Back From Iraq
Congressman John Kline has just returned from a quick trip to Iraq and Afghanistan; the visit to Iraq was his fifth. Kline, one of the few Congressman professionally qualified to evaluate events in Iraq--he is a retired Marine Colonel--was impressed by what he saw there. Here, he talks about Ramadi:
"The security situation there is just truly amazing. Just amazing," he said in a telephone interview. Kline said the Marine battalion commander there told the lawmakers that violence is way down."One of the great advantages of going is you can look and get a sense of what the atmosphere is," Kline said. "People are going about their business, the shops are open, they're walking around the street."
Kline said the lawmakers were greeted by children who laughed, teased and asked for money. Adults smiled and gave the thumbs up.
"Just a sense of normalcy — people getting on with their lives," he said.
Like many observers, Kline credits our change of tactics more than the increased number of troops for the success we've seen in recent months.
Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi think our efforts in Iraq are doomed and we should give up. It isn't clear, though, why their assessment is entitled to any particular weight. John Kline, on the other hand, flew helicopters in Vietnam--so skillfully that he was chosen to fly Marine One, the President's personal helicopter. Under both Presidents Carter and Reagan, he was assigned to travel with the President, carrying the briefcase that contains the codes to launch a nuclear attack. You could infer from these facts that John is a person of strong and steady temperament, not inclined to excitability.
He commanded all Marine aviation forces in Operation Restore Hope in Somalia, and was part of a small group charged with responsibility for planning weapons procurement for the Marine Corps. With respect to Iraq, John's interest is not only that of a former officer. His son, following in the old man's footsteps, is also a helicopter pilot, in the Army, and has recently returned from a tour of duty in Iraq.
So when John Kline says that he sees "amazing" progress on the ground in Iraq, his words are entitled to considerable weight. Unless, of course, you think that military officers who disagree with MoveOn.org must necessarily be betrayers of their country.
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