16 APR 07 / "We Can Win This Fight"

"We who are willing to support this new strategy, and give General Petraeus the time and support he needs, have chosen a hard road. But it is the right road ... Democrats who deny our soldiers the means to prevent an American defeat have chosen another road. It may appear to be the easier course of action, but it is a much more reckless one ... The judgment of history should be the approval we seek, not the temporary favor of the latest public opinion poll." Senator John McCain. Speech at the Virginia Military Institute.

On Wednesday, Senator John McCain delivered a speech on the Iraq war to the cadets of the Virginia Military Institute. Having returned from a trip to Iraq just days prior, McCain reported on the progress he believed General David Petraeus was making and explained why the United States should not give up on the war.

I have disagreed with John McCain on some significant issues over the past 6 years, most notably his campaign finance legislation and his vote against the Bush tax cuts. But I agree with him on the importance of Iraq as a central front in the war on terror. This is not a war the United States can afford to lose.

In his remarks, McCain decried the defeatism and cynicism of Democrats in Congress, some of whom actually rejoiced upon their successful vote linking troop funding to a pullout timeline.

The Democrats welcome defeat because it means a likely political victory for them. They can stomach the ignominy of an American loss, but they apparently don't have the stomach to fight the war on terror. Al Qaeda has set up a franchise in Iraq. If we leave, they will use the resources of the nation to attack us again. If they defeat us in Iraq, they soon will be seeking to defeat us in the United States.

At this time, there is no spokesman for victory in Iraq and for the Armed Forces of the United States more passionate and sincere than John McCain. He also understands that soldiers and Marines aren't the only ones fighting the war. Countries fight wars. And he is trying to lead this country away from defeat in Iraq.

We must summon the political will to continue the fight. We decide whether we win or lose. We're fighting determined enemies in a complicated and confusing environment. Elements of Iraqi security forces are loyal to their Shia mullahs rather than the Iraqi government. And Shia and Sunni are killing each other indiscriminately.

McCain closed his speech with a story about Navy SEAL Mark Robbins, whose unit was recently ambushed outside Baghdad. In the ensuing firefight, Robbins left a covered position in order to kill a terrorist armed with an RPG. After he did so, he was shot through the eye. The bullet exited his skull a few inches behind his ear. Remarkably, Robbins regained consciousness and continued fighting. He was then able to walk to the evacuation helicopter. McCain visited Robbins in the hospital in Germany, where Robbins assured him "We can win this fight. We can win this fight."

McCain has been a leader of remarkable courage since graduating from the Naval Academy. The nation should follow him and not give up on our troops in Iraq. American public opinion has turned against the war, but that's what our enemies are counting on.