Pulling out, doing good and happy talk

Sometimes someone emails me and says “remember when you wrote this?” And I have to admit that no, I don’t remember writing the thing, but I am kind of glad I did. With all the Democrat talk about ill-advised timetables for pulling out of Iraq, someone sent this piece to me, in which I had written:

In order to succeed they need two things. They need time – to train their forces and police and to get their political infrastructure established. They need reassurance that America will not desert them when their success is so tantalizingly close.

In order for the Iraq move to Democracy to fail and to descend into murderous chaos, the insurgents need only two things, too. They need the press and the politicians to continue to dwell on negatives and call for withdrawal of our troops. They need to see America “end this war” not in victory but in turmoil and shame. To cut and run. And they need the troops to abandon the people.

Just like, you know, Vietnam. Then they can create their own Killing Fields. And America can descend into isolationist revelry for as long as she lasts – which will not be long, because a great nation that has spilled its blood for freedom will have now twice been seen to lack the spirit to finish what it has begun. A nation that cannot keep its committments cannot be trusted to lead, and if America does not lead, she will die, for she will never follow.

Right now, the insurgents are being vastly encouraged by what they read coming out of the mouths of Democrats and reporters, and even, sadly the Republicans. The message they are being given is: Just be patient. Just hold out a little while, and America will be gone, and you will re-gain control.

I was clearly pretty angry when I wrote it. I still get angry when an over-simplistic “just bring the troops home,” gets wailed in my direction by a clueless type.

I guess I was angry the way Maxed Out Mama is angry that the NY Times gave op-ed space to a Gitmo prisoner for the purpose of describing his terrible, torturous ordeal…which he does not describe – possibly because he cannot.

I remember once an interrogator warming me up during several sessions for a polygraph test I was going to take, that was, according to him, infallible. After I took the test, I was left alone in the interrogation room; an hour later, the interrogator returned. “Congratulations,” he said grimly. “You have passed the test.” And he gave me a box of candy.

Oh, the freaking humanity!

Anyway, Mama seems to be angry but having a good time fisking him.

But I’m in a good mood today, I don’t feel like being negative, so let’s look at some good news on adult literacy and other things. Interestingly, even the Bushies are being allowed to have a spate of good news while the other side regroups a bit.

Unsurprisingly, Alexandra points out, while Bush gets a little ray of sunlight, the press and the left are busily moving the goalposts. You’ll want to read it.

ABP has some video of Rove who we might describe as a sort-of happy warrior, I guess.

Flopping Aces looks at why he rather likes being a conservative. Mary Katharine Ham seems like a positively giddy conservative in this interview with the Real Ugly American – she seems like she would be fun to be around, although I question her taste in soft drinks.

John Hawkins seems like he had a great deal of fun interviewing Ann Coulter.

Miss Kelly suggests that the folks being promoted as very happy by the press are maybe not so happy.

And since I appreciate irony, I am always happy when someone points it out.

And even Hillary must be happy as once again, she does not have to bear serious scrutiny.

More later. I planted the Zinnias, now I have to plant the impatiens, because, you know…it’s summer and Buster has a girlfriend…