Nonetheless, the Media Arm of the Democratic Party (also known as the "mainstream media" [MSM]) continues breathlessly to report on American deaths and casualties in the Iraq phase of the Global War on Terror -- as if these deaths represent unanticipated, unprecedented indications that something has gone horribly wrong.
Their intent is transparent. They want President Bush hurt. They want him to lose. One way to do this is demoralize America, erode support for the President, decimate support for the war. That this means more American deaths is, to them, a regrettable but necessary corrollary. So we're kept up to date on how many Americans have been hurt... but kept in the dark about how many terrorists will never murder civilians again, and what wonderful strides forward our troops have accomplished.
Now comes Powerline's John Hinderaker to provide a little context with Some Thoughts on Casualties in Times of War and Peace. It is quite a wonderful essay, and that these facts and perspectives are on his blog rather than featured by every news organ in America is itself a damning indictment of the latter.
One casts about for jewels to excerpt from the essay and the problem is that it is itself one large jewel. Read it in full. I'll just present Hinderaker's conclusion:
The point? Being a soldier is not safe, and never will be. Driving in my car this afternoon, I heard a mainstream media reporter say that around 2,000 service men and women have died in Afghanistan and Iraq "on President Bush's watch." As though the job of the Commander in Chief were to make the jobs of our soldiers safe. They're not safe, and they never will be safe, in peacetime, let alone wartime.
What is the President's responsibility? To expend our most precious resources only when necessary, in service of the national interest. We would all prefer that our soldiers never be required to fight. Everyone--most of all, every politician--much prefers peace to war. But when our enemies fly airplanes into our skyscrapers; attack the nerve center of our armed forces; bomb our embassies; scheme to blow up our commercial airliners; try to assassinate our former President; do their best to shoot down our military aircraft; murder our citizens; assassinate our diplomats overseas; and attack our naval vessels--well, then, the time has come to fight. And when the time comes to fight, our military personnel are ready. They don't ask to be preserved from all danger. They know their job is dangerous; they knew that when they signed up. They are prepared to face the risk, on our behalf. All they ask is to be allowed to win.
It is, I think, a reasonable request. It's the least that we--all Americans, including reporters and editors--can do.
Amen, and well-put.
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