Do you think U.S. troops will be out of Iraq within the next year?
35 Comments
es said:
NO
Astra said:
I would like to have the troops home today. I don't feel that there is any reason for them to remain in Iraq or Afghanistan. Our continued military presence is only helping the terrorist organizations who are accusing the United States of empire building.
I really don't think we will be able to bring our troops home until we have a new president. Preferably Democratic. Maybe then we will leave a little less debt for our great-great-great grandchildren to pay off. As it stands now, the national debt is so high, I'm not sure if this country will ever be able to pay it off. A debt almost entirely due to this insane war.
zack said:
I feel that are troops should have been home along time ago. As long as the decision maker is in office ignoring the American people they will not come home. We are over there conveying our future and making plenty more anti American friends. I just cannot believe this administration they have done nothing for this country except put it in the biggest Black hole of which we will most likely never get out. I know that my family USED to vote nothing but republican but this administration has made me change my whole perspective on that. We do not need another republican to lead this country for a long long time.
duke said:
Unfortunately no.
However wouldn't it be ironic if we sent GWB their to run the country;-[
Forget the image of America and whats at stake, pull'em out and declare these bastards as cockroaches.
duke said:
Unfortunately no.
That would take planning and thats something we can't do...
;= we can debate the hell out of it, and once it becomes recess, it's the other guys problem.
I believe the congress men and ladies don't have the kuhonies to stand up to the president.
Forget the image of America and whats at stake, pull'em out and declare these bastards terrorist as cockroaches.
'after his term is up, we should punish him to serve as IRAQ'S new leader. '
Marlene Schaffer said:
It would seem that the voice of America's people is finally being heard. Whether or not the president agrees to bring our troops home, members of the House and Senate--both Democrats and Republicans--seem to sense and, in truth, cannot help but realize this president has set America on a course that is clearly not in the best interest of our nation. We cannot afford to be an aggressor--which is exactly what the United States has become. The president appears to have masked a personal agenda in claiming Iraq's possession of weapons of mass destruction--which amounted to nil. By toppling and supporting the execution of a dictator who, by admission of many Iraqis, maintained stability via a political structure that afforded medical care, jobs, and an educational system by means of power not foreign in that part of the world, this president has brought about the deaths of more than 3,900 American troops, the maiming and disability of more than 25,000 American troops, and has deprived hundreds of thousands of military families of any semblance of normal lives. In addition, he has placed America in excessively great debt from which the next two generations will not recover and fostered contempt for our nation throughout the world. What a pity; what a disgrace--and what a tragedy that our newly elected Congress and House failed to rein in the out-of-control maverick; and shame on those of us who failed to speak out against the folly and corruption of this administration.
There are three key points to ponder in reflecting on the war in Iraq: by failing to relieve the current commander in chief of his delusional effort, 1. Will America take care of its military families; 2. Will this administration ever admit the true cost of its war; and 3. Will it meet the responsibility truly care for and mend American Troops once they return? To all three questions, the answer is quite likely "no"--what a pity...
Hitler had a vision...and desire to rule the world, perhaps similarities can be drawn between the motives and method of that misguided soul and America's current leader. With four million Iraqi refuges currently seeking sanctuary--the greatest number of refugees in the middle east since post WWII--let's pray that world will not permit history to repeat itself further.
Marlene Schaffer
Former Republican and Wife and Mother of Soldiers serving in Iraq
Quinn said:
Unfortunately no.
I just got back from Europe for business and, WOW! People are PISSED at us!! So, we should probably take a step back and look at what we've done, realize WHAT WE STAND FOR (some of the anti-American sentiment made me feel bad), not what Bush wants, and we need to get our troops out, NOW!!!
Relevant said:
I would have to agree with many here that the answer is UNFORTUNATELY NO.
My only hope for a silver lining to this whole mess is that maybe, just maybe people will vote for the best person in the next election and not vote for the person representing the "party" of their choice. Thankfully, many Republicans are beginning to pull their support of "W" and this will hopefully open the eyes of some who blindly vote for one party and blindly oppose another.
For Quinn - people in Europe are not PISSED at us because we are at war. They are pissed because we allow our elected officials to act in an unethical matter. I just wanted to clarify that for those who base their knowledge simply on the local news. People are upset about the fact that we are not up in arms about the way our administration is acting. In most Democratic societies, when the elected officials act like our White House staff is acting, the people put a stop to it. Power to the People. Now we have to use it.
Quinn said:
Thats exactly what I meant. I was asked in a pub by a man... "How can you let ONE MAN ruin something so great?". Just thought I would clarify.
Linda said:
I would love to see our troops come home now. This isn't a war that we will win. It is another Bush trying to finish what his father couldn't do. And I doubt that he will finish either. Let's cut our losses and get out now.
erin said:
no i dont see our troops out of iraq till sometime after the next presidentual election or even doing it till election time to boost votes for the republican party.
