Iraq Is Not Vietnam

North Vietnamese dictator Ho Chi Minh was a killer with the blood of thousands on his hands from his brutal collectivization programs. But he still managed to come across as a romantic, grandfatherly figure appealing to many naive people all over the world. Saddam Hussein, in contrast, was hated at home and abroad.

The Viet Cong and North Vietnamese army had relatively safe havens in Laos and Cambodia. Saddam Hussein had no safe havens and was captured by American forces while hiding in a hole in the ground shortly before Christmas Day in 2003. His loyalists have no safe havens and are constantly on the run.

As a Vietnam veteran, I realize that the Vietnam War still scars the American societal fabric. It is a sad, painful page in American history. It has cast doubts on presidential judgments in committing troops to fight for the cause of freedom and our government's decisions in foreign policy.

The Vietnam War failed because presidents failed to make the case for war. That is an important lesson to be learned, and hopefully President Bush will be careful to never let the American people lose sight of the reason for the war in Iraq.

America's longest war taught us another fact: Wars should be fought by military commanders in the battlefield and not from the White House and congressional lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

This war is different because President Bush has shown leadership in allowing the military commanders to handle the fighting and achieving the battlefield objectives in Iraq in order for America to remain secure. A majority of Democratic senators, including John Kerry and John Edwards, voted for the resolution authorizing the President to use force against Iraq.

President Bush had another congressional mandate. Congress passed the Iraq Liberation Act in 1998, calling for the removal of Saddam's regime. The Senate passed it unanimously, the House approved it on a 360-38 vote and President Clinton signed it into law on October 31, 1998.

By quickly driving to Baghdad, U.S. commanders avoided unnecessary battles with Iraqi army regulars, who surrendered shortly after Saddam's government fell. After its fall, whole divisions of the Iraqi army lost their will to fight and their ability to communicate.

A prolonged campaign to destroy all of Iraq's armed forces before taking Baghdad would have meant more coalition and civilian casualties, more destruction to Iraq's infrastructure, and higher construction costs.

The world is a safer place because we acted. I regret the huge loss of life. But Iraq is no longer a rogue nation, supporting terrorism and weapons proliferation.

We achieved a miraculous victory in Iraq by overthrowing Saddam. We created a consensual Iraqi government after 30 years of chaos. Free elections have been held. The American success in Iraq is nearly unprecedented in the recent history of the Middle East.

Iraq is not Vietnam.

Iraq, under Saddam Hussein, was a supporter of cowardly terrorists (Abu Abbas, Abu Nidal), figurative brothers of those who attacked the United States on September 11, 2001, murdering 3,000 innocent people. President Bush has made our message clear to terrorists around the world that the United States will not relent in the war on terrorism, and will continue to fight cell by cell until the war against terrorism is won.

As I said in a speech before the New Mexico State Legislature recently, terrorists don't intend to win militarily; they intend to destabilize the world economically and politically. In an unstable climate, they will do anything to gain power.

We will not rest until these terrorists are brought to justice. They have no regard for human life and human dignity. They should not be allowed another minute of freedom in any part of the world. We still have a long way to go. But with the strength and resolve of the American people behind our armed forces and with God's help, we shall not fail.

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