Today I received a reply from Congressman Jim Ramstad (R-3rd district) in regards to the e-mail I sent him expressing my grave displeasure with his vote against the troop surge in Iraq. Ramstad explains his vote by falling back on the advice of Generals Abizaid, Casey, and Powell, and adds:
General Abizaid - until recently the top Commander in the Middle East - said an increase in U.S. troops would be counterproductive because it will prepetuate the dependency of Iraqi forces and stretch our military too thin. (No mention is made of General Petraeus who is, in fact, in charge of the Iraq theater and supports the surge wholeheartedly. - Ed.)
No knock against the Postal Service, which does a fine job, but by the time you craft and send a letter it is quite possible that things have changed. That is certainly the case here.
It has already been reported that violence around Baghdad is way down. Now, Via Power Line, Iraqi forces have taken control of Baghdad's security, and American forces have moved into Sadr City without incident:
“During operations today, local residents were receptive and cooperative with coalition and Iraqi forces,” said Lt. Col. Scott R. Bleichwehl, MND-B spokesman.
Elsewhere, Iraqi and American forces combined to capture 87 terrorists, and have secured a massive weapons cache.
The surge is far from over and it is way too early to claim success, but these stories show that success is possible. And, while I certainly appreciate Mr. Ramstad getting back to me, his letter does nothing to change my opinion that he has embraced defeat in Iraq in order to protect his political hide.
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