Sacrifices of Troops and Positive Reports from Iraq Are Reasons to Give Thanks
- Nov 20, 2007 - comment
As millions of Americans prepare to share Thanksgiving Day with family and friends, we should pause and reflect on how much we truly have to be thankful for, not the least of which is our freedom. Without the sacrifices of our men and women in the Armed Forces, as well as their families, we would not enjoy such freedom today.
Our troops are serving us proudly and, based on recent reports from U.S. military officials, they are experiencing improvements on the ground in Iraq.
The New York Times, which has more often been a critic than cheerleader of military efforts in Iraq, reported Monday that weekly casualties, for the third consecutive week, were at their lowest levels since February 2006, when Sunni militants blew up a Shiite shrine in Samarra. In other parts of Iraq, violence has dropped to its lowest levels since summer 2005. U.S. officials also announced that, over the last several months, civilian casualties have fallen more than 60 percent in Iraq and by 75 percent in Baghdad.
But there is reason for these positive developments. According to the Times, U.S. and Iraqi officials point to the troop surge and new counterinsurgency strategy, citing a 40 percent reduction in casualties by Iraqi security forces since the surge began earlier this year. Further, U.S. troops, joined by 72,000 Sunnis, have significantly weakened al Qaeda in the region.
Meanwhile, it appears that some members of Congress simply refuse to accept the good news. Congress has voted more than 60 times on Iraq-related measures in less than 11 months—or roughly once every three legislative days—and most of these votes are attempts to micromanage the war.
On Nov. 14, the House logged its twenty-third vote to condemn the surge or withdraw troops, while two days later the Senate voted for the eighteenth time to denounce the surge or redeploy troops. Under the latest bill, a $50 billion measure to fund troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Democratic leadership tacked on a mandate to begin withdrawing troops in 30 days and pull most troops by Dec. 15, 2008. It narrowly passed the House but fell short of a 60-vote threshold in the Senate to force a final vote.
While Congress has eaten up much of its calendar debating and voting on Iraq, it has largely undermined, rather than helped, the mission of our troops. Lawmakers should resist the urge to make tactical decisions from the halls of the Capitol and instead leave those decisions to commanders on the ground and ensure our soldiers have the resources they need to finish their mission with success.
Many of our brave men and women will spend Thanksgiving on battlefields in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other parts of the world fighting to preserve our liberty for future generations. They need our prayers and support.
So before trimming the turkey or turning on the football game, may each of us give thanks to God for His many blessings on us individually and as a nation and ask for His continued protection upon our troops and this great land.
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