I guess Mr. Dean would prefer to see our National Guard units deployed to places where they can really make a difference -- like some far corner of the globe where they would take their orders from Kofi Annan or some Belgian Brigadier wearing a blue beret.
But the Democrats were only getting started. When their leader was not calling our troops losers, their party's nominee, Sen. John Kerry, was characterizing U.S. soldiers as terrorists. Speaking to Bob Schieffer on CBS' "Face the Nation," Kerry accused U.S. forces of "terrorizing kids and children," in Iraq.
"And there is no reason," Kerry said, "that young American soldiers need to be going into the homes of Iraqis in the dead of night, terrorizing kids and children, you know, women, breaking sort of the customs of the -- of -- the historical customs, religious customs," he explained.
So let's get this straight. American soldiers are terrorists, but there is no need for them to be, because the kind of late-night terrorism which Mr. Kerry apparently condones, is the kind of terrorism that "Iraqis should be doing."
Also over the weekend, Wisconsin Sen. Russ Feingold, who was the first Democrat to set a date certain for withdrawal, said that victory in Iraq is not a paramount concern of his. Appearing on "This Week," Feingold said of Iraq, "this is not a war that we should really think of in terms of winning or losing." Typical liberal feel-good mumbo jumbo. The United States. must be careful not to damage the terrorists' self-esteem by actually defeating them. Let's just call it a tie and vow, like Rodney King, "to just get along" in the future.
Those who are putting their lives on the line to defend America and solidify the liberation of Iraq deserve better than what they are getting from the leaders of the Democrat Party. Three weeks ago, after months of carping that the United States needed to withdraw immediately from Iraq, the House of Representatives put the measure to a vote. It was overwhelmingly defeated.
Withdrawing from Iraq without complete victory in hand is a dim-witted and dangerous idea. It will do harm to the Iraqis whom we have liberated. It will endanger America's national security, and it will undermine the sacrifice that our troops have made.
It is time for Democrats to start speaking responsibly or not at all.