With eight days left in the month, October has already become the deadliest month yet in 2006 for U.S. forces in Iraq. Eighty-nine American soldiers have been killed, and 2,300 have died since 2003. Despite the announcement that he would no longer be using the phrase "stay the course," President Bush on Monday dispelled rumors that his administration was changing tactics either by setting a timetable for the withdrawal of forces or by trying to force the Iraqi government to make greater leaps in progress ("Bush Officials: No Big Move in Iraq Plan"). The spike in violence has revived calls from leaders in both parties to either withdraw or to seriously reevaluate how to conduct this war.
Do you believe that the U.S. can 'stay the course' in Iraq and still be open to strategy changes and new ideas? If you do support the war, is there a casualty threshold that, if crossed, would force you to reconsider? If the Democrats take back one or both houses of Congress two weeks from today, will we see a significant change in strategy?
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Comments: 29
are they also people?
I think the solution is to increase the boots on the ground, take control, then hand the control over to the Iraqi's.
Consider this. On any given night, you can turn on Jay Leno and see him standing on the sidewalk with a microphone asking passersby simple history or geography questions. We all laugh as college-age adults tell us that they think Atlanta is located on the West Coast, or that "The Emancipation Proclamation" has to do with the women's lib movement.
But, how funny is it to think that elected members of both parties had the same level of ignorance when it came to understanding the history, society, and culture of the Middle East when it came to plotting this war ?
Even those who voted against the war did not present historical or fact-based reasons that we , the public, could understand. The main reason for opposing the war was partisan, not fact-based.
We are all guilty of indulging ourselves in ignorance for the last few decades, and as a result, " we know nothing " when it comes to making sound, rational judgements.
So we pull out of Iraq; then what ? Do we simply turn the tv to another station ? Do we compensate for the "terror threat " in some other way ? Or do we simply get ticked-off at anybody who raises these questions ?
Ingnorance is not bliss; it is deadly in the long run.
I do think we need a change of course, however. Like Don, above, I think we need more troops, not fewer, in Iraq now. That's the change I'd like to see, although I hold out NO hope we'll see that.
Capitulating to the terrorists now will only re-enforce their belief that America has no staying power. (Does anyone remember Somalia?) That's the goal of the current upswing in violence today -- to use the impending elections as a tool to sap our our will to fight by putting Democrats back into Congressional leadership and rely on them to accomplished what cannot be gained through their guerilla tactics in Iraq.
I understand the desire of those who want to withdraw from the fight in the midst of the battle, but I've yet to hear from anyone advocating that position what our surrender will actually accomplish. Will it make us safer? Based on history, I sincerely doubt it.
Western civilization is a battle to the death with extremists advocating a 7th century ideology of requiring the total domination of their opponents or their death. This fight was coming to us sooner or later, and if we run from the current battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan, it will follow us whereever we go. With that in mind, I'd prefer we stand in place and fight it out now.
That obstensibly has been our strategic approach to this point, although it does seem our tactics have been at odds with our strategy. My belief is due to the current administration trying to be all things to all people, i.e. Bush didn't want to upset the left and the peacenicks too much. He should have said the hell with it, utilized maximum force and we would have been out a year ago.
I fear for this country if the current polls and the conventional wisdom prevail on Nov. 7. I don't believe I'm overstating the case by saying that if the Democrat Party takes over Congress, it will be the first step down the path that will lead the United States the way of the Roman Empire and the Soviet Union -- extinction. The party of Jackson, Roosevelt and Truman has been transformed into an amorphus conglomeration resembling Vichy Fance than the was proud party of their three icons.
Gen. George Casey appeared at a rare joint news conference with U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad in the heavily fortified Green Zone in Baghdad. A power failure in the Green Zone briefly cut off the broadcast of the remarks.
"We are about 75 percent of the way through a three-step process in building those (Iraqi) forces. It is going to take another 12 to 18 months or so till I believe the Iraqi security forces are completely capable of taking over responsibility for their own security that's still coupled with some level of support from us," Casey said.
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This doesn't sound to me like a change of course, nor does it sound like the plan is not working. 75% with 12-18 months to go is not a timeline, it's an update. Americans are impatient because they haven't had to endure war on their soil for long periods of time. The insurgents, however, well......war is all they know, so they don't really care how long it takes, or how many lives it takes. These are the people we want to walk away from. New Hampshire may have to change the motto on their license plate to read:
Live Free or Die WITHOUT a fight.
