for government red tape!

During those 12 days American voters have gone to the polls and rejected the current administration's "war" policy. Citizens have indicated that they want change and they want it NOW. The Republicans are floundering and many are jumping off their "ship to nowhere" with reckless abandon. Conservative radio talk show hosts such as Rush Limbaugh are even turning their backs and their voices. Even he could not sustain blind partisanship in the face of administration that has proven itself to be nothing more than an inept bully. Americans no longer need to worry about the "terrorists" or others that would wish us harm becoming "emboldened" should we leave Iraq because they already are emboldened! Why is this? To the extent that the military actions in Iraq and Afghanistan are actually a fight with "insurgents" or "terrorists", which doesn't appear to be the worst problem (at least in Iraq), the U.S. military has not been allowed (to date) to do what they would have to do to get rid of this presence.

We keep hearing of the 140,000 plus troops that are in Iraq. How many of this amount are actually engaging the "insurgents" or terrorists"? How many are having to try and keep a lid on the sectarian "war" that is taking place throughout the country? I suspect that a larger portion of U.S. troops are mired in the latter strategy. Was the current President and all his advisers actually under the impression that the various ethnic and religious groups in Iraq were going to "magically" embrace each other and "just get along" when we took out Saddam Hussein? How could they all be so naive? I find it stunning that virtually everyone on this team was lulled into that belief or was intimidated into silence at the expense of the lives of so many of their fellow Americans. The actions taken (and not taken) by the current administration during the past four years has been shameful at best and treasonous at worst.

The Democrats have gained enough political victories in the recent election to be able to exert pressure on the Bush Administration to PAY ATTENTION and to face the FACTS of this self-imposed debacle. The Democrats MUST also be fully prepared to accept the RESPONSIBILITY of the "power" they have regained. This is NOT a time to sink into an endless series of hearings and investigations to point out what has gone wrong and who did it. We the people already know those answers! It's time to step up and be the leaders that you say you are and validate the results of our recent elections. American citizens are demanding positive and successful action and our troops DESERVE it!

Our troops are bravely "following orders" and would continue to do so indefinitely because that is their job. It is the responsibility of the civilian authority of the United States Government to figure this out and get our troops out of the shooting gallery they are in now. If our mission is to battle the "terrorists" now in Iraq or Afghanistan then give the military the orders to actually win and not just engage in a look and wait policy. The struggle between the various religious factions throughout Iraq (or Afghanistan) will NEVER be solved by US military actions and more importantly, that's not our business. The American people and the new Democratic leadership must continually separate those two issues because that is a major element toward bringing our involvement to an end. We keep hearing that we will leave as soon as the Iraqi government is able to provide effective security for Iraq. If the combined resources of the American, British and other nation's military might has shown no real sign (in close to four years) of stopping and controlling the daily violence, we must ask the obvious question. How will it be possible for Iraqi police or the Iraqi military ever be able to "protect" themselves and all the citizens of Iraq, especially when the individuals being recruited into the Iraqi forces are themselves partisan members of the sects they are supposed to control. Militias and "death squads" are more prevalent on the streets of Iraq than are the Iraqi officials. Unless there is a fundamental change in the mindset of the Iraqi people and their new government and a willingness to co-exist in their own country, it doesn't matter what "we" do or how many troops we have there or how long we stay. The ONLY thing that does continue to matter is that EVERY DAY more Americans (and Iraqi or Afghan civilians) are being killed or wounded and THAT MUST STOP!

It's Time to Think Again!