Redeployment indeed

The Republicans are not doing any favors to help themselves remain in power, but allow me to make a few swift points about the opposition party, if I may. The latest crowd-pleasing Democratic talking point is that America should "redeploy" out of Iraq. The adjectives often placed before this euphemism are "responsible" or even "strategic." This can usually be diluted for what it is: a wholesale retreat. \nHaving lost every major election since Vietnam in which national security played a starring role, Democrats have figured that honesty in talking up their anti-national security credentials isn't exactly the best policy. Hence redeployment and not "Come home, America!" So much for the courage of one's convictions. \nThese Defeaticrats assert (and change the subject before anyone argues) that Iraq is a "distraction" from the war on terror and that the heavy lifting should be left to the United Nations. Never mind that among our chief enemies in Iraq is the self-designated "al Qaida in Mesopotamia" and that coalition forces are there under a U.N. mandate for the democratization and reconstruction of the country. Where does their redeploy ploy lead to? According to John Murtha: Okinawa. That's right, folks. Japan, which America effectively pacified more than half a century ago, is the place where those serious-minded Democrats now want to take their stand against the, uh, shoguns. \nIn what sense can one "withdraw" from any theater in this global war, let alone what our enemies have defined as the central one? When one thinks about the myriad forces meddling in Iraqi affairs, it becomes clear that Iraq is only the present staging ground in what will be a longer fight. "Victory" (a word rarely heard when Democrats explain their "new direction") in that fight will require further use of the skills being acquired there.\nSo on closer inspection, redeployment isn't such a bad idea. Powerful forces in Iran and Syria are determined to wait out the Americans -- and a "transformational" agenda geared at democratic reform across the region. The U.S. government hasn't exactly done its utmost to bring to heel those most hostile to that mission. It is time to end this growing hypocrisy and shame. An American ultimatum will force these reactionary powers to relent or to contend against a military force far more experienced and effective than ever. The chance is fleeting for Mr. President to even the score. He should seize it. \nSo for my own part, I believe that redeployment deserves to be taken up by all serious advocates of prosecuting a vigorous war on terror. And when it is used to advocate exit from Iraq to another place selected by virtue of its distance from the enemy, it should be recognized as the dumb and dishonorable misuse of a worthy expression. Convinced that the war on terror must be fought and won, we should all praise Democrats for imparting a buzz word to our evolving wartime lexicon that holds such promise for victory in Iraq and in the larger war of which Iraq has always been an indispensable part.