With the release Monday of Gen. David Petraeus' report on the progress in Iraq, The Star's editorial board has decided it's time to weigh in again on the war and our success:
What we’ve learned during the first eight months of this year is what presidents from Truman to Clinton fully knew. While the United States has the world’s best military, our guns, bullets and soldiers alone cannot create political stability in any country.
The Star also is opining again on the GAO report on the success in Iraq -- a report that differs from the Petraeus findings:
It must be noted that part of the so-called surge strategy came when U.S. forces allied themselves with former enemies, Sunni militias. We made allies with enemies in the 1980s with Saddam Hussein and radical Islamists in Afghanistan. It’s a move we came to regret. The potential blowback of arming former (and possibly future) enemies is a prospect that ought to chill Americans regardless of the short term.
And, this being the sixth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, The Star's editorial page is reminding us why remembering the event is so important:
However, on this solemn date let the focus pause on the deaths of the 3,000 victims, including Maj. Dwayne Williams, a native of Jacksonville. Then, tomorrow and in the following days let’s resolve to work out the best ways to strengthen the nation and prevent another terrorist attack on these shores.
