Surrender

[dtw]

Originally posted by Lothar
The goal needs to be a stable government. The strategy needs to be to follow the counter-insurgency tactics that were developed during and post Vietnam. Namely, protect the population in cooperation with Iraqi defense forces and isolate insurgents. By winning the trust and support of the population, people who are just trying to get on with their lives will become part of the counter-insurgency effort by informing Iraqi defense forces of known insurgents. Stopping bomb making hardware from entering the country from Iran and Syria would also be a good start.

If the current Iraqi government collapses, Iran could extend its brand of militant Islam over much of the Middle East. That's why Saudi Arabia is making overtures to supply troops to stabilize Iraq and defend against Iran.

Agreed, but they just don't seem to want it bad enough. Blood of insurgents should be flowing in the streets like it was revolutionary Paris. It's not. When Bush I fought Iraq, we did leave them hanging. Right now we're giving them every opportunity to reclaim their nation and have been for three years, to our own detriment. They're not stepping up. Why? I don't know, but it is a major problem.

[fastpat]

Originally posted by dtw
Right now we're giving them every opportunity to reclaim their nation and have been for three years, to our own detriment. They're not stepping up. Why? I don't know, but it is a major problem.

As long as the US goverenment remains in Iraq, it won't happen either.

This whole problem is why the Bush'ists, the complete junta Cheney included, needs to be tried for war crimes, and appropriately sentenced. We need to strip them of their family fortunes, and make sure their family names bring up visions of corpses drying on the sand. The Cheney name should cease to exist.

The islamic countries will have to form a coalition to aid Iraq, or the two or three nations it becomes. They certainly have the money to do so.

Yes, the US government caused this bloody mess, murdering hundreds of thousands, or causing them to be murdered; that is why those that caused the US government to do this horrendous thing must be punished severely enough to make others in government reluctant to do the same for decades at least.

[Moneyguy1]

How do we expect a society to react that has no history of democracy, going from royalty to a dictator? Add to that the extreme relevance of religious and tribal influence, and the individual Iraqi is not prepared for independent or bold thinking, having been told how to act and what to think for decades. Changing that mindset will take decades and generations, not three or four years. Our leaders should have been aware of this before the entire system over there was gutted. Building on what was there would have been a prudent path to follow.

[stevepaa]

Duh, shades of Yugoslavia. WTH were they thinking?

[m21sniper]

Originally posted by JanusCole
So should I conclude from all of this that everyone, left or right, is okay with idea of America leaving behind a humanitarian nightmare in Iraq? Does this not even appear on anyone's moral radar?

We broke it, we bought it, it's ours.

Lovely.

Originally posted by dtw When Bush I fought Iraq, we did leave them hanging.

That is putting it lightly, to say the least.

We totally effed them over after Bush basically called on them to revolt. To their credit, they did. To our discredit, we did nothing(well, next to).

[rcecale]

Originally posted by fastpat
This whole problem is why...blah, blah, blah...

One thing about our paste... "He can compress the most words into the smallest ideas better than any man I ever met."

Randy

[CurtEgerer]

[fastpat]

Originally posted by CurtEgerer
*

Obviously someone put a lot of work into something that was totally bankrupt. AIPAC perhaps?

Even stranger, the real madman in all of this is George W. Bush himself. Calling on imaginary divisions with which to "surge" into Iraq. Pathetic.