President Bush has said last year's troop 'surge' in Iraq has opened the door to a major strategic victory. Mr Bush said Iraq had become a place where Arabs had joined Americans to drive Al-Qaeda out. He said it was there that the world was witnessing the first Arab uprising against Osama bin Laden.
Is the United States winning in Iraq?
Do you share the President's assessment that the surge "opened the door to a major victory?" Can what's going on in Iraq be described as an "Arab uprising against Osama bin Laden?" What is your definition of 'winning' the Iraq war?
No I do not agree that we are winning in Iraq; indeed, what does winning mean in this context? The president only believes what he wants and ignores everyone who takes an opposite view. Iraq is a country of entrenched groups fighting other groups, and like our "green zone," they are not safe to venture out of their own zone... is this anyway to live? Will our being there change this? I think not.
The US position in Iraq is disasterous! The Surge did certainly reduce violence in Bagadad, how could it not, with all the American soldiers and fire power we brought to bare on the city. But other factors like the Sunnis agreeing to "temporarily" side with the US to get paid and regroup, and Sadr's agreement to keep his army quite also played significant roles in reducing the violence. But not a whole lot else has really changed, though people's lives appear to be a little better. But neighborhoods are still divided, the Shite government provides little or no cooperation with the Sunni side. Corruption, unemployment lack of basic services make Iraq a failed state. Everything is just in a holding pattern until the US gets out. I guess you might say a low level civil war grinds on around the US occupation of Iraq. Never has such an insignificant country brought a super power to ruin, but that is what the Iraq war is achieving. It's incredible! There will never be "victory" in Iraq, we have destoryed that country and in the process caused death and destruction to our own country. We deserve everything that befalls us. An arrogrant, dumb administration supported by an arrogrant, stupid American population deserves the blame, disgrace, and disasters that have and will befall us. Only then will the American people finally figure out that the price to pay for being uninterested, stupid, arrogrant, greedy, etc. is very high and their children and grandchildren will pay the price many times over!
1. We are not at war in Iraq. We are occupying Iraq.
2. IF the invasion of Iraq had been such a good idea, why does America
suppose the rest of the world was too stupid to see the obvious
reasons? Bush speaks constantly of his wisdom and the success we've
achieved and yet no other nations are willing to step in to give us a
rest...? Isn't this damning evidence that Bush is unqualified to be a Leader
and/or a Statesman?
3. By what twisted logic is the guy that walks into a bar and starts
a gang fight among the patrons the guy most qualified to return the
place to peace? Republicans have done nothing but create
opportunities to sell and use weapons and yet they still are at the
head of the table in every discussion about how to bring peace.
4. What happens to Smith&Wesson's revenue stream if peace occurs? I
know everything I want to about Intel's cash flow, product line,
inventory and innovations coming in the next few months. As an
investor, how am I supposed time the move of my $ from rockets and
aircraft to small arms and munitions? Shouldn't I sell every time I
hear of negotiations taking a positive turn?
Nope, the debate should be whether we send Bush & Co. to The Hague as
a group, or charge some of them here for treason. The rest of the
world won't forget that the Most Powerful Nation in the World is
capable of RE-electing its own version or radical clerics and so have
stopped viewing us as the beacon on the hill. And so the American
Century comes to an end.
Amen Brother!
Cheney orchistrated a brilliant coupe and single handedly over through the constitution of the US. War crimes trials are the best means of seeking absolution and preventing future assults on our republic.
Scott
The only victory here is the amusement of the terrorists, as they watch the United States drop into a depression. There is more than one way to win a war, the Americans first discovered this during the revolutionary war. The English could not recognize the paradigm had changed, the new Americans were not playing by the rules, they were not lining up and waiting to be shot.
The tables have turned. The United States is lining up waiting to be shot, over and over and over again. The terrorists have changed the rules and we can not recognize the paradigm change. We have been engaged in an intentional war designed to bankrupt our country. it is working. In the meantime, we are destroying the world of those who will never and could never benefit from anyone's victory. I am sad for all of us.
No. There is more than one way to win a war. During the Revolutionary war the English learned this from the new Americans. The English did not recognize that the paradigm had changed; the Americans were not playing by the rules. They were not lining up on an orderly way waiting to be shot. Today the terrorists have changed the rules, and the Americans are lining up over and over and over. We have not recognized the paradigm has changed. The terrorists are winning. Capitalism is being defeated. America is falling rapidly into a DEPRESSION. I am sad for all of us.
