Friday, October 31, 2008

Iraq Veterans Stand against Obama

As I have mentioned in the last post, Iraq War veterans are seriously concerned with Senator Barack Obama’s defeatist policy in the Middle East. For the victory of US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, a new advocacy group called Vets for Freedom (VFF) was established by retired Captain Pete Hegseth who served for the 101st Airborne Division.

Captain Hegseth joined the US Army upon graduation from Princeton University. He was awarded the Combat Infantryman's Badge and Bronze Star Medal for his mission in Iraq. He will enroll the master’s course at the Woodrow Wilson School for Public and International Affairs at Princeton University.

Hegseth founded VFF on November 11, 2007, Veterans Day, with the help of veterans fought in Iraq and Afghanistan, to explain American strategy in Iraq. In the Mission Statement, VFF declares the following.

Our mission is to educate the American public about the importance of achieving success in these conflicts by applying our first-hand knowledge to issues of American strategy and tactics in Iraq.

More importantly, the Statement emphasizes bipartisan nature of VFF.

We support policymakers from both sides of the aisle who have stood behind our great generation of American warriors on the battlefield, and who have put long-term national security before short-term partisan political gain.

This part of the Statement matches the agenda of Global American Discourse. Originally, this blog is trans-partisan. I have been criticizing Senator Barack Obama, because he does not assume imperialist mission of America. Also, Obama does not believe in the world led by the Best and the Brightest Nations of top industrialized democracies.

Then, why is Captain Hegseth critical to Barack Obama? In the last post, I have mentioned his article to National Review Online (“Right You Are, Joe: America's enemies will see Obama as weak.”; October 21), arguing that Obama’s foreign policy is too naïve to America’s enemy and adversaries.

In another article, referring to Amir Taheri, an Iranian-born neoconservative journalist (“Obama Tried to Stall GIs' Iraq Withdrawal”; New York Post; September 15, 2008), Pete Hegseth criticizes Senator Obama because he jeopardizes the negotiation for the US-Iraqi Security Pact (“Barack, Revealed”; Troop Blog; September 16, 2008). Though Obama recognizes progress of security in Iraq, he still argues that the Iraq War is a quagmire the surge has not made sufficient success. Hegseth condemns Obama as the following.

In Obama’s world, foreign-policy contorts to meet domestic politics, and commanding generals accommodate arbitrary political timelines. From his perspective, facts on a foreign battlefield exist to the extent they comport with his judgment, rather than his judgment comporting to facts on a foreign battlefield.

It is not only poor understanding of strategic value of Iraq that erodes Obama’s credibility as the Commander in Chief. According to FOX News, Los Angels Times refuses to release a videotape of Barack Obama’s dangerous ties with a pro-Palestine activist Rashid Khalidi (“LA Times Refuses to Release Tape of Obama Praising Controversial Activist”; Fox News; October 28, 2008).

Amil Imani, Iranian-born American and pro-democracy activist, compares current Obama boom with the Carter bubble after the Watergate Scandal (“Can America Afford Another Jimmy Carter?”; New Media Journal; October 10, 2008). When America is on the verge of repeating the same mistake, leftish global public opinion applauses the man who is completely unqualified for the Commander in Chief.

In an environment like this, it is noteworthy that brave veterans stand up. Whether the next president is John McCain or Barack Obama, it is private citizens of willing who can lead the public toward a better direction. The world needs dedicated commitment by the Best and the Brightest Nations consisted of the United States, Europe, and Japan. Therefore, I recommend readers to pay attention to VFF.

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