Jul 8 in Campaign Blog by
Tucson, Arizona
July 8, 2010
Today, Ann Coulter (http://www.anncoulter.org/) asked for the resignation of Bill Kristol and Liz Cheney over their criticisms of Michael Steele. Brian Miller, for many of the same reasons as Coulter, sent this letter to Bill Kristol last week, shortly after his comments.
The entire letter is below.
Dear William Kristol,
As an American Conservative I ask you to consider, over this July 4 weekend, doing an act of service for the party to which you belong: stop destroying the GOP.
You have consistently advocated increased foreign entanglements, attempts to make the world “safe for democracy”, and more unconstitutional wars funded by more debt. Still, I respected you as a serious thinker. But now you have said, about Michael Steele’s comments on the war in Afghanistan, “It’s an affront, both to the honor of the Republican Party and to the commitment of the soldiers fighting to accomplish the mission they’ve been asked to take on by our elected leaders.”
Comments like yours, which equate criticism of our foreign policy with lack of honor and non-support of our troops, undermine your credibility. The longer your opinion holds sway in the Republican Party, the longer the Republican Party will be irrelevant.
Needless to say, the continued war in Afghanistan absolutely is “a war of Obama’s choosing.” With a new administration, we had a golden opportunity to refocus on the unconventional al Qaeda threat that exists diffusely around the world. Instead, we doubled-down on an unmitigated nation-building and social-engineering experiment while propping up one of the most corrupt governments in the world – the Karzai government – and destabilizing the most dangerous country in the world – Pakistan.
We have willingly marched further into the Graveyard of Empires with 140,000 conventional American and allied troops – each soldier costing $1,000,000 per year. According to U.S. military estimates, we outnumber al Qaeda operatives in Afghanistan by more than 1,000 to 1. It is true that Mr. Steele was factually incorrect when he said, “the one thing you don’t do, is engage in a land war in Afghanistan … because everyone who has tried, over a thousand years of history, has failed.” It’s actually closer to 2,500 years.
This is not a trivial matter. That a majority of Republicans support the Sisyphean and unconstitutional war being waged in Afghanistan does not make it right. It is merely a symptom of the fact that progressive, Wilsonian foreign policy has found a home in the 21st century GOP. Any Republican candidate doing his “best to rally … fellow citizens behind the mission” is either not a Conservative, is completely ignorant of the devolution of the Afghanistan War, or simply a demagogue looking for votes and power.
There are, of course, others like you who believe we should expend more blood, money, and liberty in the Graveyard of Empires, but I do not. I have made my own case at: brianmillerforcongress.com
/home/2010/06/06/afghanistan-learning-center.
So, Bill, again, stop destroying the GOP. American liberty is a beacon to the rest of the world. As Jefferson argued, the hope of the world embodied in the American experiment is that “a government of reason is better than one of force.” Our example can only serve to inspire and give hope to others if it is protected at home. Constitutional Conservatism – the Republican Party at its best – is the best hope to protect the remnants of liberty at home.
Sincerely yours,
Brian Miller
Republican Candidate for U.S. House of Representatives, AZ-8
Major, USAFR, A-10 fighter pilot, combat veteran of Afghanistan
