Victory in Iraq Is Possible!

Dear Editor,
    Every day, another politician claims that victory in Iraq is impossible. This would shock the soldiers. They know better.
    We must reassure our troops that they aren’t fighting alone.
    Exactly one year ago, when “experts” began seeking an “honorable exit,” Vets for Victory, a pro-troop and pro-mission organization I head, began working with state lawmakers who were as frustrated as their constituents. The result was a legislative proclamation telling the troops, “We will not abandon you.”
    Last February, more than a thousand average Oklahomans assembled outside the state Capitol building while a group of bipartisan lawmakers read the state’s pledge not to abandon the troops.
    Last year, Vermont gave its own proclamation, Florida’s Hillsborough County of 6 million people became the first nonstate government to pass it, and Massachusetts followed with a strong variant. Florida will consider its own this spring.
    The soldiers and their families think these resolutions matter, and state legislators know they have to go home to their voters when the legislative session ends. That’s why it’s time to act. National media and political groups have allowed opponents of the war a steady say. When the surge began to bear fruit, they began attacking those who serve in uniform or as contractors.
    First, soldiers and Marines were subjected to despicable political statements asserting instant guilt regarding alleged war crimes, with no apologies upon acquittal. In the celebrated Blackwater case, the media circled vulturelike to declare all contractors out-of-control criminals.
    So ask your local lawmakers to sponsor a resolution declaring that your state will not abandon the troops. This tells them that their sacrifice will not be in vain and goes a long way toward raising their morale instead of our enemies’.