Here is “My view from the bleacher seats in SCV” Jack Murphy’s column early for the holiday weekend. As a reminder, Jack’s opinions are his and do not necessarily reflect those of the West Ranch Beacon or its other contributors.
I never ever like to use other peoples material for my essays, but I have to this time. It’s not a cop out on my part, it’s just that I have not found a better story to describe the war on terror then this below. It’s short so please take the time to read it. I get worried and concerned as most people do when I see and read about Iraq. I want us to succeed and move on. But I always fear that the people of Iraq just don’t care enough to start to take control of the problem themselves. This is just something for all of us to think about. maybe its really NOT the people in Iraq we should worry about but Bin Ladin and his followers.
I don’t believe the below is a slam against Rep. John Murtha. I do honestly think that he is speaking from the heart and I do not denounce his intentions albeit wrong in my opinion.
I admit that if John Murtha speaks for the Democrat’s then I am happy because honestly, good or bad, he is the first one to come up with a real plan to be debated. And debate is a very good idea for us as a country. I am happy we debate. In France they riot over political questions and in Iraq apparently they blow up each others Mosques. Here we yell and scream and then write about it. I like our way better. I get to go to bed by 9 still and wake up to plant flowers or something.
Ok, here it is and its short. Taken from The Weekly Standard, July 3rd – July 10th edition. Scrapbook section. Author unknown.
Jack, Meet Osama
“When we went to Beirut, I said to President Reagan, ‘get out.’ Now, the other day we were doing a debate, and they said, ‘ well, Beirut was a different situation. We cut and run.’ We didn’t cut and run. President Reagan made the decision to change direction because he knew he couldn’t win it. Even in Somalia, President Clinton made the decision, ‘We have to, we have to change direction.’…We need to change direction. We cant win a war like this…At some point you got ot reassess it like Reagan did in Beirut, like Clinton did in Somalia. You just have to say, ‘okay, its time to change direction.”
Representative John Murtha,
Urging a U.S. withdrawal from Iraq,
meet the Press, June 188,2006
“We have seen in the last decade the decline of the American Government and the weakness of the American Soldier, who is ready to wage cold wars and unprepared to fight long wars. This was proven in Beirut when the Marines fled after two explosions. It also proves they can run in less then 24 hours, and this was also repeated in Somalia…After a few blows, [The Americans] ran in defeat…They forgot about being the world leader and the leader of the of the new world order. [They] left, dragging their corpses and their shameful defeat.”
Osama Bin Laden,
ABC New Interview, May 28, 1998
Jack Murphy