Commentary

Dear Donald

Dear Donald,

Your critics are growing in number, and they are zeroing in on you due to your incredibly incompetent handling of the war in Iraq. They are not assisting the new breed of Islamic fascists terrorizing the civilized world- as you continue to imply. Since I consider myself to be a critic as well, I feel comfortable aligning myself with those who wish to see you removed from the top job at the Defense department. My message is devoid of your patented double-speak: I am convinced that you have to step down-NOW!

Enough of your crap! It is evident that you hadn’t a clue as to the task that lay before you at the start of the invasion of Iraq. We continue to suffer from the consequences of your willful blindness and monumental arrogance.

How dare you cast critics of your failed policies as unpatriotic and imply that they are aiding the enemy’s cause. Your ill-conceived decisions have contributed significantly to the growing death toll (2,642 to date) of US soldiers and have helped to sow the seeds of sectarian violence that has claimed the lives of over 30,000 Iraqi civilians (president Bush acknowledged this figure in December of 2005).

At a moment when the US needs as much military and financial flexibility as possible
in order to deal with Iran, North Korea and the war on terror, the bulk of our forces are tied up in Iraq, and we have burned through close to $300 billion so far- with no end in the loss of blood and treasure in sight. You are a wealthy man Donald- will you chip in to help pay this enormous tab?

A truly competent Secretary of Defense would be doing whatever he could to strengthen this nation’s security in the world and enhance the safety of its citizens. Your policies have weakened America’s ability to defend itself, and have therefore been detrimental to our struggle against terrorism and nuclear weapons proliferation.

This is a nation that is supposed to champion the exercise of free speech, and your critics are merely standing up for what they feel is right, and as truly concerned citizens, they have an obligation to do so. It is very patriotic to stand up and demand that our nation’s interests are protected.

The fact that you are only interested in self-preservation, as opposed to doing what is necessary in order to improve the horrible situation in Iraq, demonstrates that you are not genuinely concerned with acting with America’s best interests in mind.

I am not going to travel down the dark and narrow road lined with partisan slurs that has led you to this current situation. I honestly don’t think it serves anyone’s interests to question another person’s patriotism. My issue is with job performance, and your tenure as Secretary of Defense has been one of cascading failures. It is time for you to step down, we cannot afford to ’stay the course’ any longer.

Sincerely,

Greg Strid

© 2006 Splendid Marbles.