All Wars Must End Sometime

By Alan Caruba

As the Vietnam War began to lose momentum for American troops, Sen. George Aiken suggested, “Let’s just declare victory and get out.” This is the way modern wars end.

President Obama noted the 4,400 troops that died in combat over seven and a half years in Iraq. He also made mention of American valor on Iwo Jima during World War Two. What he did not mention were the 26,000 troops that died taking Iwo Jima. Later, it was even worse during the invasion of Okinawa.

Historians noted that “Okinawa was the largest amphibious invasion of the Pacific campaign and the last major campaign of the Pacific War. More ships were used, more troops put ashore, more supplies transported, more bombs dropped, more naval guns fired against shore targets than any other operation in the Pacific.

More people died during the Battle of Okinawa than all those killed during the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Casualties totaled more than 38,000 Americans wounded and 12,000 killed or missing, more than 107,000 Japanese and Okinawan conscripts killed, and perhaps 100,000 Okinawan civilians who perished in the battle.”

That should put our mission in Iraq in some wider perspective as the Commander-in-Chief assured Americans on the evening of August 31, 2010 that “All U.S. troops will leave by next year.”

This is in stark contrast to the fact that U.S. combat troops remain in Europe since 1945, in South Korea since 1953, and on land, sea and in the air, can be found representing U.S. interests on bases throughout the world. We shall be in Iraq when our grandchildren and great grandchildren are born.

In 2008, a majority of Americans seeking “hope and change” elected the most reluctant Commander-in-Chief in modern history and, as he changed the focus of his speech from our military missions to the nation’s economic crisis, the most incompetent Economist-in-Chief.

The speech was intended to clear Iraq and Afghanistan off the President’s very clean desktop in the Oval Office so his campaign for reelection can focus on the economy. Obama knows he can no longer blame it on George W. Bush.

Indeed, at one point he tried to tie the costs of combat in Afghanistan and Iraq as part of the reason for the economic crisis, but they are not. The crisis was based entirely in the collapse of the U.S. housing market, preceded by a curious electronic “run on the banks” during the 2008 election campaign that led to Obama’s election.

At one point he made brief mention of “A new push for peace in the Middle East” referring obliquely to the forthcoming Israeli-Palestinian talks. They will fail. The Palestinian Authority has already offered so many unrealistic demands that these talks like all that preceded them are pure theatre.

Unknown to Americans was another White House event earlier on Tuesday, August 31st. The Islamic Society of North America had announced it in its August 27 newsletter. Long associated with the Muslim Brotherhood, the ISNA was an un-indicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation terrorism finance trial.

The Coordinating Council of Muslim Organizations organized leaders of twenty national Muslim groups to attend “a special workshop” presented by the White House and U.S. government agencies (Agriculture, Education, Homeland Security, Health and Human Services, etc) in order to provide these groups “special access” that would “cut through red tape” to facilitate federal funding.

Founded in 1928, the Muslim Brotherhood is a global Islamist political movement dedicated to imposing Sharia law on all nations and institutions. Their credo is “Allah is our objective. The Prophet is our leaders. Koran is our law. Jihad is our way. Dying in the way of Allah is our highest hope.”

So, while the President marked the end of the combat mission in Iraq, it is folly to think that the Islamists have anything else in mind than total victory over the West.

After 9/11 George W. Bush did not send troops to Afghanistan and later to Iraq in order to ensure that Muslim groups in America could receive special attention to secure federal funds, but the White House of Barack Obama was tending to this while the President was putting the finishing touches on his speech announcing the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq that evening.

It makes you wonder what Obama’s priorities really are. It makes you wonder if you can trust anything he says.

© Alan Caruba, 2010