That outcome was bad enough – but at least the Soviets were rational actors who had no active objective of bringing about the deaths either of American citizens or of their own. In contrast, the Islamofascists we confront today court death, both for themselves and for every American. Contrary to many Democrats’ stated beliefs, withdrawing from Iraq will not slow the growth of the terrorist threat – it will only invigorate and embolden the terrorists who have been recruited. What’s more, surrendering Iraq to the tender mercies of the terrorists who have flocked there will send a deadly message to other potential allies in the Middle East: That the United States cannot be trusted to keep its word to see the battle against Islamofascism through to its ultimate conclusion.
No external power on earth that can conquer the mighty U.S. military. The lesson of Vietnam is that the United States can be defeated only by an internal weakening of will – a decision by American leaders that the fight is no longer worth the cost. That’s the decision that many Democrats appear already to have made, but it’s an irrational one in an era when Americans have an enemy prepared to bring death and destruction to innocents across our homeland.
As the November elections draw nearer, the choice between the Democrats and Republicans becomes ever clearer. When it comes to the war in Iraq, the Democrats want us to withdraw from Iraq and cede victory to the terrorists. The Republicans understand that the danger increases temporarily while we fight, but that the war is winnable and victory will bring with it a real reduction in the threat to America.
Every Democratic candidate should be asked whether he or she would support the elimination or dramatic reallocation of funding for the Iraq war over the wishes of the President. That information is crucial in helping Americans determine whether they are supporting candidates who are committed to the victory that will make us safer, or to a policy of defeat and retreat that will galvanize our mortal enemies, dispirit our allies and endanger all of us.
Ronald Reagan once said, "I do not believe in a fate that will fall on us no matter what we do. I do believe in a fate that will fall on us if we do nothing." The decision is ours.