War on Terror

Iraq, War on Terror

Veto pen was from fallen Marine’s father

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The Washington Times reports:

President Bush on Tuesday used a regular black-ink, felt-tip pen not his usual personalized Cross-brand pen when he vetoed a timeline for withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. The pen was a gift from Robert Derga, the father of a U.S. Marine killed in Iraq. Mr. Derga of Uniontown, Ohio, gave Mr. Bush the pen after a speech by the president last month at the White House and had asked him to use it when he vetoed the timeline.

Mr. Bush had invited a number of “Gold Star Families” those who have lost a U.S. military member in Iraq to the speech April 16 and met with them afterward in the Oval Office. Mr. Derga, 53, said the pen was the one he used to write letters to his son, Marine Cpl. Dustin A. Derga.
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Cpl. Derga was killed in Iraq on May 8, 2005, while leading house-to-house searches in Ubaydi, Iraq. He was 24. He was the first Marine killed from Lima Company, with the Marine Force Reserve’s 3rd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, based in Columbus, Ohio.
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“It’s been painful for this nation and me personally, but I still feel strongly about getting the job done over there and getting it done right,” he said. “It meant a lot to us that we were able to make our position known, that we continue to support him.”

But Mr. Derga said he is frustrated that many Americans do not think Iraq is part of the war on terrorism. “I really feel strongly that this nation needs to wake up and understand what’s at risk here and what’s in the balance,” he said.

Where does American get such men of honor and resolve, like Dustin and Robert Derga?

Iraq, Political wind, War on Terror

Can This Washington Be Saved? Can This War?

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The National Review Online has posted a symposium of opinions as to whether Washington and this war can be saved after Congress’ vote to set timelines for withdrawal from Iraq and President Bush’s veto of the measure. William J. Bennett, Peter Brookes, Victor Davis Hanson, Clifford D. May, Mackubin Thomas Owens, Bill Roggio, Joseph Morrison Skelly, W. Thomas Smith Jr., Jim Talent, and I all commented there. Here is what I said plus a link:

Can this war be saved? Yes, but Republicans in Congress have to step up. Confident of Bush’s veto, they did not fight the supplemental bill hard enough, letting the Democrats’ repeated claim that the American people “support them” go unanswered.

Americans have a great deal of faith in our military. What they are not so sure about is the Iraqi people. According to a poll conducted last September, a strong majority of Iraqis support the Maliki government and trust the Iraqi security forces. When asked about their support for al Qaeda, an overwhelming majority of Shia (98 percent) and a large majority of Sunni (71 percent) firmly rejected al Qaeda and Osama bin Ladin. Increasingly, Iraqis know that foreign fighters are responsible for most of the bloodshed in their country, including attacks intended to provoke sectarian violence.

This is a p.r. war, both here and there. Americans need to be reassured that the Iraqis strongly support the U.S. mission of standing up the Iraqi army. General Petraeus called the unprecedented number of volunteers who are showing up for training a “stunning development.” Equally significant is the huge increase in intelligence from Iraqi civilians about insurgents and their activities. Americans will give the surge time, and accept casualties, if they know the Iraqis are not sitting out the fight.

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