IX_Equilibrium
01-16-2006, 02:46 PM
That is Bush's pipe dream, but I don't know if it can happen. (By the way, I am a republican who doesn't like Bush. McCain is about 80,000 times more qualified).
Bush's decision to invade Iraq and take Saddam out of power has been a debacle.
The administration did well with Afghanistan. The Afghans wanted to get the Taliban out of power and to take back their own country with the help of the US and allies, and they did. They did as much fierce fighting as the allied forces. They appreciated our efforts. They wanted to be free and take back their own country with military help.
Iraq is a different story. The Bush administration were certainly hasty and haphazard in the planning to take Saddam out of power, with faulty at best WMD intelligence as their justification. Rumsfeld, a true snake in the grass, lowballed the cost and number of troops that it would take to get Iraq free from under the oppresion of the Ba'ath party, and ignored anyone's dissagreement about a realistic number of troops or time committed.
The Bush administration took Saddam out, without any planning or exit strategy for the aftermath. They obviously did not do their homework about how the Iraqi people felt about a US presence in their country. They didn't do their homework as to what the political landscape would be after the Ba'ath party was taken out of power.
Over 2 years and 2200 US soldiers dead, and the situation is more unstable than before! Anybody who says that the war on terror in Iraq is not a major blunder needs to watch the news. Every week, soldiers and Iraqi civilians are dying. After 2 years, the Iraqis (along with the allied forces) have failed to compile a force that is effective enough to fight the insurgents independently. The people of Iraq don't have the same will and determination as The Afghans did to take their country back. But George Bush is determined to make the people of Iraq take a way of life and a form of government that they don't want. Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity will have you believe that the Iraqis are so willing to embrace the American military and love what they are doing for them. Both of those extreme conservatives need to go to Fallujah and Ramadi and see that some Iraqi citizens themselves are the ones shooting and trying to kill allied forces.
Sure, you have the election turnout and it looked promising, like Iraqis were finally starting to take an interest in helping temselves. Well, Sunni and Shi'as both and accusing each other of scandal escalating to violence has diluted that good notion.
I don't think the Iraqis are capable of a democracy, especially without allied help that they don't want anyway. Hence, the failure.
Oh one more thing: Our men and women in uniform deserve better leadership than what the Bush administration has given them. But, good ol' Georgie has the support of millions of conservatives who back him no matter what. They back him just because he is a Republican. They wouldn't care if he would tap dance on Pat Tillman's grave. They would find some way to justfy W's actions no matter what, like a bunch of sheep.
Bush's decision to invade Iraq and take Saddam out of power has been a debacle.
The administration did well with Afghanistan. The Afghans wanted to get the Taliban out of power and to take back their own country with the help of the US and allies, and they did. They did as much fierce fighting as the allied forces. They appreciated our efforts. They wanted to be free and take back their own country with military help.
Iraq is a different story. The Bush administration were certainly hasty and haphazard in the planning to take Saddam out of power, with faulty at best WMD intelligence as their justification. Rumsfeld, a true snake in the grass, lowballed the cost and number of troops that it would take to get Iraq free from under the oppresion of the Ba'ath party, and ignored anyone's dissagreement about a realistic number of troops or time committed.
The Bush administration took Saddam out, without any planning or exit strategy for the aftermath. They obviously did not do their homework about how the Iraqi people felt about a US presence in their country. They didn't do their homework as to what the political landscape would be after the Ba'ath party was taken out of power.
Over 2 years and 2200 US soldiers dead, and the situation is more unstable than before! Anybody who says that the war on terror in Iraq is not a major blunder needs to watch the news. Every week, soldiers and Iraqi civilians are dying. After 2 years, the Iraqis (along with the allied forces) have failed to compile a force that is effective enough to fight the insurgents independently. The people of Iraq don't have the same will and determination as The Afghans did to take their country back. But George Bush is determined to make the people of Iraq take a way of life and a form of government that they don't want. Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity will have you believe that the Iraqis are so willing to embrace the American military and love what they are doing for them. Both of those extreme conservatives need to go to Fallujah and Ramadi and see that some Iraqi citizens themselves are the ones shooting and trying to kill allied forces.
Sure, you have the election turnout and it looked promising, like Iraqis were finally starting to take an interest in helping temselves. Well, Sunni and Shi'as both and accusing each other of scandal escalating to violence has diluted that good notion.
I don't think the Iraqis are capable of a democracy, especially without allied help that they don't want anyway. Hence, the failure.
Oh one more thing: Our men and women in uniform deserve better leadership than what the Bush administration has given them. But, good ol' Georgie has the support of millions of conservatives who back him no matter what. They back him just because he is a Republican. They wouldn't care if he would tap dance on Pat Tillman's grave. They would find some way to justfy W's actions no matter what, like a bunch of sheep.