Regarding Iraq, Mr. President

Before America invaded Iraq and ousted Saddam Hussein a freshman senator from New York stood on the Senate floor waving a copy of Newsday with large, bold headlines BUSH KNEW!, implying that you, Mr. President, had prior knowledge of the impending 9/11 attack and permitted it to take place. You should have known at that moment that the adage "politics stops at the water's edge" was no longer part of America's political rules. The tragic and shocking fact is that today in America the pursuit of political power --- in some quarters --- trumps all other considerations, including the safety and lives of our men and women in uniform as well as the citizens of this country.

How else does one explain that the rhetoric from both your political opponents and Al Qaeda is identical in nearly every respect? How else does one explain the reprehensible claims by your would-be political assassins that they were deliberately tricked into voting for the Iraq War? A principled political opposition would have admitted they were operating under the same assumptions and intelligence as were Republicans; a principled political opposition would have challenged the military strategy instead of ripping at the hearts of our troops by comparing them to the Waffen SS and seeking to undermine their morale by piping National Public Radio into their midst every single day.

Mr. President, you waited far too long to replace your White House press secretary. By the time you appointed the articulate Tony Snow the so-called mainstream media --- joined at the hip with the Democratic National Committee --- had eroded your support among the electorate. Millions of voters, waiting in vain for you to forcefully respond to your war critics, had already made up their minds to vote for Democrats by the time you finally decided to accurately describe "a vote for Democrats is a vote for Al Qaeda". And now, only days after the Democrats' election success, Al Qaeda is indeed trumpeting the election as their own great political and military victory.

This election year the increased insurgent attacks that resulted in the increased American military deaths, coordinated with increased mainstream media/DNC charges of your alleged failure in Iraq resulted in a perfect storm which swamped Republicans and now leave all of the world vulnerable to political surrender more dangerous than the one engineered by the Democrat/media capitulationists during the Vietnam War. You are the only one now capable of rallying your support at this juncture, Mr. President, and you should take every opportunity to contrast your courage in confronting Islamic extremism with the cut-and-run policies advocated by Democrats and wobbly Republicans.

You must take every opportunity afforded you to warn that once America withdraws from the fight against Islamic terrorists in Iraq and the Middle East the battleground will shift to Europe and that an America under the sway of isolationist, defeatist Democrats will not assist them in their survival. And it's absolutely necessary for you to point out that the media's strategy today that is designed to weaken and destroy American resolve is identical to the strategy employed during the Nixon years. Make no mistake, Mr. President; once your supporters have been demoralized your impeachment will be the next order of business for Democrats.

You are the spokesman for those of us here in America and around the world --- free and oppressed, of all faiths and persuasions --- who alone can use your bully pulpit to reverse the tide of defeat now surging against us here and abroad. Your supporters only await the same steadfast resolve you've shown in times of crisis; your critics in political circles, the media, and especially the terrorists, fear nothing more than an American president willing to espouse the reasons why we went to war in Afghanistan and Iraq and why we will continue to wage this just and worthy war against those who would attack us due to our belief that the rights and freedoms of all individuals as embodied in our American constitution are God-given.

You must adopt the strategy of responding to every media-promoted attack against your policies within twelve hours, and you must be the one who steps forward to respond instead of leaving that task for others. Your physical presence must by necessity crowd the nightly news broadcasts in defense of your Iraq policy and other policies designed to make this a safer world. As an example, you might have shed your humility when North Korea relinquished and said it would return to the six-party talks by stepping to the White House podium and stating that this vindicated your Asian policy instead of allowing the media to ignore your foreign policy success.

You must contrast our willingness to fight against terrorism with the appeasers' unwillingness to confront evil. You must continue to highlight those who, against all evidence, contend that "dialogue" with our enemies and eventual surrender will somehow achieve a world at peace as the political and amoral heirs to Neville Chamberlain's failed policy of surrender to tyranny.

Finally, when congressional hearing are held on the decision to wage war in Iraq your Administration must demand sworn testimony from Democrats who shared in the decision-making process and see to it that each and every lie promulgated by Democrats and the media are exposed. America must be on offense against not only the terrorists but also against those who at every turn have enabled terrorists to succeed politically.

America and the world are hoping and praying that in our time of shared danger you will be the leader we believe you are. Our fate is in your hands, Mr. President; now more than ever.