BaliBabyDoc
Lifer
- Jan 20, 2001
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Originally posted by: JEDIYoda
Originally posted by: DealMonkey
Originally posted by: BaliBabyDoc
Originally posted by: ProfJohn
I see your point Todd, but since almost every Iraq thread evolves into a blame Bush thread I thought this was an interesting and relevant op-ed.Originally posted by: Todd33
We typically don't post op-eds here, there are 3+ daily so why bother, they are just opinions. Are you going to post the other 20 that were critical to Bush this week alone?
Uh, didn't Bush invade Iraq? Isn't the war plan(s) a product of the Bush administration? Isn't the peace plan(s) a product of the Bush administration?
Who should be responsible aside from the 'decider'?
I also blame "righties" like ProfJohn here for supporting the idiocy of invading Iraq to begin with and supporting the notion that "staying the course" is somehow a "solution." It's not. If your pants were engulfed in flames, would you suggest "continue wearing them" as a valid solution to the problem? Of course not!
So what is your solution to this mess again?
oh...right....pull out immediately leaving the Iraqi people to frnd for themselves...lol
For the moment let's strain credulity and admit that Iraq is nothing like Kosovo, Korea, or Germany. That's sarcasm . . . people!
US forces are in a mess created by George W. Bush. Steps to extricating yourself from a mess:
1) Acknowledge that it is a mess . . . *crickets*.
2) Acknowledge who made the mess . . . *crickets*.
3) Acknowledge that past (and current) policies haven't 'fixed' the mess . . . *crickets*.
4) BEG, borrow, and if necessary . . . steal . . . help from anybody and everybody with the 'potential' to be helpful. Even if that assistance comes with strings that would normally be deal breakers. For instance, Iran and Syria agree to seal the border. Iran demands the US set a definitive time table for withdrawing ALL US forces. Syria wants Iraqi pipeplines reopened (and favorable transport rates) for Iraqi crude.
Eventually, Iraqis will have to fend for themselves. But the notion that Bush's excellent adventure is setting the stage for success is foolish at best . . . and downright dangerous in application. Iraq is in a REALLY tough neighborhood. Ultimately, success in Iraq is FAR more dependent on the behavior of its neighbors than anything the US could (or would) do.
In sum, a US 're-deployment' in the context of a REGIONAL plan for security in Iraq is indeed a potential solution to the long-term stability of Iraq. But that cannot happen until US leadership realizes that it holds little real power in the region. Accordingly, the real powerbrokers must be eliminated, appeased, or otherwise co-opted.