Message To The Troops

h/t reader TG From David H. Petraeus, General, United States Army - Commanding

To the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Civilians of Multi-National Force-Iraq:

We serve in Iraq at a critical time. The war here will soon enter its fifth year. A decisive moment approaches. Shoulder-to-shoulder with our Iraqi comrades, we will conduct a pivotal campaign to improve security for the Iraqi people. The stakes could not be higher.

Our task is crucial. Security is essential for Iraq to build its future. Only with security can the Iraqi government come to grips with the tough issues it confronts and develop the capacity to serve its citizens. The hopes of the Iraqi people and the coalition countries are with us.

The enemies of Iraq will shrink at no act, however barbaric. They will do all that they can to shake the confidence of the people and to convince the world that this effort is doomed. We must not underestimate them.

Together with our Iraqi partners, we must defeat those who oppose the new Iraq. We cannot allow mass murderers to hold the initiative. We must strike them relentlessly. We and our Iraqi partners must set the terms of the struggle, not our enemies. And together we must prevail.

The way ahead will not be easy. There will be difficult times in the months to come. But hard is not hopeless, and we must remain steadfast in our effort to help improve security for the Iraqi people. I am confident that each of you will fight with skill and courage, and that you will remain loyal to your comrades-in-arms and to the values our nations hold so dear.

In the end, Iraqis will decide the outcome of this struggle. Our task is to help them gain the time they need to save their country. To do that, many of us will live and fight alongside them.

Together we will face down the terrorirsts, insurgents, and criminals who slaughter the innocent. Success will require discipline, fortitude, and initiative — qualities that you have in abundance.I appreciate your sacrifices and those of your families. Now, more than ever, your commitment to service and your skill can make the difference between victory and defeat in a very tough mission.

It is an honor to soldier again with the members of the Multi-National Force-Iraq. I know that wherever you serve in this undertaking you will give your all. In turn, I pledge my commitment to our mission and every effort to achieve success as we help the Iraqis chart a course to a brighter future.

Godspeed to each of you and to our Iraqi comrades in this crucial endeavor.

Comments

[Zifnab]

Best of luck to him. If Petraeus is half as good as they puffed him out to be, maybe he can save a few more good Americans from the grinder than we would have saved under Rumsfeld.

But if he's not talking privately about withdrawl and redeployment yet, I promise you he will be in six months time.

[BobInStamford]

Do you think he signed it with Rummy's old autopen??

[Robert Stevens]

Dan, FYI. Petraeus' letter was entered into the Congressional Record on Feb. 17, during Sen. Graham's remarks prior to the Senate cloture vote on the Iraq War Resolution.

Here are his remarks leading up to his introduction of the letter (his comment on liberal bloggers is priceless because its accurate):

**************

The reason we are here on a Saturday playing stupid political games while people are over in Iraq trying to win this war is because our colleagues on the other side of the aisle are afraid to take a vote on cutting off funding. I believe what happened in the House in a nonbinding fashion is the worst possible situation for this Congress, but it is a precursor to a movement toward bleeding this war dry in terms of funds and cutting off funding. If I am wrong, then let's have a vote on cutting off funding.

The reason we are not going to have a vote on the Judd Gregg resolution, which is a legitimate position, is because 70-plus Senators will vote for it. The overwhelming majority of this Senate understands that cutting off funding at this crucial time in the war on terror in Iraq is ill-advised, but they don't want to be on the record. The reason they don't want to be on the record is because the radical left will eat Democrat 2008 hopefuls' lunch. They will create a fight on that side of monumental proportions between the radical left and the bloggers of the left who want to get out yesterday. That is why we are having a truncated debate.

If Members do believe we are in the middle of a civil war, take the floor and get people out of the middle of the civil war.

This is the politics of abandonment. This is abandoning the role the Senate has played for generations, to make our country stronger, not weaker. This is abandoning colleagues with contrary ideas who are going to be cut off. Unfortunately, these nonbinding resolutions abandon those who are going to the fight voluntarily.

This is a very sad Saturday for the Senate, on the heels of a disaster in the House where a majority, a bare majority of the House, wants to send a political message at a time of war that does not keep one person from being shot at.

I don't know where this thing is going to go. I don't know how it is going to end, but I can promise this: As long as I am in the Senate, I am going to take this Senate and make sure the Senate acts like the Senate. I came to the Senate for a reason. I want to be part of great debates. The way this process will be structured is Members will get cut out. JUDD GREGG will get cut out because of the politics of the moment. The 60-vote rule will have meaning in this debate as long as I am here. I hope my colleagues will understand whatever differences we have, no matter how sincere they are, please don't throw us over.

At this moment in time, I will read another resolution of sorts. This is from General Petraeus. He is addressing the coalition forces...

*******

http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getpage.cgi?dbname=2007_record&page=S2190&position=all

[BobInStamford]

The thing that you and your Senator Graham seem to forget is that GW and friends lost their little Iraq adventure years ago. If you idiots weren't so busy 'staying the course' and actually tried to win while the war was still winnable maybe you'd still control a house or 2 of Congress.

[Jeff]

Then write your Senators, the President, and your Congressman and tell them to cut funding... If you want the war to end at all costs, you so=hould leave politics aside. Surely the Democrats are better to our soldiers, they want to save our dumb soldiers lives (after all they must have been tricked into joining the army). If they want to make sure not one other soldier dies, they will cut funding. It might cost them politically, but we are talking about saving lives. 183% of Americans and 492% of Iraqis oppose the war (Washington Post poll)... the Democrats will be greeted as liberators of our dumb soldiers... there is little risk. Just cut funding, it's the best way for the Democrats to move forward past Chimpy.

Unless the Democrats truly have no balls (except Pelosi, she has huge nuts, I would know) and only care about plitical gain.

[BobInStamford]

You sheep don't get it - it isn't about the troops (dumb or otherwise) its about the fact that the Iraq Adventure has cost HUNDREDS of billions of $ and has served to only make a bigger mess in the region. What part of this dont you dopes understand???

[Zifnab]

"Then write your Senators, the President, and your Congressman and tell them to cut funding..."

I have and did. And I most likely will again. With Cornyn sitting at a precarious 44% approval rating, I suspect he might become a less-vocal war chearleader in the run-up to '08.

[scarshapedstar]

Yay for talking the talk, I guess.

[TYPICAL LIBERAL]

For once, I second scarshapedstar.

But the Senate Democrats are still cowards.