I WON'T GO so far, at least not yet, and say that there is insanity within our highest office in the land. But, doing the same thing, over and over, and expecting a different result is the commonly accepted definition of insanity.

The new Senate Majority Leader, and our Senior Senator from Nevada Harry Reid, went so far as to say that "President Bush is in a state of denial!" Strong words from our Harry who is renowned for being a soft-spoken gentleman diplomat and master deal maker.

Harry Reid is RIGHT! "W" is WRONG! As we set aside all the "happy talk" and take off the rose-tinted glasses, and remove the rhetoric and look just at the facts, and only the facts, clearly Bush & Co. are in a state of deadly denial!

It reminds me of President Johnson and President Nixon in the latter years of the Vietnam War. In an effort to hold out hope, upon hope, rational thinking fell to the wayside and they began believing their very rhetoric they had sold to the American people, blatantly ignoring the objective facts. In 1968 we had lost some 22,000 Americans in Vietnam, but we would lose another 36,000 of Americans best, brightest, and our finest, over another four years before facts overcame fantasies—over 58,000 for what good end?

I do not intend to be partisan, because I strongly believe when it comes to those issues that involve life and death, we should not be partisan. But, the way the political lines are now drawn, clearly, it is the Republicans that are most responsible for sending our troops into harms way unnecessarily and what's wrong in Iraq. Like many veterans, especially veterans who have troops we trained, served with, and led at one time, in harms way, we are very angry at the many missteps, blatant mistakes and the nightmare our troops have been thrown into in Iraq. We are angry at Bush & Company, but, I'm equally angry at the Junior Senator from Nevada, John Ensign, and Nevada Congressman Jon Porter and newly elected Congressman Dean Heller!

In a recent televised interview Jon Porter continued to blatantly repeat the lie that Iraq had something to do with 9/11, and that he "Supported The Troops" and implied that any voice of dissent, especially Harry Reid's is "hurting the troops" —and it's just a bunch of BULL! It was nothing short of a cheap shot, and the interviewer [Jon Ralston] called him on it squarely. Yet, Porter persisted and insisted. What bothered me the most was not that Porter was sticking to his talking points, with a politics-as-usual posture—it seemed he actually believed his fantasy of fiction. That I find very, very disturbing indeed!

Finally, after being criticized by the Republicans, and mocked by Bush, for not having an alternative plan, and after four full years of our soldiers and their families sacrificing, Democrats have advanced a plan to bring a reasonable and rational end to our military involvement in Iraq soon. Now, Bush steadfastly threatens to veto it upon arrival!

The plan calls for bi-partisan support to bring a responsible conclusion to our combat involvement in the war in Iraq. It calls for a change in course, developed with the advice and counsel of leaders in both political parties, civilian experts, retired generals (with input from the military Commanders on the ground), as well as the good judgment of the American people. It is a plan that would put the Iraqi leaders on notice that the patience of the American people is near exhaustion and the Iraqi people must take this priceless opportunity and stand up for themselves and self-determine their own destiny!

As Gen. John Batiste said, "Here is the bottom line: Americans must come to grips with the fact that our military alone cannot establish a democracy…We cannot sustain the current operational tempo without seriously damaging the Army and Marine Corps…our troops have been asked to carry out the burden of an ill-conceived mission."

It is time to change our course in Iraq and transition the mission to the Iraqis—and the sooner the better. All of our leaders must develop a sense of urgency as we have our best and brightest in harms way every minute, of every hour, of every day and week we stay in Iraq. It was reported that the Iraqi Congress intends to take off two full months in June and July—that should not happen. Already they have become too accustomed to letting Americans take the risk of protecting them while they fiddle around and Baghdad burns!

Here at home, people posing as patriots, like Porter who brags about the three so-called fact finding trips he's made into Iraq, conveniently with his girlfriend and his garage band (at taxpayer's expense) does not make him an expert—far from it! Porter needs to be exposed for voting against a bonus for our troops and voting against very desperately needed funding for the Veterans Administration every time he tries to repeat the lie, and convince himself, that he "Supports The Troops" and "Cares about veterans" —because we have the facts on his voting record, and they belie the lies and speak the truth.

I've never cared much for revisionist history, or urban myths, so, I'd like to take this opportunity to dispel a major one that has angered me for 35 years—that "we lost the war in Vietnam" —this is a commonly accepted and believed myth! The truth of the matter is our military won every major engagement, and nearly every minor engagement against the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong Communist! But, after being involved in Vietnam as early as 1954 covertly, and realizing that the South Vietnamese Army had been more than adequately trained and equipped, and sacrificing 58,000 American lives and even more wounded, and spending billions of dollars—we simply decided to withdraw. It was Nixon who called it "Peace with Honor!"

Of course, that too was a lie! The only peace came to the American soldiers that, finally, got to lay down their weapons and come home—I was one of the last combat troops to leave. It was, of course, bitter-sweet as every soldier seeks a clear victory (and many would prefer defeat in death to anything less). But, I knew in my heart of hearts that we had done all we could for the ARVN and it was their time to self-determine their destiny.

It was the South Vietnamese that lost their war—not America, and I just wanted to clear that little detail up, because I'm really tired of hearing the lies about that war re-told! Today, Vietnam is at peace and we have, finally re-established diplomatic relations.

Whenever we leave Iraq, the major factions, hopefully will first run out Al Qaeda so they can, then, fight it out amongst themselves. They will find their own way to peace and re-establish a new form of government. It will not be any form of American democracy and I'd bet it will be more of a Theocracy as that is what the majority of Muslims desire—so be it! Trying to force our way of thinking and government onto another people from an entirely different culture was just one of Bush's unrealistic fantasies. Afterward, I hope we can re-establish diplomatic relations with the new Iraq government, and I certainly hope we do our part in paying reparations and helping re-build the damage America has done in immorally, unethically, illegally, and unjustly preemptively invaded Iraq.

Everyone knows that if you tell the same lie, over and over, sooner or later, some people will believe it, and, over time, many people will believe it, and well constructed lies become our urban myths. That, I believe, is exactly what has happened over the past six years under sick leaders in the Republican Party. Now, we must continue investigations, repeatedly report the facts to clear the lies from the minds of the American people and stand by the truth. Otherwise, deadly denial will eventually become a deadlier delusion!

Of course, the worst lies we tell are the lies we tell ourselves—and believe stubbornly!

Harry Reid and the Democrats are RIGHT! "W" is WRONG—AGAIN! The best way to support our troops is to bring them home and fully fund the VA! Please write your Congressional Representatives, and the White House, and tell them NO VETO!