Griffs Notes 11/2/06

The war in Iraq is weighing heavily on America’s mind and her heart. The discussion of what to do next is the focal point of the national elections. The violence has reached horrific levels and the situation on the ground would appear to be anything but stable. The heavy-handed political rhetoric is not helping. Yet day after day our soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines are performing countless acts of heroism and valor because that is what we do. And that is why I am going back.

For the third time since the war began in March of 2003, I will once again be blessed by strength and courage of my loving wife who did not sign up to be a military wife – though she will soon share that bond with them as she worries day and night for my well-being. Once again, I have been afforded the confidence and opportunity of my bosses at FOX News to allow me to pursue a story that can truly only be told by first hand account.

This Sunday I will begin my journey that will take me through Baghdad to the western Iraqi province of Al Anbar where I will embed with brave United States Marines. And I will bring you their stories – the challenges, the obstacles, the triumphs and the defeats.

President Bush has made it clear that he believes there is much at stake in winning this war in Iraq. He has vowed to stay in the fight until we are victorious. But we have not heard much from the actual guys doing the work and soon we will find out how they feel, what they see and what they believe.

I will make every attempt to keep this blog updated and will be making frequent appearances on our talk radio shows – especially on Brian and the Judge.

On April 23rd, 1910, President Teddy Roosevelt said in a speech at the Sorbonne in Paris:

“It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.”

Theirs is a story worth being told today.

I can be reached for questions or comments at griffsnotes@foxnews.com.