Iraq and Civil War

Done, on both counts.

And Fen, the national lottery was just an idea. The point is, there has to be a way to make the government a bit more self-sufficient, like the postal service.

 

Yes, this is a legit area concern, and there's a simple answer.

When most politicians have talked about getting our troops out of Iraq they are referring specifically to combat forces who are mired in the middle of this sectarian conflict. Most everyone will agree that some force level will be needed to neutralize al queda, preserve Iraq's borders and support forces for these missions.

Where we are really getting killed (literally unfortunately) is by trying to police the civil war in Bagdhad and by being drawn into the middle of shia vs. sunni battles elsewhere. And Bush's plan is to pour MORE troops into Baghdad, but not enough to stop the violence. This is what was once called "Clear, hold and build" by Condi Rice. Problem is, you'd need about 350,000-500,000 troops (as Gen. Shinseki originally told them before the war began, but got fired for saying it) to be able to do that.

So, when we're talking about getting out of Iraq, we're talking about taking out combat forces and forgetting this notion of clear, hold and build.

 

Oh! Right! Thanks for clearing that up for me FH. I forgot where this was America.

 

Hear! Hear! PoO.

 

So by your definition, cops and criminals also equals civil war. But only if you really, really want to call it civil war to make an administration look bad.

 

How would police and criminals fit that definition, off_tone?

 

This is my response after reading old_tony's post...

 

Yes, Tony, because police in America routinely pull suspected car bombers out of their homes and execute them on the street.

So yes, you're right. It's not a civil war. It's simply the Iraqi cops trying to fight crime. Yes. That's it.

 

I'm sure the Iraq Study Group, which, you know, STUDIED the situation for months, thought that through and STILL decided we needed to get out.

So can anyone give me a good reason why their opinion was summarily ignored?

 

Jesus, what a dunce.