Surrender syndrome

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For all the cadre of the "misinformed," which include many members of Congress and the two contesting democratic candidates for president, their main issue regarding the Middle East seems to be who can come up with the latest plan on how to "surrender" in Iraq.

This same group will most likely seize on the current increase in attacks on our forces by al Qaeda and uncontrolled militia groups to bolster their position. Obviously, this current increase in attacks is geared to heighten the public perception that the surge is not working and to have put Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker on the defensive when they made their report to Congress last week.

History is a good teacher. What comes to mind is the 1968 Tet offensive that was a catastrophic defeat for the North Vietnamese, who lost more than 100,000 combat troops, but was turned into a victory for them by our media, according to the North Vietnamese Gen. Vo Nguyen Giap. If it worked then, let's try it again.

The Western media appear to go out of their way to be used as the propaganda tool for our enemies. Our military is doing a tremendous job in Iraq and real progress has been made on many fronts including economic, political community services and security.

It is clear that a precipitous withdrawal will in no way bring peace and stability to Iraq. Such a withdrawal will only embolden al Qaeda and remove the main deterrent to Iranian expansion in the region. The U.S. will be viewed by many friends and allies as abandoning our leadership role in the region in the face of a difficult but winnable situation.

Regardless of the merits of how we got into Iraq, how we leave is critically important if we hope to restore the degree of respect and influence American leadership use to command. Nobody wants to follow a loser.

The war on terror in Iraq and Afghanistan is more than just combating Islamic extremists. The Islamic Extremists have declared a total war not only on the United States but on every free democratic society throughout the world.

Unfortunately, many of our current and former allies fail to grasp the challenge laid down by the terrorists. Some, regretfully, are ready to appease. We have the archbishop of Canterbury calling for a parallel system of Shariah law in United Kingdom. What nonsense.

The U.K. continues to dole out financial aid to schools that teach jihad, imams who preach it and keeps accommodating Shariah in many ways, most recently by recognizing Muslim polygamy in calculating welfare payments. All under the guise of political correctness. There is no question that Shariah law is totally incompatible with the principles of democracy.

Dutch parliamentarian Geert Wilders in his recent speech to the Dutch parliament has it right. He says the Koran is a book that incites violence. Its main theme is that it is the duty of all Muslims to fight non-Muslims. Mr. Wilder calls the Koran an Islamic "Mein Kampf." He cites passages from the Koran to make his case, e.g. "a call to butcher non-Muslims" (2:191, 3:141, 4:91)... and to strike off their heads (47:4). Jews are compared to monkeys and pigs (2:65, 5:60, 7:166), while people who believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God must according to the Koran be fought until they pay tribute ... and are utterly subdued (9:29). He notes there are law-abiding Muslims who do not subscribe to the violent passages in the Koran. But according to the Koran, they are considered apostates and must be killed.

Mr. Wilders further notes that Islam is an ideology without respect for all non-Muslims. He further points out that the Koran's instructions as written are for eternity and as we have seen are implemented by today's Muslim extremists. He says Islam is the Trojan Horse in Europe and that if we do not stop Islamification now, Eurabia and Netherabia will just be a matter of time.

So for the modern-day Neville Chamberlain's "Peace in Our Time," the issues are much larger than what evolves in Iraq and Afghanistan. Islamic extremism is pursuing the goal of political dominance as written in the Koran. The Islamification of free societies is fully under way insidiously in Europe and North America — utilizing our freedom and democratic institutions to further their agenda. A perceived defeat in Iraq will, unfortunately, result in our friends and allies seeking accommodations with the current Islamic movement.

This insidious encroachment can be stopped if our NATO allies and other friends renew their efforts to join with us in a more determined manner with increased forces to defeat al Qaeda and other Islamic extremists in Iraq and Afghanistan.

With such a defeat the modern-day moderate Muslim can co-exist in the 21st century by stressing their humanity instead of the seventh-century barbaric passages from the Koran.

James Lyons, U.S. Navy retired admiral, was commander in chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, senior U.S. military representative to the United Nations, and deputy chief of naval operations, where he was principal adviser on all Joint Chiefs of Staff matters.