Obama Apology Wrong, says Gingrich

At the biggest United States military base in Afghanistan, US soldiers burned copies of the Koran.

This action enraged the Afghan people, they demonstrated and during these demonstrations two American soldiers were killed.

President Obama sent an apology, on behalf of the American people, to the President of Afghanistan.

Newt Gingrich, a Republican nominee for President, said that President Obama was wrong to apologize.

These soldiers who burnt the Korans were in the employ of the United States government at the time of their wrong doing. President Obama, is the chief of the US armed forces, therefore the men were working for him. Of course he was to apologize but he should do more. He should be seen to remove the officer in charge of these men from Afghanistan. Without any action, any apology is only seen as meaningless words.

American soldiers have lost their lives trying to convince Afghans that the United States has their interests at heart. Their interests would mean that they have respect for their religion and their feelings. An act of burning copies of the Koran, which the Afghans consider sacred, is not an action that supports what the majority of the American soldiers are trying to convey. In fact it is an action in direct opposition of what the majority of servicemen are trying to convey and is an actual insult to the Afghan people.

Of course the US president should apologize but he should also be seen to be taking action against the perpetrators. I daresay that the military have already found out what the truth behind the action was and possibly already “slapped the wrist” of the person responsible. However because of pride, would not want to air their dirty washing in public. Usually I would agree with these sentiments but in this instance, when an act has been perpetrated on or against the Afghan public, then a public act of punishment should be seen to have been taken. Even if it is only the removal of the guilty person from the country, after all wouldn’t that also be in the soldiers own security interests?

If this was a bank employee that did a rash act, possibly causing the stock holders to lose money, would you say the CEO need not apologize and that no action should be taken against the bank employee?

What you are saying is that the dollar, to some already rich, is far more important than the lives and beliefs of people.

You would have that the example to young Americans, set by the President of the United States, is one of not having to apologize for a wrong doing. So if a student burnt a US Flag, in front of the White House, there is no need even for an apology.

Mr. Gingrich, you are running for President of the United States of America, a position that answers to all the citizens of the United States, not just those members of your country club that have no members of their families in the armed forces.

The rest of America has family members in the armed forces putting their life on the line against the war on terror. Acts like this burning of the Koran, give groups like Al Qaida huge recruitment boosts, prolonging the war and increasing the numbers of US military lives lost. If an apology is a help in reducing these recruitments, what is the harm?

The pride of you and your country club members is not more important than the lives of brave US soldiers. Until you can learn that: you should not even consider running in a race for which you clearly have no respect for the prize.

It was not Obama’s apology that caused the loss of these two American lives. It was the burning of the Korans that instigated a demonstration by innocent Afghans which terrorist were able to infiltrate and it was them that took the lives of the soldiers.

US soldiers cannot win a war on terror alone. US politicians and diplomats need to have policies that act to curb recruitment of more terrorists, not actions that encourage them.