The American Spectator

Reader Mail

p> TIMELY AND DEPRESSING br> Re: Jeff Emanuel's A Surge in Ignorance and Defeatism : /p> p>Mr. Emanuel's piece on our ignorance is timely and quite depressing. One thing that caught my eye was his assertion that al Qaeda could make the war regional. There's no maybe, there is a certainty. Bin Laden wants Mecca. And if anybody thinks that the Saudi military would have an easier time against al Qaeda than we're having, well, talk about ignorance. br> -- Andrew J. Macfadyen , M.D. br> Omaha, Nebraska /p> p> Mr. Emanuel hits the nail on the head. The Iraq war can be won if we commit to victory and leave partisan politics aside. Conversely, we are guaranteed to lose if we remain divided and focus on departure as our number one objective. This has been the problem all along and will remain so until we leave with al Qaeda at our backs or President Bush starts showing some leadership by getting out and speaking to us about what is needed instead of telling us that is a tough haul, will take time, and he and the troops are "working hard." No, he needs to come out and tell us what is at stake, appeal to our patriotism, explain that we will LOSE if we are not united and that we are fighting Al Qaeda despite what Congress keeps telling the press. He needs to explain that victory can only be accomplished if we pull together and then he needs to ask for support. Explain that Congress voted to pursue this war and that means victory, so that Congress should get behind their Commander-in-Chief and help him win the war. The sooner we win, the sooner we get out. I do not believe that I have heard him ask for support since early in this whole mess. Being united requires a leader. Bush cannot unite us unless he demands it. Over and over again. br> -- Patrick Minnis

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