BREAKING NEWS: Iraq Study Group Report

[AndyMarquisLIVE]

I agree with this, but I also understand why Bush doesn't do it - he's afraid what the Lefties say is true, that going in strong will only alienate the Iraqis we're supporting.

I just keep thinking there's more to Bush's plan than we're aware of. Bush would have to be pretty damn stupid to continue blindly with a strategy that isn't working. And I don't believe Bush is as stupid as the Lefties like to say he is. Plus, he's got a very strong cabinet to kibbutz with, and those people are anything but stupid.

I think we're more afraid of pissing off the Shi'ite majority. After all, this Iraqi government seems to answer to al'Sadr. He's a big name over there. He's the Shi'ites Saddam Hussein, and he wants control of the country. He's wanted control ever since Saddam was ousted and he's gonna keep fighting until he gets it and unfortanently, this al'Sadr will only kill more until the Sunni's are exterminated.

 

[dems4me]

It should be available for free online. After all, we paid for it.

I agree, that's what I found upsetting... where are the proceeds going?? Heck I'm still trying to muddle through Baker's other book "politics of diplomacy" or something or other... He's a nice guy so I thought I'd read the book and unless I'm sitting down concentrating on it, it just makes my head spin.

 

[Vince]

Gates essentially said "new direction" without saying what it was. Instant approval. They didn't even care what that direction was, as long as it was "new".

Gotta love it.

 

[dck4shrt]

I agree with this, but I also understand why Bush doesn't do it - he's afraid what the Lefties say is true, that going in strong will only alienate the Iraqis we're supporting.

I just keep thinking there's more to Bush's plan than we're aware of. Bush would have to be pretty damn stupid to continue blindly with a strategy that isn't working. And I don't believe Bush is as stupid as the Lefties like to say he is. Plus, he's got a very strong cabinet to kibbutz with, and those people are anything but stupid.

According to Bush, he listens to the commanders on the ground...if they want more troops, he'll give them more troops.

He may have a strong cabinet around him, but they are also arrogant people. They believe in their principles, and that's that. Talking to Iran and Syria is against their principles, and even if there was a chance that could help us out of this situation, they wouldn't do it.

At this point in the game I can't see how we can continue to blindly listen to the stay the course/follow me hogwash that Bush has been spewing. Especially since he's just playing politics by saying one thing and thinking another (read: Rumsfeld memo). Now if Bush is hiding a trump card in his back pocket that he is slyly holding until the moment is right and the situation is as dire as it can get, well, then I won't know what to say,but I couldn't imagine how he would swing that.

 

[vraiblonde]

Talking to Iran and Syria is against their principles, and even if there was a chance that could help us out of this situation, they wouldn't do it.

I don't blame them. It would piss me off royally if the US started treating those freaks as equals who are worthy of sitting down with. Does the warden sit down with the inmates to hammer out prison policy? No. No, he doesn't.

Next you'll suggest we negotiate with Al Qaeda.

 

[dck4shrt]

I don't blame them. It would piss me off royally if the US started treating those freaks as equals who are worthy of sitting down with. Does the warden sit down with the inmates to hammer out prison policy? No. No, he doesn't.

Next you'll suggest we negotiate with Al Qaeda.

We're not the warden! The report just stated that our ability to control the situation on the ground in Iraq is diminishing.

There is a saying that goes, "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.".

We should consider 'negotiating' with these guys because there is some common ground to be found. Although Iran wouldn't mind having Iraq being as weak as possible because it ups their stance in the region to top dog, I doubt they would like to have a raging civil war on their border that could easily spread to their own country and undermine their own gov't. If nothing fruitful comes from talking with these freaks well, I don't think much is lost.

 

[ylexot]

As Dick Morris says, if we ask Iran for help, we might as well just give them nukes. How can we possibly stand against them on one front and ask for help from them on another?

 

[AndyMarquisLIVE]

I don't blame them. It would piss me off royally if the US started treating those freaks as equals who are worthy of sitting down with. Does the warden sit down with the inmates to hammer out prison policy? No. No, he doesn't.

Next you'll suggest we negotiate with Al Qaeda.

Negotiate with Iran....

Iranian President: "Yeah what we can do is we can prevent Sunni's from causing anymore secretarian violence by blowing the Sunni Triangle off the map ...... just give us the bomb. We an for sure prevent other governments from interfering also - if Israel tries, we'll bomb those zionist bastards into Europe."

 

[Larry Gude]

There's one aspect to this...

There are two aspects to this (IMO):
1) There are foreign fighters in there trying to defeat the US (therefore, they are not blowing up their own country).
2) There are different factions fighting each other over control of the country.

...in my ever so humble opinion and that is Bush's FAILURE to subdue the country and keep it subdued.

He (they) screwed up by disbanding the army and police.

He (they) screwed up by creating the conditions and then allowing militias to surface.

He (they) screwed up by letting Syria and Iran, and maybe even Saudi, get away with interfering and destabilizing.

If a military mission is good enough and important enough to send our people into harms way, then it is good enough and important enough to support them, 100%, 100% and I mean with every single last weapon in the arsenal.

I feel absolutely betrayed by this administration allowing this thing to turn into a debacle. If they did not have the stones to do the job then they had NO business going. NONE. I mean facing down political pressure, international pressure, all of it. It is a CRIME to send a US trooper into combat and then futz with non military issues and pressures once you've pulled the trigger and gone military, especially when he is bleeding and dying for YOUR policies.

It would have been a simple matter to make CLEAR to Iran et al that we would absolutely attack them if they allowed/instigated problems.

Again, to send in troops and to allow this to get away is an abomination.

 

[dck4shrt]

...in my ever so humble opinion and that is Bush's FAILURE to subdue the country and keep it subdued.

He (they) screwed up by disbanding the army and police.

He (they) screwed up by creating the conditions and then allowing militias to surface.

He (they) screwed up by letting Syria and Iran, and maybe even Saudi, get away with interfering and destabilizing.

If a military mission is good enough and important enough to send our people into harms way, then it is good enough and important enough to support them, 100%, 100% and I mean with every single last weapon in the arsenal.

I feel absolutely betrayed by this administration allowing this thing to turn into a debacle. If they did not have the stones to do the job then they had NO business going. NONE. I mean facing down political pressure, international pressure, all of it. It is a CRIME to send a US trooper into combat and then futz with non military issues and pressures once you've pulled the trigger and gone military, especially when he is bleeding and dying for YOUR policies.

It would have been a simple matter to make CLEAR to Iran et al that we would absolutely attack them if they allowed/instigated problems.

Again, to send in troops and to allow this to get away is an abomination.

Exactly, we created a power vacuum, and then we allowed a lot of other people to fill it. Recipe for disaster.