Debunking The Leftie Iraq Mantra…Part 2

Major Mike

The next part of the Leftie Iraq mantra that needs to be dealt with, it the one that goes something like this…

“Fighting the war against terrorism is OK in Afghanistan, but it makes no sense to fight it in Iraq.”

This needs to be handled on several levels. Without question, the Taliban gave Al-Qaeda safe haven for years. This allowed, save for a few cruise missiles, for uninterrupted training operations, that in the end, gave Al-Qaeda an opportunity to train their initial wave of frontline troops, and to plan their world wide operations. So it made great sense to take the offense, and disrupt their cozy operation.

But, what about going into Iraq? Why would we go into Iraq, the terrorists were in Afghanistan?

I am prepared for the wave of negative traffic that I will get with my next analogy, so bring it on. I view dealing with the terrorists post eliminating the Taliban enablers, and their deadly guests, much like trying to rid your private property of unwanted skateboarders. Now, quit blowing your gaskets, I am not down on skateboarders, but stick with me.

Your first line of defense against skateboarders is putting up the ineffectual “No Skateboarding” signs. How many times has this been effective in shooing off the unwanted adventurists? Zero? Less than zero? So they continue to do their thing on your property. The problem is not that they are illiterate…they just dig the surroundings…so they aren’t leaving.

Next you hire some cheesy security outfit to “patrol” the area to discourage the unwanted “boarders.” They get used to the highly trained patrols’ routines, and then, simply work around nuisance patrols. Their skating periods, remain largely uninterrupted.

Finally, you take some active “defensive” measures. I have used handrail board “interrupters.” Small pieces of metal welded onto stair handrails. Boarders hate these…makes for a rough ride going down the rail…possibly knocking them off the rail. There are devices available for curbs and planters, other boarder favorites, as well.

Eventually, you have irritated the boarders enough to cause them to leave your, preferred site, and to find somewhere else to board…without the hassles they are now experiencing at your site. Here lies the point…they don’t give up skateboarding or in-lining…they move to another, more hassle free, site.

So, after we liberated Afghanistan from the Taliban, and destroyed large portions of the Al-Qaeda elements that remained in Afghanistan…what did AQ do? Disband? Give up their terror plots…obviously not. They simply scouted out safer venues. Iraq being one.

It is false to assume that Afghanistan, is, was, or could ever be, the only place that AQ would be trying to conduct base operations. The attractive parts about them moving to Iraq are numerous.

1. Iraq is a large country with my difficult to access locations that would provide safe haven for planning and training operations.
2. It offered a chance to develop a cooperative, symbiotic relationship with a head of State that was also a sworn enemy of the United States.
3. It made for easier access to other Mid East countries, that would help them recruit, raise money, and to conduct “local” operations against their other enemies…Saudi Arabia and Israel, to name a couple.
4. It garnered access to international targets via restricted shipping lanes, oil processing facilities, and international military ports.

It was a natural for AQ to move to Iraq, and it could be accomplished with little risk to AQ. Once in Iraq, even the strength of Saddam’s regime would have difficulty dislodging them without a significant effort. AQ certainly viewed Iraq as the “next best” place to set up operations.

I’ll close with one last thought for the overly optimistic left, who feel that all this terror stuff would go away if we just gave in to a few demands, and didn’t inflame the Islamacists by even being in Iraq. What happens in those communities that build their own skate parks? Does the “illegal” boarding cease? Of course not. This is because there is a certain niche within the boarding community that is as committed to the roguish element of boarding by continuing to practice their skills in forbidden locations, vice acquiescing to “the man” and allowing themselves to be corralled in tame environments that don’t allow them to wear the “rebel” tag they value as much as getting air.

America is a country that gives Islam an opportunity to thrive, but there is a radical and unappeasable element of Islam that refuses to accept this milieu, and this radical element insists on dictating the terms, and their terms are random and barbaric…read the MSM, it is all they report. Or, simply remember what happened on 9/11. For those who can’t keep track of time, it was planned and executed well before we ever invaded Iraq.

Debunked.