Paper tiger donkeys

North County Times/The Californian ^ | November 29, 2005 | Rick Reiss

[DogByte6RER]

Paper tiger donkeys

By: RICK REISS - For The Californian

Earlier this month, two decorated Camp Pendleton Marines were memorialized. The Marines, both Apache helicopter pilots, were killed in Iraq when their aircraft was downed during combat operations.

At the same time, anti-war leftists promoted an Italian documentary claiming that Marines used chemical weapons in the Iraqi city of Fallujah in 2004. This ginned-up documentary alleges that U.S. troops engaged in war crimes by using white phosphorous munitions during military operations in Fallujah.

For sure, Michael Moore rates this video two thumbs up.

Now here are some facts:

-- Our military frequently uses phosphorous for signaling, screening and as incendiary weapons.

-- The U.S. has never signed any treaty or law that precludes the use of phosphorous in battle.

-- The deployment of phosphorous on the battlefield is legal and saves the lives of our troops.

Perhaps our troops should deploy more white phosphorous on the battlefield. Maybe the two helicopter Marines could have found safety from attack by a phosphorous screen.

It's hypocritical enough when anti-war activists claim to "support the troops while opposing the mission." Now, adding injury on top of insult, they seek to hamstring our military's ability to defend itself. Yet, this is far too typical of the anti-war left. Recently, a New Jersey college instructor berated a student for inviting a U.S. veteran from Iraq to lecture on campus about American accomplishments in Iraq.

The English instructor e-mailed the student writing that "real freedom will come when soldiers in Iraq turn their guns on their superiors and fight for just causes and for people's needs."

Is such rhetoric good or bad for troop morale? You be the judge.

In the same vein, vocal Democrats are now advocating a cut-and-run policy in Iraq. Feeling emboldened by the Bush administration's sagging poll numbers and egged on by Cindy Sheehan and Michael Moore leftists, more and more congressional Democrats are calling for the immediate withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq.

Let's just call this the "paper tiger" policy. There is some history to this.

In 1993, American Blackhawk helicopters were shot down in Somalia. Dead American GIs were dragged through the streets of Mogadishu. Then, President Clinton also chose a cut-and-run strategy.

In a subsequent ABC News interview, Osama bin Laden described America as a "paper tiger" because of Mogadishu. This American withdrawal emboldened bin Laden as he went on to commit far more infamous acts of terror.

A cautionary note to the cut-and-run crowd: The RT Strategies poll from Nov. 17-20 revealed that 70 percent of the respondents viewed the Democrats' criticism of Iraq as hurting troop morale. Only 13 percent saw the Democrats' criticism as helping troop morale.

Democrats should cut and run from their paper tiger policy. Otherwise, Iraq will become a bloodbath, terrorists will be further emboldened and more than 2,000 GIs will have died in vain. America deserves better from the party of FDR and JFK.

Rick Reiss of Temecula is a regular columnist for The Californian. E-mail: RickReiss6@netscape.net.

[Tennessee_Bob]

The Marines, both Apache helicopter pilots

Anyone else see what's wrong with this picture?

[Little Ray]

Yeah. Marines use Super-Cobras.