February 21, 2007

A Word from Zach Wamp

Failure is not an option in Iraq

The “War on Terror” is the worst-named war in the history of our country. We need clarity as to who we are fighting. We are at war with Islamic jihadists whose goal is to expand the caliphate from Indonesia to Morocco. They believe they can then extend to Europe and all the way to the former Soviet Union. This is the Muslim Fundamentalist agenda. It is a religious conflict, which did not start, and will not end with Iraq.

For the first 1,350 years we were not involved in this conflict. But just over 40 years ago, a man named Qutb, the Wahhabi leader and a radical, came to America, was educated, went back home, and indoctrinated a man named bin Laden that Western liberalism and freedom equaled apostasy or ungodliness. He indoctrinated Sunni radicals that our way of life must be stopped. That is when we were brought into this conflict.

The split in the Arab and Persian world in Iran that overthrew the Shah gave way to the first Islamic state. Ayatollah Khomeini was brought back in 1978. Khomeini took over, and within a few months, American hostages were taken in Tehran. From 1978 forward, our interests have been attacked 30 times around the world, and twice in the United States.

The conflict in Iraq became very difficult in the last year after the Samara mosque bombing. That is when the sectarian violence broke out. Moqtada al-Sadr's uncle was killed by Saddam Hussein and buried at that mosque. Now Moqtada al-Sadr is fleeing to Iran because he knows we are going to increase security and put more boots on the ground in Baghdad. Al-Sadr running away indicates we are doing the right thing. Egyptian and Jordanian leaders say “a precipitous withdrawal would be catastrophic.”

We were not in Iraq before September 11. We were not in Afghanistan before September 11. In fact, we have not been attacked domestically since September 11 for two reasons:

One, we have better intelligence than we have ever had before. Two, they don't want to see us united like we were after September 11. Our enemies love the dissent and the division. They do not want to see us come together again, because when we do, we are the best in the world.

Iraqi troops are standing up now and progress is being made. Iraqi battalions now exceed the 75 percent measurement on participation. Additional U.S. troops on the ground are a reinforcement, not a surge. Over the last several years we have had 136,000 to 160,000 troops in Iraq. The reinforcement is going to bring us back to the upper level – the number there when Iraqi elections were held. Historically, military reinforcements save lives and reduce violence.

There are two tracks to be taken. One is troop strength and security. The other is diplomacy, which will break out in the region. We will see dialogue at every level.

Majority Leader Hoyer and I believe most, if not everyone, in Congress have good intentions. But if there is to be a funding cut, more Americans will die, and the sacrifices to date will be lost. We must do better, but this problem will not go away if we leave Iraq. This is a generational challenge. Let’s pull together in defense of liberty and our way of life. Let's unite for the fight of our lives.