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This Speakout has not been edited

By Jeff Crank

Last week, as the Congress postured over the President's plan to increase troop strength in Iraq, I asked an Army Sergeant that I ran into at a restaurant about his views of the President's plan. His answer was simple and straight to the point - the price of freedom is high.

The Sergeant, home from his second tour in Iraq said, "There is a price to freedom, sir and I have seen it paid. Americans have forgotten what brought us to this place."

What "brought us to this place" was not a rush to judgment nor a President that lied. It was, plain and simple, terror brought to our doorstep. It was the intelligence estimates of Russia, France, Great Britain, Israel, Germany and the Clinton Administration that estimated Saddam to be a growing threat.

To be sure the situation in Iraq is difficult and, without a doubt, mistakes have been made in the strategy and execution of this war. But mistakes in war planning should not make Americans lose sight of the overall strategic goal in the global war on terror - just ask our Sergeant.

Amazingly, Democrats and some Republicans in Congress have decided that they are willing to cut and run on the President and in so doing, cut and run on our soldiers. Many Democrats and some misnamed Republicans like Senator Chuck Hagel (a true decorated war hero) have sold out our mission in Iraq just to be seen as independent by the media elite.

Sadly, these political opportunists send out press releases contradicting the advice of our military commanders all the while forgetting that it wasn't the President that committed us to the battle in Iraq - it was the Congress. The House voted overwhelmingly 296-133 to authorize the use of force. 81 House Democrats joined in support. The Senate voted 77-23 to send our troops into battle in Iraq. 29 Senate Democrats voted yes. That action - not President Bush giving the go order - committed us to this conflict. Iraq was not a partisan issue then - it has only been two election cycles since that have made it so.

While they preach about the perceived failures of the Administration, it might do us some good to review how these pontificators-in-chief voted. While we all know that John Kerry voted for the war before he voted against it, other leading Democrats were a little more straight-forward: Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Harry Reid, Chris Dodd, Steny Hoyer and John Murtha all voted to send our troops into Iraq. And what about the Republican critics? John Warner - Aye. Chuck Hagel - Aye. How cheap and politically convenient it must be for them to sell out our military and our Commander-in-Chief while hiding behind that Capitol dome.

Right or wrong, the decision on Iraq has been made by the President and the Congress and any action which contradicts total and complete victory fails the men and women who wear the uniform.

While Congressional leaders push each other out of the way to get to cameras, that action has an unintended effect - their constituents are swayed by this lack of support. Worse, insurgents in Iraq and terrorists in Afghanistan hang on every word. Every comment about withdrawal emboldens our enemy - especially when it comes from those in high places. Every Congressional call for withdrawal is gleefully greeted by the bomb makers fueling the insurgency. Al Qaeda is emboldened by the words of those wanting to turn this struggle of our generation into a squabble for political advantage.

As our leaders bicker, Rome burns. America cannot take its eye off our most important goal- killing those radicals that want to kill us before they can do us harm. The world is a dangerous place and unless our enemies are destroyed the world reserved for our children and grand-children may become annihilated. The stakes are that high.

Americans must redouble their efforts - no matter the adversity - in Iraq. Our Army Sergeant, those who volunteered to wear the uniform with him, our children, and our future as the land of the free depend on our ability to rise to a challenge as our fathers did before us and confront the evil of our time.

Jeff Crank is currently the Vice President of Government Sales for XAware Corporation and is a former candidate for Congress in Colorado's 5th Congressional District. He also served on Congressional staff for eight years in Washington, DC.

READER COMMENTS

The Democrats on the House and Senate Intelligence committees had access to all the information that Bush did. If you think Bush lied, then you must accuse the Intelligence committee members of hiding the truth. They could have asked more questions than they did.

But the stupidest line of all is "The facts show that Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11. Anyone who says they did is lying."

No, Saddam and Al Queda did not like each other. But the did agree that we were the common enemy. Surely you can't be stupid enough to find that too complicated. History is full of "strange bedfellows" who were allied only because of convenience. Probably the best example in recent years is the US and the USSR during WWII.

Calling someone a traitor is not a threat.

Anyone who says that we had the Moslem world on our side after 9/11 is either lying, ignorant or stupid.

The only freedom I have seen lost in the past 6 years is the freedom to get on an airplane easily.

The anti-Bush crowd never seems to notice that Iran, the PLO, Syria, et. al. all violate international law, all use torture, all have vowed to destroy America, and have utterly failed to provide religious minorities in their own countries with religious freedom.

But perhaps the grand prize for idiocy goes to the statement: "Finally, I would be more impressed by the author's credentials if it listed military service. Since that is not listed, I am must believe he was never in the military, nor does he stand to pay any price in this so-called war on terror."

