Robert Gates to Congress: "You Are All a Bunch of Traitors"

The analogues of the Iraq War to the Vietnam War keep on coming. I remember Spiro Agnew’s vitriolic (and alliterative) speeches on anti-war protest wherever it occurred. “Giving aid and comfort to the enemy” was the catch phrase, mainly because it is part and parcel of what constitutes a traitor.

Now we have Defense Secretary Robert Gates accusing those engaged in anti-war activities in Congress not only of being traitors, but of being ignorant traitors. They’re traitors, but don’t know it.

Agnew almost made it fun with his famous “nattering nabobs of negativism” speech delivered in San Diego, California back in 1970. Gates’ remarks are not funny. They’re not clever, as a matter of fact, they’re downright offensive.

Quoted in The Chron:

"’I think it's hard to measure that with any precision, but it seems pretty straightforward that any indication of flagging will in the United States gives encouragement to those folks,’ Gates said, referring to the anti-government forces in Baghdad. He added that he was certain this was not the intent of those who support the congressional resolution.”

Hey Gates, believe me the people who oppose this war know exactly what they are doing and it is a real nightmare for us. We don’t want our troops to have anything less than what they need to stay alive. What we know, and what you cannot accept, is that the very presence of our troops in Iraq gives “anti-government forces in Baghdad” all the incentive they need to push on. Our troops’ presence in Iraq is the sole reason why many have joined the insurgency. Take away the troops and you take away the fighters.

They declare victory.

Bush started an illegal and immoral war based on lies and deceit. He started a war that he couldn’t finish. Now is the time for sanity and common sense to prevail.
Robert Gates and Spiro T. Agnew: now there’s a match made in heaven.