About Rod D. Martin
Praise for Rod D. Martin
Book Rod to Speak
Politics & Economics
Technology & Markets
Faith & Cultureby Charles Gordon
July 13, 2007
When we deposed Saddam in 2003, we assumed that 80% of Iraqis (65% Shi’ia, 15% Kurds) would cheer.
We were right.
We also assumed that the problem of the remaining 20% — Saddam’s fellow Sunnis — would resolve itself.
We were wrong.
Under Saddam, the Sunnis had a monopoly on power. When we deposed him, they were not happy campers. At first they were terrified of us, but when we failed to move into the Sunni Triangle and establish a presence, they became emboldened.
By failing to move into the Triangle, we not only emboldened the Sunnis, we dismayed the Shi’ia, causing some to believe that having deposed Saddam, we would still keep the Sunnis in power.
The Sunnis’ strategy was to keep Iraq from having elections and going democratic. Their first move was to come against our soldiers in the hope that we’d leave. When that failed, they started attacking the Shi’ia in order to provoke retaliation that would lead to a full-blown civil war. That strategy foundered when the Shi’ia leader, the Ayatollah Sistani wisely convinced the Shi’ia not to take the bait and retaliate. His reasoning was that patience would pay off in the form of the majority Shi’ia achieving dominance once elections were held.
The Sunnis then responded by essentially inviting al Qaeda into the country and harboring its fighters. Al Qaeda successfully goaded the Shi’ia into fighting back by doing such things as blowing up the Grand Mosque, a holy site for the Shi’ia.
But once the Sunnis invited al Qaeda in, they were stuck with them. Their brutality shocked even the most jaded Sunni and many Sunnis came to fear and loathe these terrorists more than they did America or even the Shi’ia.
Further, some Sunnis began to realize that if they got what they wished — an American withdrawal — the majority Shi’ia would have free rein to take frightful revenge for years and decades of oppression by the Sunnis.
Result? The beginning of a sea change in the Triangle and the emergence of real hope that President Bush’s troop surge will work.
Put simply, if a critical mass of Sunnis swings over to the American side against al Qaeda and for a full coalition with the Shi’ia, we win.
The Sunnis deserve a swift kick in the derriere for being the main instigators of what hasn’t gone right in Iraq. But finally, they seem to be wising up. Time will tell if it’s in time — or too late.
Rod is one of our nation’s leading minds. He’s smart, original, and very committed—a combination that one rarely finds.
Rod Martin and [former Howard Dean campaign manager] Joe Trippi are America’s two foremost experts on online politics.
Rod Martin is a Reaganite-Thatcherite conservative…[and] a man who has spent much of his life ministering to and working for the benefit of others. I know Rod as an advocate for freedom, a leader who understands the real changes we need in Washington, and who has the drive and ability to make those changes happen.
Rod Martin is the kind of dynamic leader who has the knowledge, ability and experience to lead us successfully into the 21st Century. His vision for America is compelling.
Rod Martin literally wrote the book on excellence. Humble yet brilliant, a man of love and compassion, with penetrating clarity he illuminates the world around us, and we are both stirred and enlightened.
Rod Martin is a born leader and an outstanding political mind. Anyone who takes him on is going to have a serious fight on their hands.
Rod Martin is a man of uncommon vision and character. Ever since I first worked alongside Rod in the early days of PayPal, I’ve been struck by his powerful vision for the future. Rod understands the intersection of technology, politics and culture in a way that few others do.
Rod Martin wears with uncommon grace an uncanny ability to link his vigorous faith to the practical challenges of both the business world and the political arena. Yet the respect he shows for others carries a warmth and modesty that are both too rare among those who are strong advocates of feisty positions.
America badly needs more leaders who really get the future. We need more Rod Martins.
Rod Martin is a modern day philosopher-statesman. He is a capitalist intellectual, a conservative iconoclast, a gentle adversary and a kind prophet. He inspires us towards a fresh national vision built upon the original founding principles.
Rod Martin is not only effective and efficient, but he is also perceptive, wise and gracious. He gets things done. He is a great friend and a great ally.
Rod is one of the sharpest, most gracious men I know, and one of the most gifted political thinkers today. His ability to analyze issues and communicate thoughtful insights on them have earned him the respect of people across the political spectrum.
I am proud to have been Rod Martin’s friend for a quarter century, and I can tell you that he is one of the finest men and most outstanding leaders in our church and in our country today. He has a knack for turning everything he touches to success.
Rod Martin is a cornucopian entrepreneur and eutropic thinker whose influence radiates through an array of companies, institutions, movements and churches. A renaissance American, he is also a prolific friend of freedom and faith around the globe.
If Rod Martin represents the next generation of leaders, America has nothing to worry about.
A leader and a servant, in public life and in private, Rod Martin strides at the top of his profession, and has nowhere to go but up. He is in the truest sense of the word ‘outstanding’.
Rod Martin is undoubtedly one of the most accomplished thought leaders today. He is a wonderful mentor, a humble role model, and a deep inspiration for the next generation of scientific innovators and entrepreneurs.
Rod’s achievements pale beside his character and his brilliance. He sees what others can’t. He leads when others won’t.
Rod Martin is one of America’s finest young minds.