I know I'm not the only one who feels this way, but I'm tired of "The War in Iraq" being referred to like it's a completely separate war from the one we are currently engaged in. When I was on the radio in Chattanooga last week, I said I think that anyone who does not look at Iraq as a major battlefield of the entire war we are in and wants to look at it as a separate war is being completely naive. But I will tell you what drives me completely nuts about all of this - the way Bob Corker and Harold Ford are treating this for their own personal gain.

Let's look at the facts involving Ford. He votes for military use, but then says he would have voted "no" if he knew then what he knows now, yet he still tries to say he supports the war. Sorry Ford, I don't buy your lies. Now he comes out with his big plan for the "war in Iraq" where he's being SO praised for his idea of dividing Iraq into three separate areas. This is not a novel idea, it has been around for a while, so people should really stop giving him credit for this. Michael Savage had a similar idea in a book that came out a while back. Ford wants Rumsfeld to resign because of how he's mismanaged the war and "dampened the morale of our troops". No Harold, let me clue you in on something - it's members of your party like Murtha and Dick Durbin who have "dampened the morale". Did you say Dick Durbin was acting like a traitor for comparing our troops to Nazi's? I didn't think so. Oh yeah, and didn't you do a lot of work for John Kerry when he was running for president? Yeah, the same John Kerry who compared our soldiers to terrorists when he tried to say that our troops were kicking in people's doors in the middle of the night for no reason, and let's not forget all the lies he spread when he came back from Vietnam about what he witnessed. Ford also wants to focus only on finding Bin Laden, because in Ford's little world all terrorism would cease if we captured him...at least that's the way he makes it sound. I wonder if Ford has any concept of war and that it's us against them. I pray for our troops and their families all the time because I can't imagine what they are going through, and one thing they DON'T need is to hear the supposed "leaders" of this country calling them Nazi's and also they don't need to hear anything from some used-car salesman who claims to support the war yet would now vote against military use.

And what about Bob Corker? Well a story came out today where Ed Bryant joined Corker in criticizing Ford about his position on Iraq. Here's one quote from that story that Bryant said - "Congressman Ford's shifting positions on Iraq and his vague call for a 'new direction' clearly shows he's moving closer and closer to the cut and run position of John Kerry," said Bryant. "Ford is shamelessly drifting from one point of view to another for the sole sake of politics over principle, and Tennesseans can see through this charade." Ok, first off I think I can even agree with the Ford supporters that the "cut and run" is a wee bit old, and doesn't hold much water. I've heard Ford say this and that should be done, but I haven't heard anything like John Murtha has said, so to claim that about Ford's stance is just the use of a Republican buzz-phrase. I have several things to say though about what Bryant said. First, for Ed Bryant to side with Corker still amazes me after all the things Bryant said about Corker during the primary. Second, is Bob Corker so weak with his position that he needs to bring in Ed Bryant to talk for him? Third, how is calling for a new direction moving closer to the cut and run position? Granted I don't agree with Ford's opinions on a new direction, but I do think something needs to be done and I'll get into that in a minute, yet I'm not calling for cutting and running. And finally, who in the HECK does Ed Bryant think he is for saying "Ford is shamelessly drifting from one point of view to another for the sole sake of politics over principle, and Tennesseans can see through this charade"??? Sounds to me like the pot calling the kettle black, does it not? I mean it wasn't that long ago that Ed Bryant had some very negative things to say about Bob Corker, yet now I'm supposed to think Corker's the right man for the job because Ed Bryant vouches for him. Please don't insult my intelligence like that. It's as bad as Bill Frist campaigning for Corker after what Frist had to say about Corker in the 1994 Senate race. But then again, Frist caved on the immigration "reform" by siding with Bush and also thinks the Taliban needs to be part of the new Afghan government. Maybe instead of Bryant trying to do nothing but expose Ford, he should have helped Corker formulate his stand on the war. I hope everyone who reads this sees what a joke both of the party choices are for this election.

So my position? First, I think the battle in Iraq is a major battlefield in the war we are in and not a separate war. As much as I would love to see Bin Laden's head on a stick, I also know that him being found won't put an end to the war. We are fighting against the most dangerous enemy this country has ever known. Even the Nazis didn't want to die for their cause. We are engaged in a war against people who consider it an honor to die for their cause. So how do you defeat this? You help them get to that honor quickly. They can't be reasoned with, they can't be negotiated with, no amount of appeasement will solve anything. They are completely driven to destroy you, your family, your way of life, and this country. It's not that they hate us for our freedom, they hate us because we aren't Muslim. When we defeated Germany in world War II, this country bombed them into submission. When we defeated Japan in World War II, this country dropped two atomic bombs on Japan to force them to surrender. My position is that we sent our troops into Iraq and tied one hand behind their backs. This entire war has been fought trying to spread democracy instead of just winning. I am all for liberating people and them having a better life...I really am. But at the same time I want our soldiers to stay alive and for them to be able to do whatever is needed to stay alive and for this country to be safe. When Fallujah became a problem it should have been leveled by bombers. When contractors' burned bodies were hung from a bridge as the people celebrated, the area should have been flattened. Bullies and madmen only understand one thing - force. Is this me being a hate-monger? Is this me being insensitive? I really don't care. When people want to kill me, my family, and those I care about then I want them exterminated.

Corker and Ford are truly clueless about what's going on. You go to war to win, not to play "the nice guy". It's not about any party, it's not about elections, it's about our very existence and way of life. Corker and Ford don't take this issue seriously...neither one will say what needs to be said and they waste their time pointing fingers about who is wrong. If you agree with what I'm saying, please head to my "news" section and contact News Channel 5 and the LWV and send them an email to get me on the statewide debate on October 28th.