It didn't take long

for the Logical Husband to get his form letter back from Senator Coleman

"Dear Mr. __________ :
Thank you for contacting me concerning Operation Iraqi Freedom.
I understand the public anxiety over the war, and I share many of the frustrations with the pace of progress in Iraq . While we continue to have success militarily, our overall strategy to defuse the sectarian violence and improve the political process is insufficient. It is clear that we must chart a new, specific path in Iraq . We should hold Iraqi political leaders accountable for meeting specific benchmarks for success. We must put more pressure on the Iraqis to defend their own country, to move our troops away from the front lines, and ultimately return home.
In December of 2006, I traveled to Iraq for a second time, and met with Minnesota soldiers, military commanders, and Iraqi leaders to get a candid, firsthand assessment of the situation on the ground. During my meetings, I emphasized the need for Iraqis to move quickly to solve the sectarian violence. Our investment in Iraq cannot be open-ended. The Iraqi police and Army need to assume more responsibility for security throughout the country and especially in Baghdad . Iraq 's political leaders also need to provide a political environment that will foster greater opportunity for reconciliation between its sectarian factions.
Concerning the level of U.S. troops in Iraq , I do not believe politicians should set troop levels. Troop levels should be set by our military leaders including our commanders on the ground. At this time, I would not support any kind of significant increase in troops in Baghdad . Given the sectarian strife and delays in the Iraqi political process, I think a troop surge would only create more targets and place more American troops in the crosshairs of Iraqi sectarian battles. Some military commanders have suggested a surge could be worthwhile in areas outside Baghdad , such as in Fallujah , and I am willing to take a look at that proposal.
At the same time, I think our country's military forces are stretched too thin and I do support an increase in the size of our overall military. America 's all-volunteer military is the best in the world and I will remain committed to lessening the burden for our service people, particularly the Guard and reserve, as they do their work in Iraq .
However, there is no doubt in my mind that the safety of Americans from terror is tied to what happens in Iraq. Leaders of al Qaeda have made very clear that Iraq is central to their efforts to destabilize America and the world. Osama bin Laden himself has said that "the most serious issue today for the whole world is this Third World War that is raging in Iraq." Bin Laden has called Baghdad the capital of a new radical Islamic Caliphate he would like to create, stretching from Spain to Indonesia . On September 11, we learned the consequences of ignoring dangerous developments in the Middle East . It is for this reason that we cannot afford to abandon our efforts in Iraq .
My time in Iraq gave me another opportunity to reflect upon the tremendous courage, skill, commitment and patriotism of our soldiers. These are extraordinary citizens that have a great sense of confidence in what they're doing, a willingness to sacrifice -and sacrifice they have. Minnesota and America have much to be proud of, and I was truly humbled by the things I heard and witnessed from our soldiers in Iraq .
Thank you once again for taking the time to contact me. I value your advice. If I may be of further assistance to you in the future, please do not hesitate to contact me again.
Sincerely,
Norm Coleman
United States Senate

Well you have one thing right, Senator. Politicians should NOT set troop levels. However, where you are wrong Senator is that President Bush is not just any politician. He is COMMANDER IN CHIEF! He has the input of many sources, most especially our generals on the ground in the theatre. In addition, he has the input of "experts" like the Iraq Survey Group, which called for a surge in troops. The Pentagon also called for more troops earlier last year. That hardly sounds like "politicians" setting troop levels to me.

The tone of this letter is clear - Senator Coleman has bitten into the Senate's mistaken viewpoint that they know better than the Pentagon, than the generals and than the Commander in Chief and thus the feeling that they should be running the war. Wrong answer guys.....

The thing that saddens me the most though is the whole form letter thing. At least Senator Paul Wellstone took the time (more likely staff time) to send back personal letters addressing individual points of his critics correspondence. I admire him greatly for that. Rep. John Kline (MN 2nd CD) does the same. It's a pity Senator Coleman can't figure it out.