Shimkus on Iraq

Illinois congressman, John Shimkus is taking heat for his comments in the House yesterday before that body voted to override the president's veto on an Iraq pullout.  He used a sports metaphor to make his point, more specifically, a Cubs/Cardinals metaphor.

His argued that the game between the Cardinals, his beloved team, was tied going into the 15th inning.  The Cardinals then decide to leave the field, quit the game, giving the victory to the Cubs.  So it would be if we left Iraq before the war was won. "Who wins? We know it’s the team that stays on the field. Arbitrary deadlines and a date certain accept defeat before the conclusion of the contest. It is our national security interest that continue to take the field and support a moderate Arab state. Leaving prior assures a loss for us and victory for our opponents which will lead to another extremist Islamic state."

This statement has brought out protests from left leaning blogs, newspapers, and veterans, with those groups saying he has trivialized the life and death situation in Iraq.

Sports as metaphor for life is as old as man.  They are found in Greek, Roman, Biblical writings.  Take the Bible, for instance, certainly not a book which could by any stretch of the imagination be considered trivial. 

The apostle Paul to Timothy:  "Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the everlasting life to which you were called and which you confessed so beautifully before many witnesses."  1 Timothy 6:12

Paul to Timothy again:  "I have fought the good fight; I have completed the race; I have kept the faith."   2 Timothy 4:7.

Hebrews 12:1:  Now then, with all these witnesses around us like a cloud, let us also rid ourselves of every burden and the sin into which we easily fall and with patient endurance run the race that is laid out before us, looking to Jesus who gives us our faith from start to finish."

1 Corinthians 9:24-27:  "Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one wins the prize?  Like them, run to win!  Everyone who enters an athletic contest goes into strict training.  Now, they do it to win a wreathe that withers, but we do it to win one that never withers.  So I run with a clear goal ahead of me.  I fight and do not just shadow box.  Rather, I beat my body and make it my slave so that, when I have called others to line up for the race, I myself may not be disqualified."

Sports as metaphor for faith and eternal life.   John's critics have no understanding of how sports metaphors have been a part of war, politics, religion, love, hate, etc forever.  Speak so that your listeners may understand.  John did that and did we understand? 

 If anything can be learned from Rep. Shimkus' remarks it is that we are not currently winning the in Iraq at the present time, but are at an impasse, a tie.  Something new we learn.

As an added bit of trivia, Fight the Good Fight, a hymn written by John Monsell in 1863 was sung in the 1981 movie, Chariots of Fire.

Comments

[Rand]

Let's see: "Mission Accomplished" plus four years and supporters are calling it a tie. That's a huge failure. Another sports analogy? We're the Yankees (no pun intended) and the enemy is the '69 Mets. The Yankees didn't even make it to the playoffs. Iraq is going to be pure chaos whenever we do leave. Let's save American lives and get out as soon as we can. Staying longer isn't going to change what happens when we leave. If I thought there was a possibility for a better outcome by staying, I be all for it.

[Lee]

You are absolutely right, Diane. This "furor" is ridiculous. I'm so tired of the media pouncing on some folks' statements, while ignoring other, more blatant ones. Did you see the Joe Biden comment to a rather startled looking supporter where he snarled "we're gonna shove it down his throat!" re President Bush. No outrage there.
Wonder what would have happened if a Repub presidential candidate would have uttered that about Obama or Hillary?

Larry Connor's look of shocked outrage mixed with disgust in the promo for the 10 p.m. news while he almost smacked his lips re John's comments was disgusting.

[ron]

God help us today's liberal democrats weren't in charge during world war II. i can just hear their calls now, when the battle of the bulge started. or the first losses in northern africa. we were way behind scedule on the first months after d-day. all is lost let's pull out now. who was a fault on the intelligence? was roosevlt hiding something? this was all a big mistake. it's not our war. it's europes war. let's go fight japan. they were the ones who attacked us, not the germans.

liberal democrats do not want to see a victory in iraq. otherwise they would be coming up with a real plan for victory. you don't even hear them say anything substantial about afganistan.
even hillary clinton says her pull out plan would mean keeping troops in iraq for many years. in combat support roles.
these critics just despise george bush and still are sore over the 2000 election.

[rand]

Ron, U couldn't B more wrong. I hope the surge works, but if it doesn't it's time to see the handwriting on the wall. This is not WWII, how can you compare it? But it's easier for you wingers to rant about liberals than it is to look at the facts. It's not a winnable situation. We should never have attacked Iraq in the first place; but having done that we should do our best. If we've been doing our best and four plus years later it's a "tie" (Shimkus), then it's time to reconsider. How long to you propose we keep killing people (and having our own killed) to support a "tie"? And quite honestly, I don't think it's a tie. And don't give me a whine about what you think about liberals - tell me what your solution is.

[Alison]

The man barely graduated West Point & only spent the mandatory 6 yrs active duty. He's been a weekend warrior ever since & even stopped meetings after he was elected. He has no combat experience. He just spent time in the Fulda Gap during the Cold War. With illusions of the definition of "leader", he's a paper LTC that simply follows "The Commander Guy".

The Cubs are real people. American citizens born in this country, some not, standing in front of an American flag before every game reciting the Pledge. Calling them terrorists is unjustifiable even in an analogy. As people, they deserved better from someone who almost became a Lutheran minister espousing Faithfulness, Servanthood, Responsiveness, Excellence.

I won't even suggest the much-deserved apology. We both know that no matter how huge the mistake, John Shimkus does not admit accountability or responsibility.