Iraq

It actually isn't my opinion. I say we should stay in Iraq. It's just almost everyone I know thinks otherwise.

 

Sanchez: Iraq war 'a nightmare with no end in sight' - CNN.com

 

Then Joe, I sure wished that you had said so-because when not saying so, it's very easy to come to that conclusion; by your choice of words.

 

More crap from the Clinton News Network, seems they have the same story fabrication and spin issues as the New York Times, as well as fired staff.

Good friends with Joe Klein and Rosie O'Donnell I see, Aromas of Exxley

 

Yes there have been numerous questions about why said what he said and when he said it.

The conclussion ( if im not mistaken ) was that he did so after his military career was over due to his silence in the past. I agree, not very honorable.

But I dont think that CNN is to blame for this as all they did was report on it, just as Fox has.

 

Overall, TV information is crap. 24/7 Information TV networks are the worse.
All networks (at least Fox is always a good laugh) - all countries.

Too fast, very poor quantity of information, almost no analysis, and oversimplified speech, because half your mind concentrates on images.

Perfect to breed ignorant-short-attention-span beefs.

You learn more about your surrounding world watching commercials with a distant and critic look, than watching this canned crap 24/7 TV news LOL !

But I wonder what CNN was saying, back in early 2003, about Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction.

@ Herr Obese
Now it's called freedom fries.
Because you can joke or mess with many things, but not when it comes to such holy things as the fries

 

I notice that more and more people are starting to compare the situation in Iraq with Vietnam. There are things which are alike that is true, I hope this war will war a different end, even though I am not too optimistic about an ideal political issue.

 

yes according to your first sentance Skipper. we got hammered because above the gneral staff politicians made the final decisions for us........where we could go, what operations we could fulfill. we knew where the enemy were hidden and it was multi faceted like it is now, we know where Al Queida is and where Bin Ladins staff is, but again we are held down by the rotten upper crust

 

Interesting analysis Erich. It is frustrating to have him so close and yet not get him. However I believe his hiding place must be effecient because for a high reward some would sell their mother and yet he is still among the mountain tribes and probably hiding in one of those cave bunkers in Afghanistan. But do you really think the coalition could get him dead or alive if there was more nerve put into the project?

 

I have been wondering something for some time now. If the US is keen on capturing Bin Laden in this war on terror, then why was the only unit which was specifically set up for this particular task disbanded by the current administration?

 

{{{Answer to this question is YES-and we could have bagged the bearded one long ago, had the fragging politicians kept their noses out of the military's business.}}}}

 

{{{Im NOT optimistic at all, about a political solution to this situation. They NEED to let the military go do it's job without interfearance from dorks like: billery clinton, john murtha, john "the Silver-Star Hero" kerry and teddybear "I killed Mary Jo Capechnie (SP?) at Chappaquiddick and got away with it" kennedy.}}}}

 

it's called drones, and the size is ........... ? let's just say real small. and the question beckons if bin Laden is still on earth alive

 

Carl, I'll try to answer your question : some of the aspects that makes me think of similarities with Vietnam are:
-an enemy that seems to disappear one day and who emerges again the next one
-military superiority but important problems with guerilla warfare
-A campaign that was intended to be short that will now last for years.
-Growing opposition among the U.S. population
-political parties which oppose each other instead of cooperating
- occasionnal colateral dammages among the Iraqi civilian population
-missunderstood veterans who do not get full support, from many U.S. civilians and from the army when they get home.
-misunderstandings between the boys and the Iraqi civilians
-soldiers who are getting depressed while and after they are in Iraq.
- a presidential campaign refering essentially on the war.
I'm sure many other similarities could be added. As Erich said, politicians are now interfering with military matters.

 

This for sure makes for many similarities, good point Skip.

Many differences also. In Iraq there's a way more widespread terrorism against civilians than back in Vietnam.

Also, in Vietnam, there were more guerilla territory contests than in Iraq. You can't imagine a siege of the lenght an intensity of Khe Sahn in Iraq for example.

And Vietnam was backed by adverse superpower(s) which is not the case of Iraq.

Most of all US soldiers don't get killed in Iraq at the rate they got killed in Vietnam (in absolute numbers) which is important from a political point of view and counterbalances the rather "misty" justifications for the invasion of Iraq.

 

I think the unexpected duration Skip was referring to was not Iraq being an healthy and friendly democracy, allowing USA to leave a minimal peace-keeping military presence there.

It's just that the restoration of peace and order after S. Hussein's demise, was IMHO expected to be faster and not turn into what looks more and more like a 4 years old civil war in Iraq, with the US army in-between.

I don't know what a leftist think over this subject, my personal opinion is that an US withdrawal now, would do more harm than good to Iraq and global security.

About media and popular support, maybe Bush would have had better support now if Iraq had bombed Pearl Harbor, than Roosevelt would have had if he'd bullshitted the opinion about Hiro-Hito's weapons of mass destruction.

 

Yes, maybe I didn't explain correctly. When I meant short , I wa stalking about the milItary aspect , not the reconstruction etc... The campaign was meantt to be a Blitzkrieg , even if longer alternatives must have been taken into account. The world has been surprised by the short delay between the beginning of the offensive and the fall of the famous Saddam statue at Bagdad.