Victory

Today we celebrate the triumph of good over evil.

Our foe, once one of the great powers, has been in noticeable decline. They are currently inferior and though some questioned our ability, and even seemed to hope for our defeat, victory was inevitable. But we fought them like we always do, and we won.

In the early goings, the enemy made more noise and fought harder. But our men on the ground wore them down. We deposed their previous regime. We liberated minds witnessing conversions of the enemy from the dark side to the light.

And because the media rarely gives our troops the credit they deserve, we are forced to declare victory for them. We won! Today, the Ohio State Buckeyes defeated the Michigan Wolverines!

But seriously, this post is to observe Victory in Iraq Day. Those in our armed forces deserve, and have earned, our gratitude, admiration, and respect. We cannot count on our governments to declare victory, and we couldn’t count on our media to accept it even if they did. And I don’t expect Hollywood to start churning out uplifting movies based on the war and the success of our men and women fighting it anytime soon. So it’s up to us, those that have yearned for and expected victory (instead of campaigning for our surrender) to congratulate those that made it possible. From zombie:

Indeed, everywhere you look, someone has highlighted yet another detail which, cumulatively, demonstrate that “peace has broken out all over” Iraq.

Each person has their own criteria as to when the war was won: Some say we won the war long ago when we defeated the Iraqi Army in three weeks. Some say we won when the Iraqi government tried and executed Saddam Hussein. Some say we won when Iraqis voted democratically to elect their own leaders. Some say we won when we established control over the entirety of the country last year, eliminating the last remaining insurgent strongholds. Some say we won six months ago when the last remaining organized resistance evaporated.

On the other hand, there are those who are saying (in response to this essay) that we have not reached that magical benchmark. The Iraqi parliament may have passed the security agreement solidifying Iraq’s post-war stability, but some people say we should wait until the U.S. Senate approves it before we declare victory. Others say that the war won’t be won until casualty levels literally drop to zero. Other say we haven’t won until all troops are gone from the country. Others wait in vain for an official announcement.

There is no consensus. And there never will be. Still, the cut-off point between “war” and “not war” has to be drawn somewhere, and if we don’t draw the line ourselves, I guarantee it will NEVER be drawn. Because the Left and the media want to make sure that even ten years from now, when perhaps one US soldier is killed per year in an otherwise completely stable Iraq, that still won’t qualify as “victory.” Because their overarching goal is to to make sure that the war goes down in history as a defeat, no matter what.

My opinion is: This is as good a time to declare victory as we’re ever going to get.
All signs point to “Yes.

And Go Buckeyes. Let’s go for 6 in a row next year.