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WASHINGTON, Sept. 11, 2007--The highly anticipated Iraq Progress Report was presented to the nation yesterday and today by U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker and the senior American military commander on the ground, Army Gen. David Petraeus.
After two days of testimony in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate, Ambassador Crocker said a secure Iraq is attainable but not guaranteed, because success will require substantial resolve from both America and Iraq. General Petraeus said the military objectives of the surge were being met, but he added, "The situation in Iraq remains complex, difficult, and sometimes downright frustrating."
Both expressed hope that the U.S. can achieve its objectives in Iraq, and that was the sign the national commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. was seeking.
“The war in Iraq has divided the American people,” said George Lisicki, a Vietnam veteran from Carteret, N.J., who leads the country’s largest organization of combat veterans, “but the bottom line is our nation does not go to war to lose. That is a message that must be communicated to our troops, reinforced in our allies, and sent with deadly accuracy to our enemies,” he said.
“In hindsight, Iraq was not the centerpiece in the global war on terrorism when 3,000 innocent civilians were murdered on American soil six years ago today, but it is now, and the cold reality is this enemy continues to demonstrate its willingness to kill indiscriminately, regardless of borders,” he said.
“There is no doubt that success in Iraq by any measure will be extremely difficult to achieve, but a career diplomat and a general officer — both highly regarded and extremely experienced and intelligent — have not lost hope that Iraq can stabilize itself. We as a nation should not lose hope, either.”
Lisicki said partisan politics in Washington have led to accusations that the far right is prolonging the mission in Iraq in an effort not to lose before the next administration assumes responsibility.
He also said the far left is being accused of wanting America out of Iraq regardless of consequences, and has even gone so far as to publicly defame General Petraeus because he is doing what soldiers are trained to do — win their wars. The attack — in the form of a New York Times advertisement paid for by the political group MoveOn.org — was the first shot deliberately aimed at undermining troop morale and the public’s support of the troops.
“The Vietnam generation was blamed for losing its war because the American public could not disassociate the politics of the war from the warrior fighting the war. The VFW will absolutely not let that happen to another generation of servicemen and women,” Lisicki declared.
“I believe the great majority of Americans want these terrorists rooted out and defeated permanently,” he said. “I also believe the majority wants us out of Iraq, but only if it doesn’t leave the region in flames. The question we must ask ourselves is ‘How do we achieve both goals?’”
The ambassador, the general, and members of Congress from both sides of the aisle acknowledge that the security part of the surge strategy is working. The weakness is in the Iraq political arena, which continues to be jeopardized by 14 centuries of sectarian hatred, violence and distrust between the Sunni and Shia.
"The naysayers say Iraqi politicians can't put their sectarian differences aside. I say a reliable security environment increases economic opportunities which forces politicians to work together, which is exactly what is happening today because the security part of the surge is working," Lisicki explained. "It’s a natural order of progression that requires peace and stability before productivity and political reconciliation can occur."
Lisicki said that America's veterans demand forward progress when the nation deploys its military into harm's way, and despite the mistakes that occurred in the overall prosecution of the war in Iraq, he said the new strategy is yielding positive results.
"Our troops trust their commanders, they believe in the plan, and they have faith in their ability to carry out their assigned missions," he said. "The Iraq Progress Report asks America for more time and patience. We should give it, not because politicians are asking, but because our troops and generals on the ground are asking for it.
“Our patience is not unlimited, but as long as our troops and their families continue to have hope and faith that they can win, then our job is to support them."
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