Creeping defeatism
To its discredit, the United States Senate today approved an ill-advised — and possibly disastrous — amendment to the annual Defense authorization bill. The amendment offered by Senator John Warner, the Republican chairman of the Senate’s Armed Services Committee, was adopted after the rejection of an even more problematic version proposed by Senate Democrats. The latter, which would have required a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq, was rejected by a bipartisan vote of 58-40.
Unfortunately, the Warner amendment endorsed the central idea of the Democratic proposal: It calls for "2006 to be a year of significant transition" from American to Iraqi forces – irrespective of the conditions on the ground in Iraq. In other words, it implicitly (if not explicitly) embraces the preposterous notion that the United States can safely begin standing down next year, even if doing so would jeopardize the mission and negate the sacrifice of blood and treasure made to date by this country and Iraqis yearning for freedom.
The 79-19 vote for the Warner amendment is evidence of the onset of creeping defeatism. It can only encourage our enemies in Iraq and elsewhere in their conviction that the United States lacks the will to fight a determined totalitarian ideology like Islamofascism, and that it is just a matter of time until we are defeated – both in the Mideast and beyond. That perception will inevitably lead to an increase in attacks by terrorist-wielding foes, both on local populations and American soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. In due course, it will ensure that we are also once again subjected to their lethal violence here at home.
Fortunately, there is an alternative to the defeatism offered by Senate Democrats and some Republicans. A compelling new book lead-authored by Center for Security Policy President Frank J. Gaffney, Jr., entitled War Footing: 10 Steps America Must Take to Prevail in the War for the Free World, (available from www.usni.org) makes clear that far more is at stake than the fate of Iraq. Accordingly, it underscores the folly that cutting-and-running there would represent. And War Footing demonstrates that we have, as a practical matter, no choice but to mobilize the American nation and people to prevail if we hope to survive the War for the Free World.
Mr. Gaffney is the host of Secure Freedom Radio, a nationally-syndicated radio program heard weeknights throughout the country. He is an associate author of highly acclaimed Shariah: The Threat to America and the publisher of over a dozen other books and monographs from the Center for Security Policy Press.
In April 1987, Mr. Gaffney was nominated by President Reagan to become the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Policy, the senior position in the Defense Department with responsibility for policies involving U.S.-USSR relations, nuclear forces, arms control, missile defense policy and U.S.-European defense ties. He acted in that capacity for seven months during which time, he was the Chairman of the prestigious High Level Group, NATO’s senior politico-military committee. He also represented the Secretary of Defense in key U.S.-Soviet negotiations and ministerial meetings.
From August 1983 until November 1987, Mr. Gaffney was the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear Forces and Arms Control Policy under Assistant Secretary Richard Perle.
From February 1981 to August 1983, Mr. Gaffney was a Professional Staff Member on the Senate Armed Services Committee, chaired by the late Senator John Tower (R-Texas). And, in the latter 1970’s, Mr. Gaffney served as an aide to the late Senator Henry M. “Scoop” Jackson (D-Washington) in the areas of defense and foreign policy.
Mr. Gaffney holds a Master of Arts degree in International Studies from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies and a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service.
Mr. Gaffney’s leadership has been recognized by numerous organizations including: the Department of Defense Distinguished Public Service Award (1987), the U.S. Business and Industry Council’s Defender of the National Interest Award (1994), the Navy League of the United States’ Alfred Thayer Mahan Literary Achievement Award (1999), and the Zionist Organization of America’s “Louis Brandeis Award” (2003), the Western Conservative Summit’s Stephen H. Long Award (2015), the Council for National Policy’s George Washington Military Leadership Award (2016) and the IMPACT Award from Ginni Thomas and United in Purpose (2017).
Mr. Gaffney was born in 1953 and resides in the Washington, D.C. area.
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