Heroes and Fools

Remote pontificating by Steve Chapman, Tribune, who calls former Vietnam POW and Sen. John McCain a fool. (Previous post on Sen. McCain's speech on Iraq here.):

McCain couldn't really offer hope for success. So he spent most of his speech warning of the alleged dangers of failure--such as giving Al Qaeda a safe haven like it had in Afghanistan and unleashing a Rwanda-like genocide. In fact, neither outcome is remotely plausible.

In Afghanistan, the Taliban and Al Qaeda had crucial help from a powerful neighbor, Pakistan. But Iraq's neighbors, particularly Iran, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, are sworn enemies of Al Qaeda. So is Iraq's own Shiite majority. The mass slaughter in Rwanda required helpless victims--and the warring groups in Iraq, as you may have noticed, have the weapons to defend themselves.

What are you talking about?! Saudi Arabia bankrolled Al Qaeda, if not directly, then through its sponsorship of Wahhabist imams--recruiters for jihad--the wink was to conduct their activities out of Saudi. Recall most of the 9/11 terrorists were from Saudi. Iran is supposedly a sworn enemy of Al Qaeda, but according to the bipartisan 9/11 commission they have cooperated with AQ, they have given refuge to AQ of Iraq, most likely to bin Laden's son along with other AQ members, and they themselves are a terror state training and arming Shiite fighters in Iraq, and fund Hezbollah and Hamas. I notice Mr. Chapman didn't mention Syria, another Iraq neighbor, where any number of thugs and assassins have taken refuge, menacing Iraq, Lebanon and Israel.

Oh, and apparently it is inconsequential that Iran is developing nuclear weapons. We are to believe there will be no fallout from leaving Iran unchecked to concentrate on that if we leave. Fallout indeed. Does Mr. Chapman think there will be no consequences from a Shiite bomb? We will see a nuclear arms race that will pale in comparison to anything that has gone before, and it may not be confined to the Middle East, but spread to Asia. And as fellow Tribune op-ed contributor Victor Davis Hanson points out Pakistan is one bullet away from another Islamic theocracy. They already have a nuke. As does India, (taking notice of the story) with whom they currently form a fragile truce, US allies both--for now.

And AQ is using crude chemical weapons based on garden variety chlorine to terrorize civilians. Of course, there was no WMD in Iraq, Saddam had just imported enough chlorine to sanitize and carpet the country in swimming pools several times over. And let's forget that he used chemical weapons on his neighbors, and his own people, an act of evil that the world has not seen since the Holocaust of WWII or the mustard gas of WWI.

I may not be any more certain of anything than Mr. Chapman, or Sen. McCain, but I would hesitate to make such pronouncements that any dangers of failure are remote.

After all, who really imagined Sept. 11th? Actually, it was someone like Sen. McCain. It was John O'Neill. But no one took him seriously until it was too late. I call him a hero, not a fool. I reserve that judgement for others.

UPDATE: Al Qaeda loyalists claim credit for the attack on the Iraqi Parliament (which is within the perimeter of the Green Zone, but security for the building is manned by Iraqis), perhaps precipitating a different reaction than they had hoped for. LA Times:

"We must forget the pain and reunify," Ibrahim said. "We have nothing except this unified Iraq. We must forget our differences."

The unprecedented Friday meeting was a rare display of camaraderie among Iraq's politicians, who since taking office after national elections in December 2005 have proved reluctant to bridge religious and ethnic divides. These differences have stalled legislation considered essential to Iraq's social and economic progress.

But Thursday's bombing differed from previous violence against politicians, which has targeted specific lawmakers or parties. This attack, committed by a suicide bomber in a cafeteria used by all lawmakers, was aimed at the post-Hussein Iraqi government as a whole.

In its Internet statement claiming responsibility, the so-called Islamic State of Iraq said one of its "knights" had infiltrated the "core of the cursed Green Zone … headquarters of the infidel parliament rats."

They are clearly targeting the fledgling democrats in parliament.

Meanwhile, supposed "Democrats" at home, who claim Iraq is in a civil war, so we can't get involved, but they really, really are serious about wanting to fight Al Qaeda, when faced with an Al Qaeda attack in Iraq want to cut and run anyway. It's the Democrats' first impulse in matters of national security. Because their first priority is always playing politics, not the best interests of our country. On FoxNews Sunday this morning Bill Kristol pointed out Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid's remarks. Unbelievably crass and unprecedented:

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Thursday he plans to continue an aggressive push for an early withdrawal from Iraq and does not particularly care that Republicans will try to paint that position as a lack of support for U.S. forces.

Why? Because “We are going to pick up Senate seats as a result of this war,” the Nevada Democrat predicted at a news conference.

Sitting next to him was the man charged with making that happen: Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairman Charles E. Schumer of New York.

“The war in Iraq is a lead weight attached to their ankle,” Schumer warned, predicting that congressional Democrats will pick up additional Republican votes for Democratic initiatives as the 2008 elections approach.

“We will break them, because they are looking extinction in the eye,” Schumer declared, making no attempt to hide his glee.

The Democrats---looking out for Number One.

Related posts: Remember Them, Troops' Message, Democrats Duck and Weave, Don't Tie Troops Hands, Moms of Fury