Why We Could Lose the War
By Michael Connelly

When Spain suffered a terrorist attack in March 2004 the result was the virtual surrender of the country to the terrorists. Spanish voters changed to a government that began to do everything in its power to appease international terrorists instead of defeating them. Most politicians and news commentators in the United States acknowledged this and vowed that it could never happen here. Unfortunately, it can and possibly will happen.

The truth is that the liberals in the media and the Democratic Party are trying to lead the nation down the same path that led to our losing the war in Vietnam, despite the fact that our troops never lost a major battle with the enemy. The media started its criticism of the war in Vietnam by dutifully reporting the diatribes of every far-left college professor and student who questioned our motives and tactics. It didn't matter if they could even find Vietnam on the map, they were instant experts.

The next step was to provide a forum for the liberal politicians and wannabes who thought they could further their careers by criticizing the war. Then the reporters found that since they had more access than ever to our troops in Vietnam they would report every misstep. The truth became irrelevant. U.S. victories were reported as defeats and for the first time in our history the enemy was given access to give their side of the story. If the North Vietnamese claimed that we had bombed a school full of children or a hospital full of patients the networks aired the claim without any attempt at verifying it. Can you imagine what the reaction would have been if our newspapers had printed press releases put out by the Nazis during World War II? This led to the final step, making the American soldier the bad guy in the war. Reporters found that by dwelling on things like civilian casualties andthe use of drugs by a handful of soldiers that they could turn many in America against the war. The inevitable outcome was the demoralization of our troops and the encouraging of the enemy to fight on.

Does all of this sound familiar? The first two steps have been played out since we first started going after the terrorists in Afghanistan. It continued in Iraq and has grown worse as the war progresses. Part of it comes from the irrational hatred that many liberals have for George W. Bush. They want him to fail so badly that they will do anything to bring it about,even causing us to lose a war that we can't afford to lose. The other major factor is the desperate need by Democrats to keep America a divided country.

The unity and patriotism displayed by most Americans following the attacks on September 11, 2001 absolutely terrified the liberals. After all, they winelections by pitting race against race and class against class. That won't work in a country that has everybody pulling in the same direction.

The liberals believe it has become necessary for them to work against a victory in the war on terrorism in order to divide the nation and ultimatelyobtain their goal of turning Americans into a herd of unarmed, politically correct drones. The one major obstacle in their path seemed to be the admiration that the vast majority of the people in this country hold for thesoldiers fighting the war. The third step that had worked so well during Vietnam, turning the American people against our own troops, seemed unavailable. Unfortunately the opportunity has arisen due to the fact that ahand full of poorly disciplined soldiers in one unit did some stupid things.

Now the liberals in Congress and the media sense that they have what they need. They are viciously attacking our military as a whole despite the fact that there are 150,000 other men and women in Iraq who are doing a remarkable job under very difficult circumstances. World War II was an all out war and the war on terror is no different. Yet, as in Vietnam, the enemy is allowed to do anything it wants, no matter how reprehensible, yet our people are supposed to "play nice."

I finally had to turn off the news the other night for fear that if I heard one more politician or reporter refer to our violations of the Geneva Convention in Iraq I would throw something at the television set. Either these people have never read the Convention, which means they shouldn't be talking about it, or worse they have read it and are lying about what it says. Article Four clearly lays out the criteria for someone being considered a prisoner of war. The captured combatant must meet all four of the following conditions: " " (a)That of being commanded by a person responsible for his subordinates; (b) That of having a fixed distinctive sign recognizable at a distance; (c) That of carrying arms openly; (d) That of conducting their operations in accordance with the laws and customs of war."

Terrorist and the so-called Iraqi insurgents meet none of these requirements and therefore we are under no legal obligation to treat them asPOWs and comply with the terms of the Geneva Convention. The fact that most of our troops do so is a sign of their remarkable restraint and moral superiority over our enemy. Yet, you will never hear the liberals acknowledge that. I know for a fact that the negative press the war and our country is receiving is having a demoralizing effect on our soldiers, yet they continue to do their jobs and as is the case with many of them, including my oldest son, volunteer to go back into harms way for another tour overseas.

They do this despite the fact that they are keenly aware that the actions of such people as John Kerry, Peter Jennings, and Ted Kennedy are encouraging the enemy to continue fighting and continue killing American soldiers. The terrorists see what's happening in this country as a sure signthat America is morally bankrupt and will ultimately turn tail and run. After all, we did it in Vietnam and Somalia.

The outcome of the war is therefore very much in doubt. Our brave fighting men and women will continue to give their all and the left will continue to undermine them in any way they can. The big question mark is the will of the American people. If we continue to support our President and our military the war can be won. If we allow the liberals to continue to sway public opinion with half-truths and outright lies then we will likely lose and our way of life will cease to exist.

Michael Connelly is a former member of the ACU Board of Directors and a former Military Intelligence officer in the U.S. Army Reserve. He practiced law for 25 years and is now a teacher and freelance writer. He has three sons serving in the military.

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