Posted by
Kenny Cleveland on Friday, January 26, 2007 6:23:28 PM
I have always considered myself an independent conservative well served by the Republican party in matters of foreign affairs and national security. This party however is rapidly and shamefully abandoning its long held commitments to these issues. Some of you are well aware of my vocal disgust with the Republican party, including my complete refutation of the Ohio GOP and recently my sad disappointment in President Bush. So why am I writing to you? Because we are at a watershed. And we have little time to waste. Our nation has a porous southern border, an emboldened and capable enemy, and a frivolous federal legislature. We can argue the sense of, and motives for, invading Iraq and deride the strategies employed there to date. But I suggest these passions are best left to historians. Iraq is now a front in the war waged against us by Islamo-fascists. A war we didn't start but must fight. An effective third party emerging before this war's battles are intractably between our shores is implausible. Purging and righting the Republican party is perhaps our only realistic hope. Regardless, it is time to do more than just grumble amongst ourselves.
Republican Senator John Warren of Virginia is sponsoring an initiative that will greatly undermine our efforts in Iraq. General Petraeus, confirmed by the Senate on Wednesday to be general and commander of the Multi-National Forces in Iraq testified under oath that any resolution denouncing Bush's revised strategy for the Iraq front would encourage the enemy.
(Quoting Hugh Hewitt): "What does it mean to “encourage the enemy?” It means to increase their will to fight on, and their courage to do so even in the face of the arrival of reinforcements. It also means to increase –substantially—the likelihood of redoubled and retripled efforts on their part to kill American soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines. To vote for the sort of resolution that General Petraeus addressed is a profoundly wrong action."
The link below takes you to a page that will allow you to send a strong message to the National Republican Senatorial Committee urging their senators to support the President in his renewed effort to WIN the Iraq front in our war against the Islamic fascists. The text of this pledge is as follows:
If the United States Senate passes a resolution, non-binding or otherwise, that criticizes the commitment of additional troops to Iraq that General Petraeus has asked for and that the president has pledged, and if the Senate does so after the testimony of General Petraeus on January 23 that such a resolution will be an encouragement to the enemy, I will not contribute to any Republican senator who voted for the resolution. Further, if any Republican senator who votes for such a resolution is a candidate for re-election in 2008, I will not contribute to the National Republican Senatorial Committee unless the Chairman of that Committee, Senator Ensign, commits in writing that none of the funds of the NRSC will go to support the re-election of any senator supporting the non-binding resolution.
If you are opposed to the passage of this motion please sign this pledge.
There is a precedent for this strategy. Just ask Lincoln Chafee, who not only voted against the invasion of Iraq and the confirmation of Samuel Alito, but declined even to vote for the re-election of President Bush. Many loyal party members not only opposed Chafee’s re-election, they refused to support the National Republican Senatorial Committee because the NRSC was helping to fund the Chafee campaign. The Republicans are in a tail spin and can't afford any more erosion of their perceived base. They know this. Signing the above pledge will impact their votes.
Your involvement here matters, much more so than your votes every November.
Please forward these words to others, in their entirety, as you see fit.