Why are we still in Iraq?

Why are we still in Iraq? For oil? For America’s vanity? To expand our imperialistic presence? There are some that would answer yes to all these reasons, ignoring the simple truth. America is in Iraq because it is the right thing to do, period. Those who are calling for America’s immediate withdrawal have chosen to ignore the obvious, electing instead to take out their intense hatred of President Bush by opposing our troops serving to secure a free and independent Iraq.

So I return to my original question, “Why are we still in Iraq? The answer can be found in this story:

Women and Child Used as Pawns

It is al Qaeda that has delivered a war of terror against innocence civilians. They have indiscriminately waged a brutal campaign that has included the killing of religious leaders and the kidnapping of women and children. Yet, if you were to listen to some politicians, the media, and self-proclaimed “peace activist” you would get the sense that it is members of the US Military that are the propagators of the evil.

Those that would have us turn our backs to the brave soldiers, and the Iraqi population, have “sold their souls to the devil” for the sake of promoting a political edict that advances divisiveness and loathing for America.

Alexander Hamilton’s words ring more truely today than ever – “A nation which can prefer disgrace to danger is prepared for a master, and deserves one.” Appeasement and retreat will not stop the killing today, but will bring misery and enslavement to Iraq, and inevitably our involvement in a larger, bloodier conflict.

I, like many Americans, despise war. The idea of killing another human is against ever fiber of a decent person’s beliefs. But the acts of hatred we are witnessing in Iraq, Darfur, Indonesia, and too many other regions to name, call for us to act. If that action means military involvement, so be it. America has the moral obligation to use its military not only to protect our own self-interest, but to aid those seeking liberty and control over their own destiny. Before Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation he advised Americans – “It often requires more courage to dare to do right than to fear to do wrong.” The right thing is to honor our commitment to Iraq.

Impeachment Pie ala Mode

We are fortunate that the Founding Fathers had the foresight to realize that there may come a time when “We the People…” would need to remove any Officer of the United States from their position:

Article II, Section 4 of the Constitution states -

“The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.”

But Article II was meant to be used in the most extreme conditions, and was not meant to be yielded for political gain, as is the case with HR333 (Library of Congress - House Bill 333), which was introduced by Rep. Dennis “The Menace” Kucinich, and sponsored by a gang of nineteen Congressman of dubious distinction, such as:

Maxine Waters: Cited as a Top Ten Ethics Violator (Citizens for Ethics)

Keith Ellison: Numerous Ethical Issues (Campaign Finance and Disclosure Board Findings of Fact, Campaign Finance - Cited for Filing Late). Mr. Ellison also had his license suspended (twice) in Minnesota for failing to pay citations (World News Daily) and has been investigated by the IRS. Mr. Ellison recently made headlines when he referred to President Bush as Hitler and compared 9-11 to the Reichstag burning by the Nazis.

Sheila Jackson – Lee: Voted Second Meanest Boss in Washington (Washingtonian Survey) = 180% staff turnover her first two years in office. Ms. Lee mean-spiritedness was also noted while flying with Continental Airlines ("Don't You Know Who I am!!!")

The Founding Fathers understood that any civil officer of the United States (such as Senators, Congressman, and Judges) was capable of overstepping the original intent of their constitutionally granted purview. The hope was that future representatives would have the honor to wield the “impeachment sword” with caution, and only for the betterment of the Republic. HR333 is a procedure of spite, and suggest abuse of power on the part of Rep. Kucinich.

Recently Conservative Constitutional scholar Bruce Fein stated that the “Constitution will disappear in installment plans,” if impeachment charges were not pursued against Vice-President Cheney. Guess what Mr. Fein (and those who support HR333), that ship sailed a long time ago. The Constitution has been the subject of “progressive interpretation” from the very day it was ratified. The belief by “Pragmatic Progressives (translation: hardheaded, socialist liberals)” that the Constitution is a living, breathing document, that can be reinterpreted with an evolving and ever-changing morality is far more dangerous than anything Vice-President Cheney’s is alleged to have done (trust me when I tell you I use the word alleged in it weakest sense).

HR333 demonstrates once again that the party of divisiveness and self-aggrandizing is the Democrat Party. Congressman Kucinich will do anything to appeal to his fringe, even disgrace his office and insult the integrity of the Constitution. It is expected that groups such as Code Pink (Code Pink Pie Party) and After Downing Street (I Like Impeachment Pie) would be pushing this lunacy, but it is truly sad that 19 elected representatives, who swore to uphold the Constitution, have hitched themselves to this charade.

Politics and Children

Recently I have read several articles about the political campaigning that is occurring throughout the country. Inevitably the article features a quote from a parent who dragged their kid along to listen to the candidate of the parents choosing. The quotes are almost always from a Democrat gathering and very rarely from a Republican rally.