Military strategy, tactical and strategical, are not taught in boot camp. Mc Cain forinstance was a Navy pilot. This does not give him credentials as an infantry tactician. He, like many others, was a specialist. The idea that combat experience is crucial to understanding strategy has been outdated for 150 years.

The argument that only our soldiers will pay with their lives for mistakes in handling Moslem terrorists is obviously nonsense. The 9/11 victims paid. Their families paid. New York City paid. And if we don't get it right, then more of us will pay when they attack again.

What "brought us to this place" was not a rush to judgment nor a President that lied. It was, plain and simple, terror brought to our doorstep. It was the intelligence estimates of Russia, France, Great Britain, Israel, Germany and the Clinton Administration that estimated Saddam to be a growing threat.

Are you kidding me? This sergeant needs to look at the facts. Perhaps because the only news soldiers get overseas is Fox news, they have a misunderstanding of what happened. We are in Iraq because Bush lied. We are in Iraq because all of the neo-cons lied. When people tried to tell the truth they were attacked. (Valerie Plame).

The facts show that Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11. Anyone who says they did is lying. Saddam hated Al-Qaeda, yet we allowed Zaraqawi to live free from fear of Saddam in the no-fly zones in northern Iraq.

All we have done is empower Iran, because the neo-cons assumption the Shias in Iran would not help the Shias in Iraq due to the Iraq-Iran war (in which we supplied Saddam) and also because of historical Persian vs. Arab mentality. Too bad the neo-cons assumption was wrong. Now we are building the case to attack Iran because of their support for Shias, while ignoring Saudi Arabian support to Sunni militias in Iraq. Why won't we attack them?

This whole piece is propaganda.

The only high price for freedom is being paid here in America where they are stealing the freedoms we revolted for.

"Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - Ben Franklin

If the price of freedom is so high why are we making it so cheap and easy for the taliban and al queda to have their freedom in afghanistan and pakistan. maybe we oughta spend a little cash on the real enemy. which by the way is al queada in case you're too stupid to know that. I don't recall a single iraqi being involved in 9/11. you have cut and run from reality......

First - yes, Congress, in the heat of 9/11, and based on administration misinformation voted to approve the rush to war with Iraq in 2003. (not to mention the constant threats by Rove, Cheney, Rumsfeld, etc that anyone who disagreed with the Mr. Bush was a traitor). Many members of Congress have since said that if they knew then what they know now, their votes would have been different - and some have even had the sincerity to apologize for that error in judgement, despite it being based on both lies & emotional manipulation.

Second - since, according to Mr. Bush "Mission Accomplished" as of May. 1, 2003, we should have been pulling back troops then - instead of sending troops back for 3rd & even 4th deployments and not allowing them to leave the military when their enlistments are up.

Third - yes - the price of freedom is high; however, while the administration claims to be 'exporting' freedom to the Middle East, it has regularly curtailed US freedoms. If the remaining percentage of US citizens who believe that 'victory in Iraq' (which military experts have said could take another 10 years) is critical to US freedom, why aren't they or their families enlisting in the military - or better yet, moving for a reinstatement of the draft, so that everyone can share in that 'price'? While Prince Harry (3rd in line to the British throne) is looking at service in Iraq with his regiment, the twins are still out partying (and being kicked out of a country for inappropriate behavior) - and can't even be bothered to visit the casualties at Walter Reed Army Hospital. Meanwhile, the administration is still 'zinging' those who actually served in the military - regardless of whether they are Democrats (although they bear the brunt of the slurs - and it appears that more Dems actually served - although not many of them either) or Republicans - it is interesting that the man (McCain) the Rove machine indicated before the 2000 Rebublican primary had to have mental problems since he was a POW in Vietnam for 5 years is backing everything Bush is doing. Does that indicate the slurs were correct? In addition, since this country has a history of allowing the wealthy to 'buy out' of military service, why not rescind the tax cuts to the wealthy to help pay for this war - including outfitting the troops there & and the wounded who have returned?

Fourth, the administration had almost the whole world on its side on 9/11 (including moderate Muslims). The vendetta against Saddam Hussein (who had nothing to do with the attacks on that terrible day), along with the descent in to direct prisoner torture, along with sending prisoners to foreign countries which espouse torture for questioning has cost the US most of that good will. Meanwhile, the self-proclaimed author of those events of 9/11, Osama bin Laden walks free, recruiting more terrorists & even sending some to Iraq to help the so-called insurgents. (Were we insurgents during both the Revolutionary War & the War of 1812 - when US soil was invaded by foreigners?) Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia (please remember that was the home of most if not all of the 9/11 terrorists, including bin Laden, and has personal freedoms as limited as those in Iraq) has suffered no consequences for providing a fertile base for terrorism.

Finally, I would be more impressed by the author's credentials if it listed military service. Since that is not listed, I am must believe he was never in the military, nor does he stand to pay any price in this so-called war on terror.

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