America is Weak

Well it passed. In what is being labeled a bipartisan victory by Democrats, Congress passed a non-binding resolution that opposes the Bush administration's plan to send more troops to Iraq. But even while House Democrats and Republicans were still debating the resolution prior to it's vote, troops were already being deployed to support their brothers and sisters in that war torn hell. So what was the point of the resolution?

We know the resolution wasn't a measure to cut off funding for the war that so many Democrats argue is the wrong direction for this country. So it wasn't an effort to spare 21,500 brave servicemen and women from wasting their lives in Iraq as Senator Obama stated. It also wasn't a resolution to bring our troops already serving home safely and soon as House Speaker Pelosi claimed. In fact, Congress may have actually increased the opposition our troops will face. This is just another example the insurgents will use in their multi-channel media (including ABC, NBC, CBS, MSNBC, Fox News, CNN, NY Times...etc) arsenal to motivate recruitment and increase attacks. Have no doubt, this resolution has done nothing to support our troops abroad. So at the end of the day what has this resolution accomplished?

It's accomplishment is demonstrating to the world that the only thing you can count on from the US is that it'll back down with minimal but sustained opposition. It shows that we don't want to get our hands dirty with the hard work that it takes to improve the world and that we would rather just throw bombs or petty cash at people from afar. It shows that even if Saddam had weapons of mass destruction we would have just killed Saddam, confiscated his weaponry, and left the Iraqis to rot. It tells any pro-democratic Iraqis that they better start making deals with the insurgents in order to live another day under their pending regime. It shows that Americans don't stand for the things we claimed because even now we're sending 21,500 Americans to possibly die for something we disapprove and find meaningless.

In one resolution we've summed up our commitment to face opposition through a show of support for our troops. In a world that embraces terrorists who blow up women and children as freedom fighters and defends the legitimacy of nations developing nuclear programs endangering international stability, that's a fine statement.