The President's war on terror is akin to throwing stones at a beehive. When a religious group feels threatened they become militant. Always always. Today anti-Americanism is driving politics all over the world and feeding the rise in fundamentalist Islam. For all his trumpeting about the march of Democracy, what country would adopt the system of government that re-elected George W. Bush?
This isn't about winning or losing. We won the "war" in a couple of weeks. What we are doing now is trying to stabalize the country until the Iraqi's can take over. The surge helped to get rid of most of Al-Queda but hasn't done much to bring the two religious factions even close to a peaceful solution. If Iran, Syria and Al-Queda stayed out of Iraq and let them work their problems out on their own, we could bring our troops home tomorrow. Since that is not going to happen, we must stay.
Iraq has not brought America to her knees any more than Vietnam did. We have survived depressions and wars for decades and we will survive this. What we won't suvive is the hate driven division of America, which is a direct result of those who want to destroy our country from within. If the silent majority remains silent, they will succeed.
Very well said holly, what's up with these other "nuts" with their view of things. Far too many people are blinded by what seems to me to be some type of hatred for America. I don't understand it. It's a tough, cruel world out there and these America haters just don't seem to get it.
In war, there is no "winning", no "success". The President has the ability to declare peace, to stand down militarily, just as Muqtada al-Sadr did with his Mahdi Army. That would be "winning peace", and a "success".
no! what is "winning"? it's a disaster for the US, as our absurd president takes us over the edge. but, strange to say, some have done very well by this war.
The American media combine neglected to cover an event that took place in Maryland two weeks ago that proves that the war in Iraq has not, is not and will not be won. Browse Winter Soldier for unembedded, uncensored and uneditied narratives of the soldiers view of this insane exercise of arrogant power. Destination Perdition as we cruise to our end at the hands of weak and simple men on this post Y2K ship of fools...
One of Mr. Bushes criteria for a successful surge was progress in the political arena in Iraq. I have heard of none and I feel certain that Mr. Bush would call a press conference to herald any hint of political progress within Iraque. In light of your coverage of the Iraqui army handing over their weapons to the Maudi army it would seem that our country's efforts to train the Iraqui army has been a waste. Obviously, Iraquis as a people have the will to fight and fight hard. I am forced to conclude the people do not believe in the leadership.
I was very disappointed in the Public Television coverage on the six o'clock news of yesterday's events in Iraque. Hopefully, it will get more coverage on Friday with Shields and Brooks.
The definition of winning in Iraq can only be defined by the person(s) who began the war. And since, as stated above, the individual(s) did not have any appropriate reason to have so many people kill each other I fear the definition of winning will either forever be elusive or unacceptable to rational humans.
For Holly7 and Robert M... "hatered for America"???? PUULEEZE the fact that republicans like you can not fathom, is that it CAN be patriotic to love peace. War for profit (like Viet Nam Holly) is immoral!!! The Viet Cong didn't have the support of wealthy oil barons. They had the (at the time) gunshy Chinese who didn't want to go on record! The reason the Viet Nam "police action" stopped was public disgust with seeing our brave men brought home in body bags. And the subsequent political pressure to do the right thing. Why do you think Cheney and company have fought so hard to hide any media coverage of the flagged draped coffins coming home for the last five years.
No, this will not be easy to fix, by any canidate. But, I for one don't want to wait around for the next 4000 Americans to die and untold amounts of injured (and probably not cared for as well in the future), to give up so much while the Oil companies profits go unchecked... If you want to see what war with middle eastern tribes will get your country's economy ask the former Soviet Union who did the same for so long.
The US is losing the war in Iraq is because of Mr. Bush's policy to go in and lie to the American people and the congress. They should be focusing on Afghanistan not in Iraq also Mr. Bush promised to the American people that he will capture Osama Bin-Laden what happen their? I am sick and tired of the news media pushing that the surge is working but in reality we are basically occupying Iraq and waiting for Mr. Bush cronies to get out and put in a new administration which whoever gets in will have a very hard time to fix the damages that the Bush administration has done to Iraq.
03/19/2008 3:39:03 PM
