Notes from Jane
This is a busy and exciting week for Michigan Republicans. Our Gala last night was a smashing success. Senator John McCain always gives us "straight talk" and last night was no exception. I wish everyone could have heard his thoughts on how important it is that we succeed in Iraq and win the war on terror. David Trott and Robert Shumake chaired the event. It was evident that our success last night was the direct result of their leadership and hard work along with that of our Finance Chairman, Ambassador Ron Weiser. Thank you!
Ken Mehlman, Chairman of the National Republican Party, is spending three days in Michigan this week attending several Dollar-A-Day grassroots events. I hope you will attend the event closest to you.
Last week Democratic senators pounced on another opportunity to attack the current administration’s strategy regarding the Iraq War. President Bush and his administration see the Iraq War as part of a larger War in which we must spread democratic ideals in an effort to secure the ideals for which our nation stands. Through establishing a democracy in the Middle East, we can help individual citizens as well as the global community by promoting ideals that lead us to peace rather than ideological conflict.
Since the beginning of the administration’s attempt to encourage democracy for the citizens of Iraq, democrats have jockeyed to sway public opinion against the Bush administration and its plans for Iraq. Prominent Democratic senators including John Kerry, Russ Feingold, and Carl Levin have proposed plans that would set a timetable on U.S. withdrawal. These measures are antithetical to the cause for freedom. The very premise of the War is to promote ideals of individual freedom in a region crippled by turmoil and oppressive leadership.
Sadly, Michigan democratic senator Carl Levin proposed an amendment on the floor of senate last week calling for a phased redeployment of U.S. troops for Iraq beginning this year. In addition, he demands that the President submit a plan for continued redeployment by the end of the year. Cosponsored by Senator Reed, Senator Feinstein, and Senator Salazar, the bill received intense debate in the Senate, allowing high-ranking democratic senators to take cheap shots at the Bush administration. Unfortunately, Senator Debbie Stabenow was right in the fray. Additionally, Senator Clinton of New York accused the Bush administration of doctoring the war "as a strategy for Republicans to win elections here at home." The ridiculousness of this statement does not even deserve attention, as it is another feeble and unfounded attack by a Democratic senator who has a long record of poor performance and ineptitude.
If not political, the democratic accusations spring from a fundamental misunderstanding of the American mission in Iraq. We must plant the seed of democracy in the Middle East and protect it from the thorns that are oppressive leaders, insurgents, and radical ideas emanating from deeply held convictions. At this point, the United States has completed a successful military campaign in wiping out a tyrannical dictatorship, and now is charged with the task of encouraging a new foundation of government through which the Iraqi citizens can seek and find liberation.
In the beginning of the current endeavor, it was unclear who exactly our enemy was. However, it has become crystal clear that we are engaged in a war against an ideology that is incompatible with freedom, individualism, and a basic sense of human dignity. We have a defined picture of who we need to eliminate in order to triumph and accomplish our goals. The United States has been very successful recently in eradicating exactly who we target, exemplified by the recent death of criminal leader Zarqawi. Setting a timetable is ridiculous and counteractive, as it will give our enemies a clear sense of our plans and encourage them to persevere long enough to see American withdrawal.
Our success in Iraq has far-reaching effects in terms of the global state of democracy. We must ensure the development of a democracy in Iraq in order to start a "domino effect" in which democracies spring up around the region through the contagious nature of democratic ideals.
