Congress acts like a bunch
of out-of-control cowboys

Cowboys from Blackwater?
Try Cowboys from Congress!

From FoxNews.com we learn of even more examples of your Congress seemingly doing what it does best – robbing us blind. Since September's now-famous Baghdad shootout that led to the deaths of 17 Iraqis, numerous critics have assailed Blackwater USA, as well as security contractors in general, calling them reckless cowboys. But before you jump to conclusions, please read thee following excerpts from an opinion piece by LTC Steve Russell (Ret.):

• Leading the chorus denouncing contractors ironically, is yet another posse of "cowboys" – this one composed of reckless members of Congress. Their careless rhetoric and soldier funding ambushes amount to the very thing they accuse Blackwater of doing -- shooting first, and asking questions later.
• Recently, Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) and 13 other members of Congress introduced legislation to turn the Blackwater incident into an excuse to bar all security contractors from performing their essential role of securing Iraq.
• If Schakowsky and his allies succeed, they’ll only make the U.S. military's job harder. American soldiers – and Iraqi citizens – will face a less stable, more dangerous situation.
• With victory in Iraq now a distinct possibility, just who are the irresponsible cowboys here?
• In stark contrast to the myth that every security contractor is an "out of control" agent set on creating chaos, many members of Congress seem to be far more deserving of that description.
• Congressional opponents of this war seem determined to push a policy of defeat.
• They pre-judged the "surge" as a failure and made bold proclamations that there was little the military could do to stem the violence.
• They castigated the senior military commander in Iraq after confirming him with their full support – and ignored reports of genuine progress as they tried to shift the focus of their attacks to the Iraqi political arena when prospects in the military arena improved. Now they’ve unleashed a violent ambush on soldiers' needed funds.
• While Congress has the rightful power to call for hearings and investigations, who calls Congress on the carpet for endangering the soldiers' and contractors' mission? Americans have the ballot box and the telephone line, but what a sad day for our nation if personal and political advancement wins out over principle and patriotism before the congressional recess.
• War critics may claim that they “support the troops”, but Americans know differently. And so do the soldiers. Irresponsible members of Congress – not the selfless soldier and contractor – are the real cowboys in this dust-up.

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Cowboys from Blackwater? Try Cowboys from Congress!
By LTC Steve Russell (Ret.)

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Our Take

LTC Steve Russell, U.S. Army, (Ret.), is the founder and chairman of Vets for Victory, and a veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan – and we couldn’t agree with him more. It would be nice if the New England Patriots could beat the Cowboys one more time – not the Cowboys in Dallas, but the ones in Congress.