Democrats plan to turn Iraq into 'terrorist Disneyland'

My Potomac News column from May 17th: Democrats plan to turn Iraq into 'terrorist Disneyland'

Democrats plan to turn Iraq into 'terrorist Disneyland'

The new Democratic majority in Congress has put forth its "plan" for Iraq, which consists of surrender starting Oct. 1. The president vetoed the measure, but it is not going away. The only argument for most Democrats is whether the troops should come home today or in a few months.

But in all their speeches about how they are tired of our troops being killed and injured for "no reason," or how the war is already lost, they never seem to address their plan for after the troops are removed.

This is not surprising. Their debate is not about what we need to accomplish, what our goals should be or the long-term vision for the Middle East. For the Democrats, "the war" is just American troops fighting, as if fighting was the only purpose. And to end "the war," we simply need to stop fighting, as if that will make all the problems go away.

Maybe the Democrats see our troops as the problem in Iraq, but since they passed their terms of surrender, the media has decided it would be good to look at what we might expect after America has abandoned Iraq to the terrorists. And the picture they paint is not a pretty one.
CNN correspondents Kyra Phillips and Michael Ware have spent a good deal of time in Iraq, talking to the people, the troops and the generals. When CNN's America Morning show asked them if a troop pullout would "help the situation" in Iraq, Phillips responded that "it would be a disaster." Ware added "in terms of American national interest, if U.S. troops leave now, you're giving Iraq to Iran … and al Qaeda."

Ware, a darling of the left when he attacked McCain for a too-rosy picture of Baghdad, said of the Democrats' war funding/surrender bill, "I'm struck by the nature of the debate on Capitol Hill, how delusional it is." If we leave now, he insisted, "it's going to come and blow back on America."

Secretary of Defense William Gates said in recent congressional testimony that withdrawal from Iraq would have "dire" consequences, not only for Iraq but for American interests around the world. It would give al Qaeda a "base from which to plan operations not only inside Iraq, but first of all in the neighborhood and then potentially against the United States."

Tuesday, Reuters reported that an American troop pullout would leave Iraq "a terrorist Disneyland" where al Qaeda could build up its strength unchallenged." Al Qaeda expert Rohan Gunaratna said terrorists would use Iraq to launch attacks around the world, and "after two or three years, the U.S. forces will have to go back to Iraq."

It is obvious Democrats have not thought this through. Iraq is a struggling democracy, friendly to us, but with citizens wary of our resolve. Many have put their lives on the line siding with us against the terrorists, and if we pull out, they will be left helpless against the Iran-sponsored insurgents and al Qaeda operatives.

The Democrats plan will turn Iraq against us and destroy our reputation in the region and the world. Sir Richard Dearlove, former head of Britain's MI6 Intelligence service, said al Qaeda was focused "on some sort of propaganda victory over the United States," noting that "if they can claim in the Muslim world that they've done well, then that puts us in a very difficult position."

The group Move America Forward has declared today to be "Surrender is not an Option" day. Given the disastrous result that would follow the abandoning of Iraq, surrender clearly is not an option.

Fortunately, the American people know this. While polls show we are weary of the war, the latest IBD/TIPP poll shows a majority of us disagree with Majority Leader Harry Reid's claim that the war is lost. In addition, over 60 percent think victory is important, and a whopping 78 percent say we need to stabilize Iraq before we consider bringing our troops home.

Maybe the Democratic Congress should stop insisting they speak for America and instead should listen to someone other than the anti-war left that funded their victory. Whatever you think about the wisdom of starting a war in Iraq, there is no wisdom in stopping now. The result would be a disaster for Iraq, America and the world.