Thread: Iraq News

Originally Posted by Boon Mee

Originally Posted by raycarey

better for the US, and better for the world.

Can you elucidate this for us?

You're a shamless plagiarist, Booners. I used almost that exact same phrase to you the other day. Polly want a cracker?

sounds like a phony soldier to me.

or perhaps a suicide bomber.

I'm sure they are blaming Bush for another failure in Iraq, eh?

As violence falls in Iraq, cemetery workers feel the pinch

Petraeus is a softie liberal, not having enough ragheads shot, eh Booners?

"So Much Has Changed...Observations from Ramadi"

It is getting better over there no matter how badly you 'progressives' want the coalition of the willing to fail.

U.S. Cavalry ON Point

Originally Posted by Boon Mee

the coalition of the willing

got any current numbers on that coalition? ...heh

by boonie's nearly month long silence, i think it's safe to assume he doesn't have the numbers. but i do....

President Bush once called it the "coalition of the willing," the countries willing to fight alongside the United States in Iraq. The list topped off in mid-2004 at 32 countries; troop strength peaked in November that year at 25,595. The force has since shrunk to 26 countries and 11,755 troops, or about 7 percent of the 175,000-strong multinational force, according to mid-November figures provided by the U.S. military.

But as the war stretches on, the non-American ranks grow thinner. The largest U.S. ally here, Britain, announced in October that it will withdraw half its remaining troops, leaving about 2,500 by spring. Sixteen nations in the coalition, more than half the total, have 100 or fewer troops in Iraq -- five have fewer than 10 people. Latvia has three soldiers deployed in Iraq, Slovakia two, Singapore one.

washingtonpost.com

Poor bloody Singaporean.
Guess he drew the short straw.

^Ray, I don't understand what you're trying to prove. The Iraq war was one of the greatest miscalculations by a sitting US President in history. Historians will not be kind to GWB, unlike his father.

But, we have to clean up this mess, and total withdrawal is not the answer as it would just create more chaos.

If you want vindication that the war was an error, you have it, but let's focus on how to take it to the next level rather than laying blame.

Originally Posted by chinthee

Historians will not be kind to GWB, unlike his father.

now there's a bit of revisionist history. his father was also a failure as president...the only reason history will look "kindly" on him is because he didnt fuck up as badly as his son.

Originally Posted by chinthee

But, we have to clean up this mess, and total withdrawal is not the answer as it would just create more chaos.

i used to think this way too...back in 2005. but the majority of iraqis want the US gone. the majority of iraqis support attacks on US troops.

there will be bloodshed and chaos whenever the US leaves...whether it is today or five years from now. as heartless as it sounds, they might as well get on with it.

Originally Posted by chinthee

but let's focus on how to take it to the next level rather than laying blame.

why is it always the people at fault who use this line?

......assuming that you supported the invasion back in 2003.

Originally Posted by raycarey

...i used to think this way too...back in 2005. but the majority of iraqis want the US gone. the majority of iraqis support attacks on US troops.

there will be bloodshed and chaos whenever the US leaves...whether it is today or five years from now. as heartless as it sounds, they might as well get on with it.

Not the Iraqis I know, and that's also not the impression I get from them...in fact my understanding is that the majority of Iraqis would like nothing less than the US to withdraw Namstyle and nothing more than the agitators to drop dead. You must know some real ruffians.

I fully agree with the first part of your closing point, which appears to be the nature of this particular beast, but it does not mitigate at least trying to leave behind a regime with a hope in hell, rather than a political withdrawal leaving the people with their legs open and nothing to cover the pink bits.

It will be intriguing to see how the next US admin handles it, and the danger is that the Dems slither in which effectively gives them carte blanche to take the credit for whatever they do that can be spun as right, and blame Bush for whatever goes pear shaped which'll be most if not all.

Another fake massacre in Iraq?
Getting pretty common since the Surge kicked in eh?

Confederate Yankee: Another Fake Massacre

Originally Posted by keda

there will be bloodshed and chaos whenever the US leaves

Wasn't there a similar quote when the US got it's arse kicked in vietnam ?

Top Ten Myths of the Iraq War

1-No Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD).
2-The 2003 Invasion was Illegal.
3-Sanctions were working.
4-Overthrowing Saddam Only Helped Iran.
5-The Invasion Was a Failure.
6-The Invasion Helped Al Qaeda.
7-Iraq Is In A State of Civil War.
8-Iraqis Were Better Off Under Saddam.
9-The Iraq War Caused Islamic Terrorism to Increase in Europe.
10- The War in Iraq is Lost ...heh

http://www.strategypage.com/qnd/topt.../20070128.aspx

i won't be clicking through to your silly right-wing, militarist blog booner....but from your list of copy an pasted 'myths', one can only assume that they consider evolution and gravity to also be 'myths'.

from boonie's link...

"I wouldn't say it's a last resort, but it's looking very attractive. If we don't make some serious decisions, we're going to lose our house," said Woodward, 38, who was laid off as a counselor for jail inmates.
"There are no jobs in Michigan. I just don't see how there's a future here in Michigan."

honestly, booner....did you read any part of that article besides the headline?

^
I did indeed.
So what's your point?
We don't have a cradle to grave socialist system yet in place for hard-working Americans so they go where the jobs are. You want to keep your house or pay cash for a new Hummer, go where the money is. Pretty easy to grasp, eh?

The latest from Iraq does seem to confirm at least one of those "myths" the usual blogs go on about:

Iraqis of all sectarian and ethnic groups believe that the U.S. military invasion is the primary root of the violent differences among them, and see the departure of "occupying forces" as the key to national reconciliation, according to focus groups conducted for the U.S. military last month.
...
Asked to describe "the current situation in Iraq to a foreign visitor," some groups focused on positive aspects of the recent security improvements. But "most would describe the negative elements of life in Iraq beginning with the 'U.S. occupation' in March 2003," the report says.
...
Few mentioned Saddam Hussein as a cause of their problems, which the report described as an important finding implying that "the current strife in Iraq seems to have totally eclipsed any agonies or grievances many Iraqis would have incurred from the past regime, which lasted for nearly four decades -- as opposed to the current conflict, which has lasted for five years."

All Iraqi Groups Blame U.S. Invasion for Discord, Study Shows

^
And Saddam was really an all right guy after all...

^ Unfortunately the avaerage Shiite, who initially welcomed the toppling of Saddam, would now say 'yes'. Or probably more accurately, he was a cnut but life under him was better than it is now. The Occupation has been totally mismanaged.

Originally Posted by sabang

^ Unfortunately the avaerage Shiite, who initially welcomed the toppling of Saddam, would now say 'yes'. Or probably more accurately, he was a cnut but life under him was better than it is now. The Occupation has been totally mismanaged.

More like it is an absolute disaster and only a Nimrod like Boom Mee who works for an oil company could possibly support the farce that is taking place over there.

Originally Posted by Tchiowa

Originally Posted by sabang

^ Unfortunately the avaerage Shiite, who initially welcomed the toppling of Saddam, would now say 'yes'. Or probably more accurately, he was a cnut but life under him was better than it is now. The Occupation has been totally mismanaged.

More like it is an absolute disaster and only a Nimrod like Boom Mee who works for an oil company could possibly support the farce that is taking place over there.

Spoken like a total clueless, appeasing, leftwing moonbat!

Progress In Iraq:







Power Line