And now, Back to the Surge

Slightly off-topic for the purposes of this blog, but noteworthy nonetheless. Via Hot Air, Iraq Takes Over Anbar:

President George W. Bush described the transfer as a major victory against al-Qaeda extremists who once held sway in the area.
"Today, Anbar is no longer lost to al Qaeda -- it is al Qaeda that lost Anbar," he said in a statement.
Once dominated by Sunni insurgents, Anbar has been the scene of many attacks on U.S.-led troops in Iraq.
Now a bastion of tribal opposition, it is also the scene of an internal Sunni political struggle between the Iraqi Islamic Party, one of Iraq's main Sunni parties, and the Awakening movement, the first anti-al Qaeda in Iraq movement established in the country.
More than 25,000 U.S. troops serve in the sprawling Anbar province west of Baghdad; most of them Marines. They will remain for the time being but will shift their mission to supporting Iraqi forces, when needed.

What say you, Harry? Barack? Democratically controlled Congress? Anyone?

Yes, the surge was a success...and we are safer in the USA with Iraq settling into a stabilized democratic nation and an ally in the war on terror. While I disagree with John McCain on some serious issues, let's all remember that he was the leader who called for the surge when it was an unpopular political liability. That's true statesmanship. Obama, who opposed it from the beginning, cannot even bring himself to admit it worked, thanks to our courageous soldiers and the brilliance of General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker. Oh, and his running mate, Joe Biden, a supposed foreign policy expert, had pushed for Iraq to be divided into three parts -- a plan that would have been disastrous. Someday history will look kindly on President Bush for having the true grit to go into Iraq, eliminate one of the world's most vile dictators, liberate a country and gut Al-Qaeda.

As for our so-called "standing" in the world, let's also recall that in the last several years, Western Europeans have elected pro-American leaders: Angela Merkel in Germany, Nicholas Sarkozy in France and Silvio Berlesconi in Italy. And Eastern Europeans, who know a thing or two about oppression, were always with us (Poland, Ukraine, Georgia, etc.), not to mention the Aussies and the U.K. I am so sick of this tired argument being perpetuated by those in the media suffering from Bush derangement syndrome, not to mention an odd distaste for their own country.

Do I have disagreements with President Bush? Absolutely! Particularly in the areas of runaway federal spending and amnesty for illegals. However, thanks to his stalwart leadership in the face of a hostile Congress and many members of his own party, Iraq is free from terrorist control, no longer a central training ground for bloody radical Islamic mischief. And yes, Harry, Barack and the rest of the Defeat-o-crats, it does make America safer.

God bless President Bush, Senator John McCain, General David Petraeus, Ambassador Ryan Crocker and the men and women of the United States Military. Well-done, good and faithful public servants!