ENOUGH! Inform Congress there will be repercussions if this continues

Of course I'm talking about the the debate on withdrawal from Iraq going on in Congress going on right now. The Senate was the first to jump on this issue, again. (Lord have they nothing better to do?) But then the House jumped on it yesterday by introducing HR 2956. In it, under Section 2, Congress is listed as having the following feelings regarding the combat theater in Iraq:

It is the sense of Congress that--

(1) the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 (Public Law 107-243), enacted into law on October 16, 2002, authorized the President to use the Armed Forces as the President determined necessary and appropriate in order to defend the national security of the United States against the continuing threat posed by the Government of Iraq at that time;

(2) the Government of Iraq which was in power at the time the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 was enacted into law has been removed from power and its leader indicted, tried, convicted, and executed by the new freely-elected democratic Government of Iraq;

(3) the current Government of Iraq does not pose a threat to the United States or its interests; and

(4) after more than four years of valiant efforts by members of the Armed Forces and United States civilians, the Government of Iraq must now be responsible for Iraq's future course.

Section 3 actually contains the language for withdrawal:

(a) Requirement- The Secretary of Defense shall commence the reduction of the number of Armed Forces in Iraq beginning not later than 120 days after the date of the enactment of this Act and shall complete the reduction and transition to a limited presence of the Armed Forces in Iraq by not later than April 1, 2008.

Isn't it just like Congress to choose April Fool's Day? We'll be the fools if this is carried out. This is insane. We don't quit a job that's half done. And it's telling that Congress refuses to acknowledge the early and continuing success of the surge in Iraq. Michael Yon reports:

The last major mission I did while in Baqubah in early 2005 was into Buhriz. That mission had begun with our artillery firing some 155mm shots into a palm grove on the banks of the Diyala River. The enemy in Buhriz, consisting partly of the 1920s Revolution Brigades, was tough and proficient at killing our people.

A current leader in Burhiz and member of the 1920s Revolution Brigades (1920s) goes by the name Abu Ali. This past Monday, I drove in the back of a Stryker and talked on the streets of Buhriz with Abu Ali. Just months ago our forces would have shot Abu Ali on sight, and he surely would have done the same to us. Today we are allies, for now.

An AP report filed recently entitled “Al-Qaida’s No. 2 asks support of Muslims” says:

Al-Qaida’s deputy leader sought to bolster the terror network’s main arm in Iraq in a new video released Thursday, calling on Muslims to rally behind it at a time when the group is on the defensive, faced with U.S. offensives and splits with other insurgent groups.

The AP report goes on:

Several large Iraqi insurgent groups publicly denounced al-Qaida, saying its fighters were killing theirs and pressuring them to join the Islamic State. One group, the 1920 Revolution Brigades, has begun overtly cooperating with U.S. forces and Sunni tribal leaders to attack al-Qaida.
The words were true: I was standing there with Abu Ali, with American soldiers and 1920s people milling all around. We had certainly killed a lot of his people, and the 1920s certainly had killed many American soldiers. During severe fighting with al Qaeda in April 2007, the 1920s reached out to American soldiers, and together they have been dismantling al Qaeda here in Baqubah and other places. If we had to fight an allied force of 1920s and al Qaeda, there is no telling how many soldiers we would have lost.

Al Qaeda’s ultimate failure in much of Anbar and now in parts of Diyala relates back to one of the pillars of success — or failure — in this war: Values. People who understand how to tamp down this war realize the critical pillar that values can play into success or failure in counterinsurgency, or COIN.

Michael Yon has been there. We are succeeding. And if people think it's just us talking about the idiotic grabage going on in Congress. Think again. This debate is raging across the 'sphere, from Captain Ed to Hot Air. It is imperative that we stay and complete this job, and not just because we need to defeat our enemy right there right now, but because if we run now, the world will witness it, and America will never be taken at her word again. 202-225-3121. Call them and tell them --ALL of them -- that if withdrawal is the decision of Congress, there will be repercussions in 2008 against both Republicans and Democrats. America still stands behind her fighting sons and daughter; husbands and wives; brothers and sisters in harm's way doing their best to keep this nation safe. We still believe in this mission, even if congress has second thoughts.

Publius II