Picking and Choosing

Touting the continued gains made by American forces in Iraq Vice President Joe Biden said “I am very optimistic about Iraq. I think it’s going to be one of the great achievements of this administration.”

The Bush administration certainly made mistakes along the way but the decision to add more troops in 2007 was the right decision. The progress that has been achieved in Iraq is a result of the troop surge ordered in 2007 by President Bush. It is preposterous for this administration, which has made blaming the previous administration its bread and butter response, to now claim credit for a policy they so vehemently opposed.

Now that the surge has led to a decrease in violence and criticizing the war in Iraq is no longer politically expedient both have changed their tone. The decision to add troops was strongly opposed by both President Obama and Vice President Biden while serving in the Senate at the time. Biden felt that Iraq was such a lost cause that the nation should be divided into thirds to satisfy the Sunni, Shiite and Kurds. Obama said he knew that the troop surge would actually increase violence in Iraq.

We have heard time and time again from both the Obama administration and the Democratic leadership that the Bush administration is to blame for much of what is wrong with our country. It would only seem fair then to also give due credit for his policies that have proven successful.

Martin Luther King once said “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” This is the type of leadership we need in Washington. The type of leaders that will give credit to their predecessors where credit is due and accept responsibility for their own decisions; whatever the outcome may be.