The quotes are revealing in many ways, as is the fact that it is almost always a Democrat gathering. The parent gives a glowing review of the candidate, and how much the child learned from the candidates’ presentation. The truth is that the parent does a disservice to the child when it is decided to only see Democratic candidates, and not provide the child with a balance approached to politics.

If we as parent choose to be impartial educators we owe it to our children to separate our opinions and biases and let our children find the answers themselves. But it is important for us to challenge our children to look deeper than the headlines or the status quo. For example, if your child is in favor ending the war in Iraq, put them to task. Have them think through a solution, and point out their strengths or weakness on an issue.

Another comment I found frightening while reading one of these articles was a parent wanted to know why children couldn’t vote. What is missing in children, and for that matter many adults, is a strong understanding of our electoral process. With very few exceptions, they lack the maturity needed to vote beyond the emotional response. There are pro’s and con’s to every issue. We as voters forget that. We need to dig deeper, beyond statements like “ I will end the war in Iraq” or “I will continue the war on terror.” Most children lack the discipline required to push each issue to an educated conclusion.

Too often we as adults let our prejudices drive our child’s developments. It is not our task to breed more Democrats or Republicans. It is our responsibility to create well informed thinkers.

The Ostrich Party

We Americans are a fickle bunch. The strength of the two strongest political parties rest with the fringe of each of those parties, the Far Left and the Far Right. But our government is more than about the fringe elements of any political party, it is about “We the People…”

The extreme elements add the passion to politics. They push the issues during the infancy of the electoral process, at a time when most American aren’t paying attention. For better or worse, the fringe is there to remind us that there are issues hanging in the balance, whether we agree with those issues or not.

The reality is that most Americans are committed “middle of the roader’s (there’s an oxymoron for you).” Middle of the roader’s like to refer themselves as Independents, usually with some sense of pride that this “free-spirited” approach to government is as American as NASCAR. In a recent survey more Americans describe themselves as Independents than as either Republican or Democrat. The truth is that most Independents are not “independent” at all. They stick the finger in the air on most major issues and align themselves with an already established group on those issues. I hardly think that fits the definition of an Independent. All things being equal, I think it is time we give these Independents their own moniker and symbol.


The Democrats have the Donkey, the Republicans have the Elephant, and so what does that leave for the committed Independents? I do not think they would be taken seriously if they referred to themselves as the Uncommitted (sounds like a pop band from the 80’s). You would still need some type of animal to put on the bumper stickers and election pins. I could think of no better animal to represent Independents than the Ostrich. Why the Ostrich? Like the Independents, the Ostrich wants to stick his head in the sand until someone kicks it in the butt to get a response. All they need to get the Ostrich Party started is few committed Independents; but wait; wouldn’t that be counter to the non-principals of an uncommitted Independent? Trying to figure out what an Independent stands for is making my head hurt.


The reality is America would not have gotten very far if our Founding Fathers were “middle of the roader’s.” In fact we would have floundered under the control of Britain for who knows how long. It was the passion of Thomas Paine, John Adams, John Hancock, and Thomas Jefferson to name a few that pushed this country down the path of independence. Our history is filled with vigorous debate back and forth, at times resulting in violent outbreaks (especially during Thanksgiving dinner with my family). Yet somehow we managed to survive.

So don’t worry your little tail feathers you Ostriches, you can continue to be indecisive while the political fringe keeps the process alive and well until you are ready to participate. Are you alright with that?

Obama: Dean Redux

Presidential candidate Obama is learning the hard way that it takes more than a great smile and recycled JFK speeches to win the Presidency.

Saying the wrong thing as a candidate use to mean that you would lose a few points in the polls, but in this day of instant access to the news, Sen. Obama is learning that you have to think before you speak. Mr. Obama’s recent remarks regarding Pakistan could have hurt our standing with a strong (yet vulnerable) ally on the war on terror: Pakistan to Obama - "Comments Irresponsible" , had Mr. Obama made the statement from the Oval Office.

The Pakistan comments were bookend by two other reckless comments that have many questioning Senator Obama’s understanding of foreign policy. Mr. Obama first faux pas came during the last debate when he stated that he would have no difficulty sitting down and meeting with any notorious world leader without preconditions (even Senator Clinton got this one right). Mr. Obama third gaffe regarding the use of nuclear weapons (NY Sun: Obama's Rivals Criticize Him Over Nuclear Strike Remarks) have Democrat opponents clamoring to crawl over Obama’s political carcass.

Some in the media feel that this yet another sign of Senator Obama’s inexperience (NY Daily News: Obama Flubs). But is it inexperience, or the same old disease that most Democrats suffer from, “Lackofconvictionitise?” If you have convictions to stand on, and not poll numbers to study, people may not like what you have to say, but the honesty of your beliefs will ring true.

Sen. Obama is learning that it is one thing to miscalculate while running for political office, but when you misspeak as the President of the United States it will cause an international incident, and depending on the country, increase tensions. Senator Obama also found something else out.....that the Democrats will eat their own to get ahead.