Chutzpah

Iraq has essentially been invaded by Syria and Iran while we support the democratically elected government of Iraq. Yet somehow, according to war critics, our presence is the one that causes the violence. That is, as the expression goes, backassward. So when the Syrian government has been guilty of fueling the violence against the elected Iraqi government, the following statement is just amazing:

Syria's foreign minister called Sunday for a timetable for the withdrawal of American forces to help end Iraq's sectarian bloodbath, in a groundbreaking diplomatic mission to Iraq that comes amid increasing calls for the U.S. to seek cooperation from Syria and Iran.

"Groundbreaking?" The Syrians are guilty of supporting the bloodiest terrorists inside Iraq and the Syrian foreign minister calls on America to set a timetable to withdraw our troops?

Are we incapable of fighting our enemies anymore?

Too many in this country are caught up in the strange notion that we should negotiate with our enemies. If we don't negotiate with enemies, who else do we negotiate with, they say. The Syrians are funneling jihadis and supplies into Iraq to kill our troops and slaughter Iraqis. What are we supposed to offer Syria for ending their murder campaign in Iraq? Iraq's freedom? Lebanon? Just plain cash?

The Syrian government is waging war on us. We must return the favor.

We should be demanding a timetable for Syria to halt support for the terrorists. Like next week. And there should be real consequences to failing to comply. It is a sad day when a two-bit dictatorship that supports suicide bombings has the upper hand over we who support true peace, liberty, and democracy. And it is our own damn fault for letting things go this way.

If we can't wage war against enemies, who can we wage war against?

UPDATE: The Chutzpah continues:

Iran has invited the Iraqi and Syrian presidents to Tehran for a weekend summit with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to hash out ways to cooperate in curbing the runaway
violence that has taken Iraq to the verge of civil war and threatens to spread through the region, four key lawmakers told The Associated Press on Monday.

Too many in our country (and I give up on Europeans for the moment) actually see Iraq under these assumptions. There is this mysterious "runaway violence" tha most assuredly is somehow America's fault. And if only we could talk to Iran and Syria, we'd "solve" the problem.

How is it that the two countries most at fault for causing the violence in Iraq to escalate are portrayed as good-hearted observers who only want what is best for Iraq's peace and liberty?

It's like the 1930s KKK inviting the Sheriff's Association and the NAACP to discuss ways of curbing runaway lynchings.