George, it's scary to think those college kids interviewed on Jay Leno will actually be voting in our elections.
I haven't looked at your profile Nelson, are you an uninformed college kid?
Boy I hope so
Yes, things will change: Nancy Pelosi (D) CA will be our new Speaker. She is farther left than we have ever been before. People should study up on her before they vote because she will have some power and will be thrid in line for the Presidency should the fools impeach Bush/Chenney.
Actually not only would she be third in line for the White House she is also the 3rd most liberal voting member of congress. Far far-- dare I say it-- far left of probably 90% of the democrats in the country. In fact I'll wager to say that most of the democrats that are more liberal than her probably all live in and around her home town of San Fransisco. Now thats Scary!!! Talk about halloween fright.
Okay, a far-fetched idea, but even conservatives can fanticize occasionally.
I spell quite nicely, I just type like crap.
But, thanks for your concern.
"I really do hope David comes back, he just keep digging hisself a hole all the time."
To be grammatically correct, that should be "keeps digging himself..."
Just trying to help
Yeah, I have a lot more to say, maybe I should start a new topic. LOL
not listen to Pentagon Generals who said 500, 000 soldiers was required to
win the war, maintain the peace and insure the safety of U.S. Soldiers. Now,
our soldiers have suffered injuries and more than 2800 deaths. Generals
should have been in charge in Iraq, not politicians who never served in the military.
My idea is this. Remove troops form the embattled urban centers. Amass troops around those areas to establish a good old fashioned siege. Civilians will be free to leave and flee to more stable areas, once they pass through security checkpoints. The rest of our forces (especially independent contractors who shouldn't be trusted with anything) should be amassed along the border, especially with Iran. If supplies can't get through from surrounding powers, the militias will be up a creek without a paddle. If we are also putting a more concerted effort towards aiding civilians and rebuilding infrastructure, we'll be able to win the battle for hearts and minds. Finally, we need to find some moderate Muslim clerics to help us smooth out the Sunni-Shi'a tension. Before you even start, yes there are moderate clerics. The American media just doesn't show them to you. Just read a book (ones written by Sean Hannity don't count.) God forbid we listen to someone who actually knows something about Islam.
As an extra note, we should re-institute the draft. Calm the hell down and let me speak, before you blow your top. My generation should be forced to make some kind of sacrifice for this struggle. However, people should be given a choice between military duty and humanitarian aid. Yes, we should draft people to help rebuild homes and bridges and feed people and whatever else needs to be done. Charitable work, not violent attacks, are how the enemy wins hearts and minds. We should take a page from their book.
I was against this war in the beginning, but now that we're there we need to win it. When did we lose all of our strength and endurance? It was a bad idea to go in. Let's turn it into a good one.
And by the way, it's lame as hell when you get bitchy about spelling when you disagree with them. Grow up. Let's just have a discussion.
I received an email from my son-in-law who is currently deployed (Marine) and he tells it like it is there. Our soldiers refering to (Army) and Marines, US Coast Guard and the Iraqi soldiers are all being pinged by terrorist groups in-country. Most of the country is doing exceptionally well. Children are going to school. Hospitals have been built and are in use again. Women can attend school and have an opinion and can vote now. The economy there is booming because of us. The Iraqi people although they hate the war they love our soldiers and everywhere they go they are cheered for being there to give them freedom. Why is that a bad thing? Talk to the men fighting the war, do not listen to the biased media. Bush is doing what he can to fix the mess. Sure everyone can play Monday morning quarterback but we are here they are there. They do not sleep on the ground, they have warm showers and plenty of fresh water and food daily. Our soldiers and Marines are being taken care of while they are there too. The media would have us believe this is a Viet Nam mess but there is no comparision. I wish my son was allowed to post what his opinions are but he cannot as he must keep secret positions and duties but he can say some things and he would tell everyone he is proud to give each and every person in Iraq the life they deserve because they are human beings just like us. We have murders, rapes, thefts, pedofiles and any other disgusting thing you can think of here. What about the arsonists? They have a different kind of trouble that can be fixed if we would all stand united behind our troops doing what most of us would never volunteer to do.
I am in the state of Maryland and look forward to Lt Gov. Steele becoming my new state Senator