Sound the Retreat!

We are at a milestone, a turning point, in the global war on terrorism and it's imminently clear which way the power elite in Washington wish to turn - to the rear. Retreat. Surrender in Iraq is the order of the day. And it could not be more wrongheaded or dispiriting.

The midterm elections were the first trumpet call. The report issued yesterday by the Iraq Study Group (ISG) is the covering fire for the retreat.

Why bother with the ISG report, was my first question. The conclusions were a foregone conclusion, with the appeasers in Congress and the elite media lined up in lockstep to promote a "change" in our policy in Iraq.

As I left my hotel on Tuesday morning, a day before the ISG's report was officially delivered, I picked up a copy of Newsweek magazine. The bold headline, in large font over an ominous picture of ISG co-chairs Baker and Hamilton, was "Will Bush Listen".

Excuse me? Will Bush listen? No bias there, Newsweek. How about a fairer question. One that presupposes that the report should be evaluated before a judgement is made and a course is suggested. How about "Are they right?"

Are they (the ISG) right in their conclusions - those chiefly being that we've failed in Iraq and should retreat under diplomatic cover? What qualifications do these esteemed government retirees bring to the table in this conflict? How, if they only made one trip to Iraq and stayed in Baghdad the entire 4 days, do they qualify as experts? How are they more informed than our President, who has the whole National Command Authority at his disposal for daily threat briefings? It's absurd.

But, apparently absurdity is irrelevant. The elites have decided. Iraq was a mistake. Consensus on retreat is the only pressing issue. How do we retreat with dignity and "realism" is their only concern.

It's a disgrace. Retreat leaves us more at risk to terrorism, not less. And it wastes the sacrifices of our brave troops who have paid the price, not these power elites in Washington.

Mr. President, do not take the bait. Do not surrender to the forces of retreat. Win the war! That's the right course. Unleash the military to squash the Mahdi army and secure Iraq. Win the war.