[POLL] Do you believe the U.S. can lose this war?

[BaliBabyDoc]

Just like in a card game, the coalition forces haven't played their Kings and Aces yet. We have the cards, but they have not been played.

Sure . . . but in typical American fashion . . . we ASSUME we know how to play the game. Saddam doesn't play fair . . . will we match his depravity? I hope not. I believe he knows it as well. We can never win a conflict where the object is carnage.

Saddam could have left Iraq with mad bank. He chose to stay b/c 1) he probably would have been nicked by the US at our earliest convenience and 2) he really thinks he can make warfare so costly that we will back down. Saddam is playing for a stalemate, while we are playing to win. Bush seems determined. I respect his determination . . . as long as it is measured against the greater good. We are invading Iraq on the premise of making the world safer for Iraqis and Americans. It's a hard sell for thousands of US troop casualties (maybe), thousands of Iraqi civilian casualties (likely), and hundreds of billions of US tax dollars/debt to be invested . . . if our only real return is claiming Saddam is gone.

What do you think North Korea would be like if they had oil?

 

[Yossarian]

Originally posted by: Tiles2Tech
Just like in a card game, the coalition forces haven't played their Kings and Aces yet. We have the cards, but they have not been played.

To what are you referring? Some secret weapon? A great strategy? I don't think we have either. The decision to send over another 100k troops is already an admission that the U.S. plan isn't working too well. The remainder of this war will be more of the same. A slow roll towards Baghdad while "death squads" plink away at the supply lines.

 

[Yossarian]

Originally posted by: BaliBabyDoc

Just like in a card game, the coalition forces haven't played their Kings and Aces yet. We have the cards, but they have not been played.

Sure . . . but in typical American fashion . . . we ASSUME we know how to play the game. Saddam doesn't play fair . . . will we match his depravity? I hope not. I believe he knows it as well. We can never win a conflict where the object is carnage.

If Russian troops had marched on Washington in the 80's I don't think the U.S. would have played fair. I believe the rules change when you can't pack up and leave when you decide you've had enough.

 

[RossGr]

I responded NO.

I do not doubt the milatary outcome, I am just not certian what it means to win or lose this war, It will be fully possible to win every military engagement and oust Sodamn Insane from power and still lose the war. If in winning the war we enflame the arab population so that the fraction that did not hate us to begin, does. What have we won? If we are not able to set up a stable replacement for Sodamn, what have we won? If the Turks and Kurds are not able to peacefully settle their differences agari have we won? We must keep in mind there is much more to this then simply kicking out Sodamn. I am not sure that I have confidence in the statesman ship of our political leaders. Can they complete this war in a manner which leaves the world a more peaceful and safer place? It is not clear to me.

 

[RossGr]

1. Act of God (I.E. British saved from the spanish by massive hurricane that blew all their ships away)

Not true, it seems that the Spanish Armada did NOT have a standard cannon bore, their logistics suxed, many ships did not have the correct sized shot for thier cannons and where essentially unarmed, it was not only the weather that defeated the Armada it was also poor logistics.

 

[PELarson]

Originally posted by: PipBoy
I believe it's possible, though unlikely, that if we attain so many casualties in a siege/clearing of Baghdad, that U.S. public opinion of the war would go downhill so much that the government would be forced to withdraw the troops.

Military side - NO, our military will achieve the objectives and remove the Ba' ath party from power.

Political side - We already lost the pre-war and are doing a good job of losing the war. President Bush should have had his father make a broadcast apology to the Iraqi people for not supporting them 12 years ago.

 

[Nitemare]

So in other words a quarter of the population is stupid?

 

[AvesPKS]

Originally posted by: Nitemare
So in other words a quarter of the population is stupid?

Or hindsight is 20/20...could mean either one.

 

[sandorski]

Originally posted by: Nitemare
So in other words a quarter of the population is stupid?

The war is still going on, despite it "ending" some months ago.