Angelina Jolie, “…we cannot afford…to squander the progress…”
Congratulations and thank you to a celebrity that has used her voice to point out what is really happening on the ground. Jolie reported what she saw and was told by people there and didn’t push a liberal, anti-America agenda that so many from Hollywood do today.
Before me is the article written by Angelina Jolie and published in the Washington Post.com opinions page. It is titled “Staying to Help in Iraq”. I hate it when I see quotes taken out of context so let me give you the complete quote that I’ve paraphrased in the title above. In the article Jolie stated, “What we cannot afford, in my view, is to squander the progress that has been made.” She goes on to say that we should step up our financial and material assistance.
Jolie is not only an actress but is a humanitarian activist and a United Nations good will ambassador. She works with the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. Her article is about the Iraqi refugees still in Iraq and those that fled the country. It is her opinion that we have now reached a point in Iraq where humanitarian assistance can be effective.
The progress that she refers to is the progress made by the “surge” that has been effective in recent months in reducing our military losses and increasing security overall in Iraq. She met with Gen. David Petraeus and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. She even talked with American troops. Jolie feels that our recent success in Iraq has paved the way for increased humanitarian assistance and has asked for more money and effort in that area.
“As for the question of whether the surge is working, I can only state what I witnessed: U.N. staff and those of non-governmental organizations seem to feel they have the right set of circumstances to attempt to scale up their programs”, reported Jolie. Thank you for that, Ms. Jolie. Thank you for your honesty and the integrity to be on point with your stated goal. I hope that you are successful in your attempts to help the Iraqi refugees. With the continued help and support of the American government and military you will be successful.
Wait; let me qualify that about the American government. Barak Obama and Hilliary Clinton may put a stop to the good we’re doing in Iraq. They both promise that they’ll pull us out. Senator Reid and Representative Pelosi think our troops are murders and terrorists. Senator Kerry says we are the bad guys. Maybe, Ms. Jolie you should just count on the troops that you spoke to. The ones you said about, “And when I asked the troops if they wanted to go home as soon as possible, they said that they miss home but feel invested in Iraq. They have lost many friends and want to be part of the humanitarian progress they now feel is possible”.
Democrats and far too many Republicans have demonized President Bush and our military; I wonder how fast these same folks will rush to take credit for the humanitarian progress being made and that Ms. Jolie seems to think can now increase?
