If we pulled our troops out of Iraq, the consequences would be disastrous. Heritage’s James Carafano gives us five reasons not to cut and run.
For more on this subject, read Carafano’s latest paper on Iraq.
Below is an excerpt from a Senate speech delivered by John Ensign:
In an effort to steel our collective resolve, it’s important to remind ourselves just who the enemy really is in this global war against Islamic Fascism.For too long Americans have seen our enemies through a prism that casts them in the mold of conventional powers, but the Islamic fascists are a different breed. They fight for no flag nor do they adhere to any international agreements. They fight outside the box whereas our sense of what is right constrains us to adhere to recognized rules of engagement. We all know the self-professed leader of Al Qaeda is Osama bin Laden. His call to arms for his disciples is: Death is better than living on this earth with the unbelievers amongst us.
We know that Iraq is central to the war on terror because Osama bin Laden said it is. He said quote, the most serious issue today for the whole world is this Third World War that is raging in Iraq.
Zawahiri, Osama bin Laden’s Deputy, has described Iraq as: the place for the greatest battle of Islam in this era.
Read the whole speech in the extended section.
This morning Senator Rick Santorum held a conference call with bloggers to talk about Iran and the situation in the Middle East. Below is a rough transcription of that call (not exact quotes):
Q: What should the Senate do about Russian arms that are being used by Hezbollah?
A: What we have seen so far from Russia is not particularly encouraging…If the facts suggest that Syria had Russian Arms and gave them to Hezbollah that is fundamentally different than Russia giving those arms to Hezbollah…again, the facts will determine in this case.
Q: Fareed Zakaria has a piece in Newsweek that tells everyone to chill out when it comes to Iran. Iran is “no Nazi Germany” says Zakaria. It is fundamentally different and far weaker and therefore not a similar threat. What do you think?
A: I absolutely and profoundly disagree with that. The weaponry that Iran will use is different. Of course they are not going to use blitzkrieg tactics like Nazi Germany did…this is a false analogy…they will use terrorisism and other asymetrical threats culminating in the ultimate weapon — nuclear…Zakaria’s piece uses a cold war view of the conflict to determine the threat we face from Iran.
Q: Khatami visit to the U.S.
A: He is here to sweet talk america as Ahmidinejad did on 60 minutes…He has a record of suppressing religious freedom, imprisoning dissidents…he should not have been given a visa to this country and it is an outrage that he speaks at our national cathedral.
Q: What if diplomacy fails?
A: I believe in the two pronged approach of squeezing the leadership in Iran as well as supporting the outside of Iran Democratic movement…Also the Administration has to do a better job of matching their words and actions…I don’t think you embrace them as a serious negotiator when they are in fact not.
Q: ABC path to 9/11 series…
A: It is hard for me to comment because I have not seen the series. But for years we were attacked by these elements and we ignored the threat and did not take it seriously. We are in the same situation today because of the increasingly ominous role of Iran and the upswell of Islamo-fascism in the Middle East.
UPDATE: Audio here.
RELATED:
Momentum builds for Santorum Iran resolution
The Bulll Moose Blog comments on the specter of a nuclear-armed Iran and the evil that would surely ensue…
The speculation in America that Ahmadinejad may try to spark some sort of Armegeddon scenario tomorrow is overplayed, says Michael Totten:
A high level source in the Israeli government who prefers to remain anonymous told me “I am not very much worried about it. I can’t see Iran doing something like this. They are supposed to give answers to the US about the nuclear program on that date. They will probably say they want nuclear power for legitimate reasons and will buy themselves another six, nine, or twelve months by doing so. Then, eventually, Iran will acquire nuclear weapons and Ahmadinejad will then say ‘Look, I already have it. Go on and do what you want to do.’”
Civilians in Israel aren’t taking August 22 seriously either.
Noah Pollak, Assistant Editor at Azure Magazine in Jerusalem, said “I haven’t heard anyone talking about it. In Israel, you get numb to rumors of terrorist attacks — if you actually keep track of the minutiae of anti-terror activity here, you’ll find that around a dozen suicide bombings are prevented per month. Even the Israeli press doesn’t report on such things very often.” Noah lives in Jerusalem, but he is not an Israeli. He’s American. He has been here long enough, though, to absorb the unflappable Israeli attitude. Instead of planning a road trip out of town tomorrow, he invited me to go on a walking tour of Jerusalem’s Old City with him.
Lee Smith is an American journalist who moved from Beirut to Jerusalem during the Lebanon war. He likewise invited me on a walking tour of the Old City on the ill-fated date. Americans may be the only ones in the world taking this seriously. But that’s only true of Americans far from the scene. In Israel, August 22 is Tuesday, not Doomsday.
Iran, as expected, will continue their nuclear program:
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Monday that Tehran will continue to pursue nuclear technology, despite a U.N. Security Council deadline to suspend uranium enrichment by the end of the month or face the threat of economic and diplomatic sanctions.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran has made its own decision and in the nuclear case, God willing, with patience and power, will continue its path,” Khamenei was quoted as saying by state television.
With what ineffectual and entirely laughable resolution will the UN respond?
My Heritage Foundation colleague Peter Brookes NY Post OpEd today explains why Tehran merges from the Hezbollah-Israel conflict as the real winner:
Think about it: Using its terrorist proxy, Hezbollah, Iran was able to lash out at arch-enemy Israel, causing the Israeli Defense Forces to fight a two-front war in Gaza and Lebanon.
Tehran also benefits from the severe damage done to America’s public image in the Muslim world, where Washington was (inaccurately) seen as supporting - and directing - the destruction of not Hezbollah, but Lebanon.
Iran was able to divert a lot (but not all) of world attention from its still-active nuclear (weapons) program, too, giving it plenty of breathing room to continue to enrich uranium for nukes with impunity.
The Israel-Hezbollah war also put any prospects of advancing the Middle East peace process between Israel and the Palestinians - a concept the mullahs have long opposed - into a deep freeze.
The conflict unsteadied global oil markets, pushing prices to record levels. The price spike has been filling Tehran’s coffers and keeping the poorly managed Iranian economy afloat.
All in all, surveying the strategic landscape in the aftermath of the war, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and senior cleric Ayatollah Ali Khamenei must be darned pleased with themselves.
NZ Bear has an interactive map chronicling events in the Middle East. He integrates blog posts and news items into the map. Pretty darn cool…
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