I have always been an admirer of people of convictions, and those whose words matched their actions. Now when the president framed the phrase, "Stay the Course", and others like it, he seemed to state it from firm moral convictions. However, with the war in it's fifth year, the unbelievable degree of moral turpitude which has resulted in astronomical number of deaths, horrible injuries, troops returning for up to four tours, and billions upon billions of dollars spent and unaccounted for: the words, "Stay the Course" have revealed a person incapable or unwilling of seeing the inescapable truth. A time comes to reevaluate one's thinking and actions.

The excessive and increasing numbers of deaths on both sides, the huge number of Iraqis who have become refugees in their own country, the hideous injuries incurred by our troops, and the overall wretched state of this war leads me to now understand that we are dealing with a leader incapable of leading. His words have become empty and deceiving. He has even taken to ignore the counsel of those closest to him. In recent days, he actually told Congress to worry about funding the war, and leaving him to lead the war!

With the National Guard troop (who were never to be used in wartime), now returning over and over again for more tours of duty, they are incurring a high rate of death, with the type of injuries not even seen in Vietnam. Worse, when they return, they are finding the most severe lack of services and help. We are already seeing homeless, injured soldiers. This is wrong, wrong, wrong. This is the result of "staying the course", instead of having a leader unwilling to admit mistakes, as well as incapable of reconfiguring his thinking to fit reality.

When did the Iraqis ask us to enforce democracy on them? How did the attack of September 11 have anything to do with Iraq, when we knew that the majority of those who were the criminals were from Saudi Arabia? All that was accomplished was to incite a hornet's nest that is only growing in size and strength. They want their own form of law back, and it is not democracy.

Just this morning, the leader of Iraq has said that the Americans can leave at any time. He says that they can manage on their own. Perhaps what he is really alluding to is the fear of total annihilation by the insurgents. Something to think about. No more American blood should be shed. I am extremely patriotic; which is why I say what I do. I also honor our troops, but I feel they are more valuable to us and especially their families alive and well. We owe them truth, honesty, and a promise of real help. In that, we can stay the course.