U.S. Troops say Stay the Course at Home Too!

With a potentially historic U.S. midterm election on Tuesday and the war in Iraq a major issue at the polls, many soldiers said the United States should not abandon its effort here. Such a move, enlisted soldiers and officers said, would set Iraq on a path to civil war, give new life to the insurgency and create the possibility of a failed state after nearly four years of fighting to implant democracy.

Never thought to ask the soldiers fighting the war but when one takes an up close and personal look these brave souls just want to finish the job. Sure everyone wants peace but if war is declared on America are Americans not going to defend themselves? (Click on U.S. Troops)

9/11 is but a memory, so easy to forget. It is easy to forget that Democrats overwhelmingly voted to give President Bush authority to go to war with Iraq. Many of the most vocal of the critics voted for war with Iraq. Didn’t you Senator Kerry?

Since Iraq has been the focal point of conflict between the East and the West most of the terrorist have congregated there to fight. What that means to the average American is that we have not been attacked in 9/11 fashion since the day the twin towers fell.

However there is another conflict and that conflict is related to whether we prevail in Iraq or we leave Ira q defeated. That conflict is the Left against the Right in American politics.

The soldiers declined to discuss the political jousting back home, but they expressed support for the Bush administration's approach to the war, which they described as sticking with a tumultuous situation to give Iraq a chance to stand on its own.

This election is not a referendum on any one person this election is a referendum on a nation, a country our soul. This election is an assessment on whether the words of Osama bin Laden are true. In 1998 after declaring war on America bin Laden stated that he was convinced that American soldiers would leave the Middle East defeated and shamed. Bin Laden took note of what happened to American soldiers in Mogadishu during the 1993 battle where after taking casualties President Clinton withdrew all American troops. Bin Laden said that he realized then that if America would ever take casualties in a hard fought battle they would withdrawal in defeat and humiliation like they did from Somalia.

Leading Democrats have argued for a timeline to bring U.S. troops home, because obvious progress has been elusive, especially in Baghdad, and even some Republican lawmakers have recently called for a change in strategy. But soldiers criticized the idea of a precipitate withdrawal, largely because they believe their hard work would go for naught.

Americans voting today will either make bin Laden a prophet or a liar; a brilliant military strategist or a radical Islamic Jihadist Zealot.

"This is a worthwhile endeavor," said Maj. Gen. Benjamin Mixon, commander of Multinational Division North and the 25th Infantry Division. "Nothing that is worthwhile is usually easy, and we need to give this more time for it to all come together. We all want to come home, but we have a significant investment here, and we need to give the Iraqi army and the Iraqi people a chance to succeed."

What America does today will resound throughout the world as either the day that the West bowed before Islam or whether America asserts to bin Laden and the world that she is no paper tiger.

"It's still fragile enough now that if the coalition were to leave, it would embolden the insurgents. A lot of people have put their trust and faith in us to see it to the end. It would be an extreme betrayal for us to leave."--Capt. Mike Lingenfelter, 32, of Panhandle, Tex.,

Will America vote today for betrayal or trust and faith? I’m betting that America will exercise its vote by demonstrating that we can be depended upon to keep faith we will demonstrate that we are a Nation that finishes our commitments.

We will not change direction and we will not change course because the direction in which are going and the course that is set before us is the right direction the course that is set is set true and we will defeat those who made the wrong assessment about the character of American leadership, soldiers and the American people.

Our vote today will show America's resolve to complete the mission. We owe it to so many; the Iraqi people, the American soldiers, our fallen in arms, and the American people.

If today's vote is a referendum on the war in Iraq our vote today will say, “We ain’t leaving ‘til the job is done!” And nobody will be mad but those who hate America!