As a soldier myself, I could care less what some politician thinks of Iraq or Afghanistan and the War on Terrorism.
If they want to sensationalize their political viewpoints by declaring Iraq as a stunning failure, thats fine. It does not, contrary to popular belief undermine my morale, or any of the guys I work with.
First and foremost, US and Canada and our allies all have democracies, and every citizen has a right to free speech. If some of them want to bash the war, let'em. It invites educated discourse and debate, which is the foundation of our democracies. I don't like Pelosi myself, I think she is conniving and playing on statistics and casualties and visceral language to ascribe her personal views on the war. That said, to try her for Treason because she thinks a war is a complete failure is counter-productive in a democracy. You will note that in the second article listed by the OP that Pelosi is quick to retract her statements with regards to the troops, saying;
The troops have succeeded, God bless them.
This is her pathetic way of trying to cater to everyone. The fact is, if a war is a failure then it is the failure on the part of those doing the fighting, so you can't have it both ways. Troops can't succeede and yet fail to win the war at the same time. That is the error of Pelosi's logic, and its quite profound. Further, if troops are seeing successes overseas in operations, and there are ongoing operations then simply put, the war is not over. If the war is not over, then any blanket statements to the affect of;
The gains have not produced the desired effect, which is the reconciliation of Iraq. This is a failure. This is a failure. The troops have succeeded, God bless them. We owe them the greatest debt of gratitude for their sacrifice, their patriotism, and for their courage and to their families as well
are quite pointless. The very fact that she says there have been gains, and that the troops are succeeding undermines her position of total failure. The fact is, Pelosi is tossing about unsubstantiated claims to play on peoples fears and to sway voters. Will it work? To an extent, but I'd like to think the average person is smart enough to see through this kind of sloppy rhetoric.
Heres a thought. If you are against the war, simply state that fact. I don't mind if Pelosi, or people with similiar views have problems with it. I don't even mind if they get to power, and pull out troops. What I mind is cowardice, and twisting statistics, quibbling about how long it will take to resolve, and making massive blanket statements to the affect of; it is all a failure, is exactly that. Cowardice. Have the gumption to get up and say something like, "While the War in Iraq isn't over, I don't agree with it. I want our troops to come back home, and I don't see it happening without 20 years or more of violence in Iraq." <--- That kind of statement to me is atleast respectable, it wouldn't attempt to hide Pelosi's feeling on the war behind cleverly crafted rhetoric which implies it to be a doomed operation and the only sensible solution is to walk away.
Its interesting to see the kind of response this person illicits from citizens, but from the point of view of a combat soldier, I think she is junk. She does not have the intestinal fortitude to stay the course. Her words don't undermine my morale, they amuse me.
