It’s nice to know that the Premier or Iraq has his priorities straight and understands where his newfound freedom came from. This would NOT have been possible had the elected naysayers in our own government who advocated tirelessly for defeat had their way.
BAGHDAD – Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki struck a conciliatory tone ahead of his trip to Washington, talking about his gratitude for U.S. sacrifices in Iraq, and offering to negotiate a settlement between Iraq’s federal government and the country’s Kurdish enclave as tensions heighten between the two.
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal as he prepared for a visit to the U.S. on July 21, Mr. Maliki said he planned to thank America for its shared sacrifice with the Iraqi people in the tumultuous post-Saddam Hussein years since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.
“We have [achieved] a combined victory against terrorism, and there have been sacrifices from both sides that brought fruitful results and democracy to Iraq,” Mr. Maliki said.
Nouri al-Maliki
During the June drawdown of U.S. troops from Iraqi cities, Mr. Maliki praised the Iraqi security services’ ability to take over from American forces. But he shied away from offering praise or thanks to U.S. soldiers.Some American commanders have said they understood that Mr. Maliki’s seeming slight was driven by domestic politics. Still, a gesture by Mr. Maliki acknowledging U.S. sacrifice could help to placate some rankled American commanders on the ground.
May I give Mr. Maliki a bit of advice? When you thank America, make sure you single out the troops who worked tirelessly, bent over backwards, and sacrificed their very lives and physical health securing peace and freedom for your country. Make sure you ONLY thank those Americans that supported our troops. After you thank our troops and their patriotic supporter, make a point to single out the American defeatists in this country like Kerry and Murtha who said we couldn’t do it – that you weren’t worth the sacrifice. Make sure they know they should hang their heads in shame for even suggesting that the US pull out before your country was on its own two feet. Tell them to their faces that the lives of thousands of Iraqis would have been lost had they won and securing the premature withdrawal of those troops you just thanked.
Mr. Maliki, we made some mistakes in securing your freedom. Some of our troops were ignorant morons who thought they were above the law and treated some of your citizens with disrespect and dishonor. Lives were lost at the hands of people who have soiled the good name of our troops. But, sir, I can assure you they were few and far between. They did NOT represent this country or our troops. To the greatest extent possible, they have been punished and will never wear the uniform again. I truly hope that is enough the families affected by those few people. However, I say again: they do NOT represent our military or our country! All we ever wanted to do when we crossed that border was bring peace to your country, bring freedom to your citizens, and kill or capture the terrorists trying to kill both! The fact that you will thank us means we have succeeded in our mission!
Read the rest of the article at the Wall Street Journal.
