My Patience Has Run Out

General Petraues made a return trip to Capitol Hill today to update Congress and the American people about the never-ending saga that is the Iraq War. In anticipation of the general's testimony, every news outlet characterized what we were to hear from the top American military commander the same way, apparently he was going to urge patience with regard to the Iraq War. The patience of we the people has been sought since the days after 9/11. In his radio address four days after the attacks of September 11, the president claimed, "[t]he message is for everybody who wears the uniform: get ready. The United States will do what it takes to win this war. And I ask patience of the American people." In his address to the nation on October 7, 2001 announcing the beginning of combat operations in Afghanistan, the president claimed that "[i]n the months ahead, our patience will be one of our strengths -- patience with the long waits that will result from tighter security; patience and understanding that it will take time to achieve our goals; patience in all the sacrifices that may come." When asked in a June 2003 press conference about the lack of findings with regard to Saddam Hussein's imaginary WMD arsenal, then White Press Secretary, Ari Fleischer, said "I think what it suggests is the need for patience." In his September 6, 2006 radio address, the president continued to ask for patience, claiming, "[t]he path to victory will be uphill and uneven, and it will require more patience and sacrifice from our Nation. " A White House Fact Sheet released in association with the fourth anniversary of the Iraq War in March 2007, entitled "Four Years Later: New Strategy Requires Patience and Determination," claims that "achieving our goals will require patience and determination." What are our goals?

If anyone was hoping that General Petraeus would be able to help us figure this out through his testimony today, I am sorry to report, he did not. His call for a 45-day "period of consolidation and evaluation" where troop withdrawals are suspended with no timetable for their renewal is a very unwelcome development in this nonsensical war. It would appear that "stay the course" will be the Bush policy for the remainder of his presidency. To date, 4,514 Americans have died in the president's War on Terror. And given the testimony of his top general, it appears that the American commitment to Iraq will not end any time soon.

Unfortunately, those that serve and die for a lost cause are not given their due by the media. Maybe if there wasn't a presidential campaign to cover, the media could take 15 seconds and mention that Sgt. Terrell W. Gilmore from Baton Rouge died in an IED attack in Baghdad or that Maj. William G. Hall from Seattle died while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province on March 30. Maybe if the coverage of every person Senator Obama knew while living in Chicago were not so important, Fox News would take time to remind people of the service of Spc. Durrell Bennet and Pfc. Patrick J. Miller, 22 and 23 years old respectively and both from New Port Richey, Florida, who died from wounds suffered in a March 29 IED attack in Baghdad. Maybe if MSNBC could take a break from over-analyzing and rehashing every mistake made by the Bush administration, they might find time to do a short segment on Sgt. Jevon K. Jordan of Norfolk, Virginia, who died on March 29 from wounds suffered in an IED attack in Abu Jassim. If only the cable news king himself, Bill O'Reilly, could squeeze in a brief report on Spc. Joshua A. Molina from Houston in-between the latest all-important body language segment and "Miller Time." Spc. Molina was 20 years old when he was struck down by an IED in Baghdad on March 27. But those of you who watch Mr. O'Reilly know that the body language of politicians and celebrities, as well as the inane witticisms of a comedian turned political commentator are very important to maintaining the number one rated cable news show. The list continues to grow. If I had more time I could mention the service of Pvt. George Delgado, Staff Sgt. Christopher M. Hake, Pfc. Andrew J. Habseiger, Spc. Jose A. Rubio Hernandez, Sgt. Thomas C. Ray II, Spc. David S. Stelmat, and Sgt. David B. Williams, all of whom have died in Iraq since March 22. All of those who claim that it is better in Iraq view the world only in the reds and blues of the political spectrum. I will counter such claims by saying that any day where a single member of the U.S. military dies trying to Americanize a country in the center of the Middle East does not constitute better. The fact remains that since February, the violence has increased, but thus is the nature of asymmetrical warfare. President Bush and General Petraeus might seek my patience when it comes to the Iraq War and the forgotten thousands who still fight and die in Afghanistan, but my patience ran out long ago...

*Credit to Chris-Floyd for the photo.