The joy of defeatism

We frequently hear leftists compare our military situation in Iraq to that of Vietnam, but John Kerry is unique among lefitsts, I believe, in comparing Iraq to the failed Bay of Pigs invasion in Cuba. He did so today in Toledo, Ohio (not in Florida). The essence of the comparison was that, whereas John Kennedy took responsibility (sort of) for the Bay of Pigs fiasco, President Bush refuses to “look America in the eye and say to America ‘I take responsibility, it is my fault.”‘
In reality, of course, President Bush has taken responsibility for the war in Iraq. If he hasn’t accepted “fault,” it may be because, unlike in Cuba, we overthrew the tyrant at issue in one of the most successful operations in military history. And, as Captain Ed points out, even with the difficulties we have faced as we have rebuilt the country and moved Iraq towards democracy, we haven’t lost as many men in the nineteen months since our invasion as were killed or captured in a single week at the Bay of Pigs. Iraq will be holding free elections in less than three months. Cuba’s have yet to be scheduled.
We have noted before how John Kerry seems to regard Sept. 12, 2001 as a shining moment in American history because much of the world was united in feeling sorry for us. He has now found another high point — the day that his hero, JFK, took some responsibility for his ignominious failure to keep his promise to support the Cuban ex-pats he sent into battle against Castro. And Kerry apparently remains quite proud of that magic day when he himself took responsibility, before a Senate Committe, for the crimes of the “army of Genghis Khan.” One shudders to imagine what great new moments await our country if Kerry becomes president. Quite possibly a Kennedy-style betrayal of the Iraqis, for starters.
Meanwhile, Val Prieto, who has family members who served in Brigade 2506 during the Bay of Pigs invasion, is not amused. He writes: “Like the men of Brigade 2506, the Iraqis are fighting for their freedom. They depend on the strength of not just the US forces serving alongside them, but of the strength and conviction of the one man leading them. John Forbes Kerry is not fit walk amongst these men, much less lead them.”