Townhall.com, Where Your Opinion Counts
Talk Radio:   Bill Bennett   Mike Gallagher   Dennis Prager   Michael Medved   Hugh Hewitt   
BREAKING NEWS  LeftArrow - Townhall.com : Conservative, Political, Republican   RightArrow - Townhall.com : Conservative, Political, Republican  
Columns, funnies & more in your inbox!
  • Check the boxes and send us your email address to receveive your free newsletter
  • Your daily must-read of conservative columns, cartoons and news. Coulter, Sowell, Krauthammer and more.
  • Townhall.com’s weekly inside scoop on what’s happening behind the scenes in the world of politics. When news breaks, we report.
  • Signup to receive the latest daily Townhall cartoons
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Ann Coulter :: Townhall.com Columnist
Surrender by any other name...
by Ann Coulter
Vote on It:
Average Vote:
[+] Text [-]
 
Poll
Was the Copenhagen Global Warming Summit Walk-Out a Win for the U.S.?


We're still trying to figure out a six-part test from some decision Sandra Day O'Connor wrote back in 1984, but now she's going to tell us what to do in Iraq.

Have things changed on the ground in Iraq? Are our troops being routed? Hardly. The number of U.S. fatalities has gone from a high of 860 deaths in 2004 to 845 in 2005, to 695 through November of this year. If the Islamic fascists double their rate of killing Americans in the next month, there will still be fewer American fatalities in Iraq this year than in the previous two years.

Admittedly, it would be a little easier to track our progress in Iraq if the Pentagon would tell us how many of them we're killing, but apparently our Pentagon is too spooked by the insurgents posing as civilians to mention the deaths of our enemies.

Moreover, it might seem churlish to mention the number of Islamic lunatics we've killed during the holy month of Ramadan. Half the time we do anything to them, it's "the holy month of Ramadan." It's always Ramadan. When on Earth is Ramadan over?

It's true that no one anticipated that al-Qaida sympathizers would stream into Iraq to fight the Great Satan after Saddam fled to a spider hole, but that's because everyone expected al-Qaida to be fighting us here.

Like "Peking," that's something else we can't say anymore: the amazing absence of another 9/11-style terrorist attack in the past five years. The heart of the insurgency in Iraq is, by definition, composed of Islamic terrorists who hate the Great Satan, own an overnight bag and are willing to travel to kill Americans. But don't worry: The Iraq Surrender Group feels sure they won't come here if we pull out of Iraq.

If absolutely nothing changed in Iraq over the next few years -- if it didn't continue to get better and if the savages never lost heart (I'm assuming they subscribe to "TimesSelect") -- by 2010, 6,000 brave American troops will have died to prevent another 9/11 terrorist attack on American soil for a decade.

If that's a war Americans think we're "losing," Osama bin Laden was right: We are a paper tiger.

1 2
| Full Article & Comments | < Previous
Share:
Vote on It:
Average Vote:
 
About The Author
Ann Coulter is a columnist and author of Guilty: Liberal Victims and Their Assault On America.
 
TOWNHALL DAILY: Sign up today and receive Ann Coulter and Townhall.com's daily lineup delivered each morning to your inbox.
Silly Ann, it wasn't overnight
Only fools have thought we are winning the war in Iraq for over a year now. That's why the republicans lost congress. American's want competent leadership.

This isn't a video game where you keep score by how many of our guys are killed vs. how many of theirs. Its about standing up a stable democratic government that isn't in the pocket of one militia or another and securing the country so people aren't being kidnapped and killed by death squads and militias. Its about rebuilding the infrastructure so that the electricity stays on longer than during Saddam's reign.

None of these things are happening. Until they do we are not winning.

Make no mistake, mistakes were made
I find a few points being debated here interesting, namely MsUnderestimated, who feels that Hannity's interview piece is somehow a reflection of the wishes of the many. This is not a scientific sampling indicating the wishes of the troops, this a pro-Hannity interview on Fox, one of the least respected sources for unbiased news in the country. Just as every US citizen is entitled to their opinion, this interview is with soldiers who agree with Sean, without allowing soldiers who don't equal time to air their statements. Note Hannity setting up the questions to ensure as much emotion and drama is infused as possible.

But we need to heed in the wishes of the majority, the very definition of democracy. The majority of the people want our military out of Iraq, the majority of troops wants out of Iraq and the majority of Iraqi people want us out. And this has nothing to do with me personal opinion, I don't think we should get out right now personally! But I believe the will of the people, soldiers and Iraqis should be carried out, even over my own opinion.

This is the formula for responsible journalism: present who, what, when, where, why and how - in balance, finding the most informed and eloquent sources for information possible and allow the listener to make up their mind. If Hannity's piece was about "how soldiers in Iraq feel about serving and the politicization of the war", where was an opposing viewpoint? Noticibly absent, especially in light of surveys conducted in March 2006 by Zogby that over 70% of troops wanted out by January and according to past polls, that figure is growing. If Hannity truly cared about the troops, why wouldn't he allow a single soldier who feels this way to say so in his report? Because it's propaganda, not journalism. Hannity only cares about troops who share his views.

In direct contrast, the upcoming issue of The Nation magazine will publish a petition signed by 1,000 current GIs including many officers, protesting this war for various reasons - some political, some strategic, some moral - but all with the same aim. For comparison, nothing like this has happened since 1969 when 1,200 troops published their names in the NY Times in a petition against the Vietnam war.
Sign Up to Post Your CommentsSign Up to Post Your Comments
If you are already registered, click here to login. Otherwise, please take a few seconds to register with Townhall.com. Once you sign up, you’ll be able to post your comments immediately, use the action center, get podcasts, and more!
Note: Fields marked with a red asterisk (*) are required.
Salutation:
First Name:
*
Last Name:
*
Email:
*
Nickname:
*
Note: Nick name will be shown when you post comments.
Address 1:
*
Address 2:
City:
*
State:
*
Zip:
*
Phone:
      
Your daily must-read of conservative columns, cartoons and news. Coulter, Sowell, Krauthammer and more.
(Bi-Weekly) We highlight the best opportunities from our partners for surveys, action items and more.