SENATOR MEL MARTINEZ

Dear Mr. Hennigan:

Thank you for letting me know of your thoughts regarding our war efforts in Iraq. I appreciate hearing from you and would like to respond to your concerns.

I recognize that the Iraq War is a very divisive issue for our country. Some Americans are strongly opposed to the war, while others are equally strong in their support of the mission there. I have heard from thousands of Floridians on both sides of this debate, and I respect and value all of the views that have been shared with me. As your U.S. Senator, I believe you deserve to know where I stand on this critical issue and why. I support our country’s efforts in Iraq’s military, economic, and diplomatic, because I believe that failure to stabilize and support this young democracy at this vitally important stage could embolden Al-Qaeda, lead to massive bloodshed in Iraq, destabilize the region, and empower the oppressive regime in Iran. I am concerned that premature withdrawal could lead to even greater costs to our country and the loss of even more American lives in generations to come. For these reasons, I remain supportive of our mission in Iraq and am committed to our success there.
 

Like all Americans, I want to see the safe return of our men and women in the Armed Forces from Iraq as quickly as possible. However, it is vital that these men and women complete their missions and return from Iraq by ensuring the Iraqis are able to govern themselves and protect their own citizens.

As you may know, I recently returned from my second trip to Iraq where I was able to see firsthand the progress we are making there as well as meet with many of our men and women from Florida currently serving in theater. Like my last trip to Iraq, the first thing I experienced in Iraq was the incredible morale of our men and women in uniform. They understand the importance of their mission and are committed to its completion. After visiting, it was encouraging to see the dramatic changes that have occurred in Iraq. Ethno-sectarian violence is down dramatically since the beginning of President Bush's new strategy for success in January. Thanks to the ever increasing efforts of the Iraqi Security Forces in conjunction with our Armed Forces and coalition partners, more Iraqis than ever are able to carry out their day to day lives without fear of violence and death.

General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker, our military and diplomatic leaders in Iraq, recently testified before Congress that we are currently seeing significant successes and trends that will lead to a stable, democratic Iraq over time. Specifically, the Al-Anbar and Diyala provinces that were once hot-beds of Al-Qaeda and insurgent violence have seen dramatic shifts toward peaceful governance by local leaders. According to General Petraeus, it is still clear that Al-Qaeda is our main enemy in Iraq. It is critical to understand that Iraq is the central front in the Global War on Terror (GWOT) and even Al-Qaeda has acknowledged this fact. Therefore, defeat or even the perception of defeat would be disastrous for the United States in terms of both security and our international standing.

Additionally, Iraq has seen a decrease in civilian deaths in all categories since December of 2006. This includes a dramatic decrease in the Baghdad area alone. Unfortunately, many of my colleagues are so invested in failure in Iraq that they can not see or appreciate the positive signs that we are currently witnessing there.

The successful completion of this current war will not be easy and should not be a partisan issue. It is the Iraqis who must step up to secure their own country. American forces can and should assist them, but any lack of commitment on their part will not be tolerated by the American people as long as our troops are in harms way. Much sacrifice will be required of our men and women in uniform for some time to come, and those who fight for you and me deserve nothing less than the full support of the American people and their elected leaders.

Again, thank you very much for sharing your concerns. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any additional comments or questions. For more information on issues and activities important to Florida, please sign up for my weekly newsletter at http://martinez.senate.gov.

Sincerely,

Mel Martinez
United States Senator

October 10, 2007 

Dear Senator Martinez, 

     Thank you sincerely for your response to my letter. I greatly appreciate you taking the time in writing back to me. We Americans would be profoundly depreciated if we were to ever lose our right and ability to engage in free discourse. I consider it an honor that we have had this conversation. 

    I, too, recognize our mutual love and devotion to our country. We share a deeply committed respect and concern for our men and women serving in the military. The well being, prosperity and continued greatness of our country and all of its fellow citizens seems to be our common goal. In short, we seem to share the same desired destination, yet we have chosen separate paths to get there. Here’s to praying that our intersection is only a short distance away.  

   Whether Iraq is Democratic, Theocratic or a Confederation of Independent Countries is none of our concern nor a threat to America -no more so than the ideologies of other countries are a threat to us. There will be no stabilization in this region due to our military presence regardless of the time spent there. The “massive bloodshed” you are seeking to avoid is only being postponed by our presence in Iraq. The many diverse factions fighting each other -beyond any Al-Qaeda influences- are doing so for good old fashioned power and mutual hatred of each other. They will fight each other at every possibility. I am convinced that even if we were to end the violence within Iraq and a clear choice of government were decided by the Iraqi people this would still not be the end. If the Kurds assume power, Turkey may well attack. Iran and Syria will not tolerate an Iraq governed by a group in opposition to their interests. It is not simply Al-Qaeda stirring up violence in Iraq. It is the left, right and center of factions within Iraq comprised of Iraqi citizens fighting each other. Violence is down because our military is the strongest influence there. As soon as we leave the violence will escalate, no matter if it is tomorrow or one hundred years from now. 

     Were we to kill every Al-Qaeda terrorist in Iraq, we are still threatened by the Al-Qaeda terrorists thriving in several countries throughout the world, such as Africa, Indonesia and Europe. Our troops are safer and serve their country better at home. In Iraq they are accessible targets to these monsters. I cannot and will not believe that Al-Qaeda has the ability to bring the number of terrorists and arms to bear on our troops on our shores.

     I watched as much of the testimony as was televised with General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker  as they testified before Congress on the war in Iraq (both honorable men, to be sure). I also watched Mr. D. Rumsfeld, Ms. C. Rice, Gen. C. Powell and others (all thought to be honorable) testify before Congress at the start of this war. I watched the President of the United States (thought to be honorable) testify to the people of America about the need for this war. All lies, sir. In the America I live in, when someone states something that is not true it is called a lie, not dismissed politely as misinformation.  

    Eighty-nine percent of my fellow citizens believe we were lied to by Congress, the President and his Administration. We are not over that betrayal. The only truth that seventy-five percent of us will accept from this Congress and this Administration is that the war in Iraq will end very soon. Both Houses of  Representatives -on both sides of the aisle- are flatly ignoring the sentiments of the overwhelming majority of  American voters. Please understand how unacceptable this is. It is an outrage to Americans that their elected officials seem justified in ignoring the very people who voted them into office as their representatives.  

    It is time now to formulate a focused, aggressive approach towards the annihilation of Al-Qaeda -exclusively- as a terrorist threat to America and present to the people of American and Iraq, with all due haste, realistic plans for the immediate reduction of our military involvement in Iraq. If this elected body cannot or will not muster the courage to accomplish this then a newly elected group must be given the chance to end this war. This is the only way left for Congress and the Office of the President to regain the trust of the American people, which it lost through all of the lies since the inception of this war in Iraq. Until then I will not re-elect anyone -Republican, Democrat or Independent-  and encourage as many others as I can to follow suit. 

Sincerely and with all respect,

 Martin F. Hennigan

United States Citizen