Typically, I keep this focused on Dayton- and local issues.
However, today the US death toll in Iraq officially went over the number killed on 9/11.
To the people of the US- and our idiot president: we won the war. We attacked Iraq, we decimated its military, we captured their leader, we forced a new government. We won.
It’s time to leave Iraq. Pull back to Kuwait and other staging areas- and let them fight amongst themselves- or get ready for to take us on again- when we get tired of the loud mouthed idiots who are fueled by a united hatred of us as occupiers. Sooner or later, the Iraqi people will either kill themselves off- or realize that unless they get their act together on their own- they are in for a routine, old fashioned ass kicking every few years when we feel like it.
There is no point in staying inside Iraq. The battle for hearts and minds can’t be won by us as invaders. They must find their own equilibrium and leadership- without our help. Although this sounds cold- we could circle the troops in one area- and provide a safe zone for those who want to live in peace- in an under populated area- and let the rest work itself out.
If our country was invaded, do you honestly think that every Jim-Bob and Billy-Ray wouldn’t be taking pot shots at the occupiers? I know I would. This “mission” is impossible. It’s time to declare military victory- and leave Iraq to sort its own problems out.
To those who lost their lives on 9/11- you have been “avenged” 10 plus fold.
To those brave soldiers who have given their lives- you are an example of what makes our country great. All of you wanted to bring peace and justice to Iraq- it’s our leadership that failed you.
Peace in the Middle East will never come over the barrel of a gun, car bomb, or oil. Where is their Ghandi?
Perhaps a better question would be “where is our Ghandi?”
As for the deaths of 9/11 being avenged tenfold, I can’t see where they’ve been avenged by killing thousands and thousands of innocent people.
I know if one of my family members was killed by some guy from a certain neighborhood, and the cops got back by indiscriminately killing people from the killer’s neighborhood, I wouldn’t exactly feel justice was done.
Keep up the good work.
This is going to sound racist.
I do not believe that Iraqis will ever be able to sort out this mess. Iraq was created by the British after World War I to become the kingdom of their pal Faisal. There was no such nation before that. There has never been a nation there since. It is just a mess of tribes and sects.
The United States did not help any when we double crossed the Kurds a few years back. We had been backing Kurdish guerrillas under for years. Then, to curry favor with the Shah of Iran, we stopped that.
When I was in the U.S. Army’s Special Forces, we played war games with how we would enroll the Kurds into our guerrilla army.
I don’t think that’s a racist comment at all. It’s just an observation of fact.
Two things can unite groups that hate each other: fear, and loathing a common enemy.
Fear is how Saddam held it together for so long.
Loathing a common enemy (us) will be how the warring factions in Iraq install the next Saddam.
You don’t necessarily need a sense of “nationalism” to unite people. Islamic Fundamentalism will do just fine.
Sure, Saddam was a crappy little despot and a murderer(and worse). But you gotta hand it to him…when he was in charge, everybody toed the line.
Note to W. : This is what happens when you topple crappy little despots without a crappier, more despotic, puppet of your choosing lined up as a successor. Oh, and it also helps to have an exit strategy in place BEFORE you go in.
Good points Dave and Pam. The real tragedy about Iraq is that the U.S. invasion has unsettled another area in the world. Infrastructure, resources and culture were all destroyed and end game it has created a country worse off than it was.
Anyone else find it ironic that our government thinks democracy is too good an idea to wait until people actually want it?
If you inflict it on people, is the result really democratic? And if they use their new democracy to do something you don’t like—vote for the taliban, for example—what then? Do you kick their butts yet again and install another democracy that behaves itself?
If we wanted to improve our image in the region and keep another 9/11 from happening, knocking off Saddam—and hoping that democracy and pro-American sentiment would spread like wildfire—was not the way to go.
Instead of stirring up a hornets nest, we should have used our influence as promotors of peace in the middle east.
But that takes brains. Brute force is easier.
And faster…
Daddy won his war against Iraq in 60 days, right? And that war only cost 61 billion? And Haliburton can make how much if we go in again? And we can have cheap oil forever? Then I’d say it’s a no brainer, boys…Dick, Don, let’s go kick some ass in Iraq! Don’t worry about Congress…we’ll send Powell over to tell them Saddam has WMDs. ;)