19 FEB 07 / "Non-Binding Iraq Resolution"

Majorities in the U.S. House and Senate last week voted to express their disagreement with President Bush's troop increase in Iraq. The non-binding resolution, however, could not garner enough votes in the Senate to end debate and so it failed.

Because the vote was pure political posturing, it produced nothing positive for our cause in Iraq. It adversely affected the morale of the men and women serving there and emboldened our enemies, who must feel they are on the verge of victory. The Democrat-controlled Congress essentially said 'We don't agree with the president on his decision to increase troop levels in Iraq, but we're not yet willing to do anything to exercise our constitutional power over this matter.'

In the coming months, more congressional votes will affect the actual outcome of the war in Iraq. Before the Democrats declare defeat in order to score a political victory here at home, they should consider the dire consequences of losing in Iraq: not only will the terrorists have a stronger position in the Middle East, where they will able to train to kill thousands if not hundreds of thousands of Americans; they will also follow us home. It should not require another attack on American soil to remind Congress that it needs to get serious about the war on terror. Defeat is not an option.

The apparent prevailing opinion in the Bush administration and among Republicans in Congress is that the United States must be out of Iraq by the beginning of 2008 in order to have a chance in the November presidential and congressional elections, but Democrats are sure to make Iraq the issue no matter what we do. Our focus should be on doing whatever it takes to achieve a measure of success even if that means a disengagement from populated areas in order to limit casualties yet prevent al Qaeda from establishing training bases in the country.

Unfortunately, the American people have not been focused on terrorism for several years, although plots have been thwarted -- the best known of which is the past summer's flights from London -- our attention remains diverted, and public opinion is against continuing the fight in Iraq because a majority of Americans do not view it as part of the war on terror. For this, we may pay a dear price.