Kate said:
I hope that we are NOT!
I am the mother of 2 Soldiers who have spent over a year in Iraq and may go back. Both are medics & have made a difference in the lives of the people & children of that country. We sit at our dinner tables & see the trajic news of deaths of brave soldiers & bombing of civilians without seeing the accomplishments of our military. We seem to forget the last time Congress ran a war (Vietnam). The pictures of people hanging on to our helicopters as they left that country, desperate to leave. We forget the mass slaughter of people, as the country was overtaken. We need to support our President (whether we like the man or not)and support him in listening to his commanders on the ground.
valerie said:
I hope that america wakes the heck up. Do we want to bring our guys and girls home, just to have to send them back in another 10yrs. I DONT! I dont care who is in office. The minute we set a day that we will leave, the very next day we will be watching the news as thousands are killed. Learn from the past, stop repeating those mistakes and for the love of all you hold holy, please remember that our men and women there are doing something that they were NOT forced to do, but they do NEED us to be there for them when they return. They are not getting many of the care that they need. Neither physcially or mentally and listening to you all scream bring them home just make s them feel like you hate them. These men and women have been willing to put their lives on the line to support the very base's of our nation. Support them in return.
I agree with the other lady, too many times you are only being shown the negs on the news, how about how much change we have brought with our medical assistance. With our willingness to help another. Do I like how this world currently is, heck no, but I will support my husband and all those that serve with him and if you dont like it, well I hear that you have the right to leave too.
Anita said:
I believe if we leave before we finish the job(Iraqi Govt. able to help their citizens with good security control over terriosm) that this will just embolden Al Quaida and the likes to continue to spread their tyranny and fear. The Iraqi people deserve the chance to be happy and make a decent living for their families. After all that is what we in the USA claim as our rights. I do not like seeing our troops killed and maimed, and it is personal, as we have good friends with family members over there. But we in the USA need to remember FREEDOM IS PRECIOUS, BUT IT IS NOT FREE(just read our own history and the fight England went through to keep their freedom from Hitler.)Just think, if our citizenzs had not stepped up to the plate in WWII, those of us in the Western part of nation would be bowing to a Japenese empreror, and the East coast would be goose stepping to the Nazis.
Dan said:
We have a President that is carrying out
his own agenda. Most of what he is doing
does not conform to the will of the
American people. He will stay on his
course until his term of office has
expired. Doing anything else would
make him look like a failure.
I doubt very much if our troops will
come home next year.
The mideast clans have been fighting
each other for thousands of years.
Our presence there will not change
that fact. There is nothing to win
there and no way to win it.
A NORMAL PERSON WITH MORALS said:
To preface my comment, I am related by blood to a signer of the Declaration of Independence, so, I STRONGLY believe in America's principles and morals (The secular ones at least...).
It is the supporters of Bush that will continue to ruin our reputation with the rest of the world. People whom which promote HATRED and VIOLENCE like Anita, Valerie, and Kate for example, only hinder the goal of the American people. The goal of Americans is to have a voice, an opinion, and express it freely. To live free and to matter, to speak our mind to mold our country how we feel is correct, not live in a Police state. Not to be ruled with angst, nor to feel punished by our "government". Nothing we say or do can change the mind of George Bush. Face it people... WE LIVE IN A FASCIST DICTATORSHIP RULED BY SOMEONE WHO CANNOT READ. He is not my president and I'm sick of hearing about high school buddies of mine being killed for his greed.
Anonymous said:
How quickly we forget what they have done to us 911? We can not leave until we have solved this problem. The negativity is like feeding the terrorist steak and lobster on a Dailey basis.
They can read and I'm sure they feel the more harm they do to our heroes who risk their lives every day in that war torn country is going to cause a lose of our citizens backbone as it has
the news media (NY times for example )may have been responsible to more lose of life than the actual killers in those god forsaken hill holes!
JUST THINKING said:
Wouldn't it be nice to leave there today? Unfortunately we can't Bush has made such a mess of it all it will be years before we leave. I do agree that after his term he should relocate there.
Relevant said:
Kate, Valerie & Anita:
If we really need to be in Iraq to help the citizens fights terrorism, get medical attention, and prevent us from going back again, then when do we go to the other parts of the world and help them? When do we go to the parts of Africa where hundreds of children die each day because they lack the medical attention to fight of maleria? When do we go to Venezuela and North Korea to put a stop to the vicious dictators who currently run those countries? When do we go to Saudi Arabia, the place where the 9/11 bombers were from?
The United States IS NOT the world's police force. We have no business being in the middle of a civil uprising that has been going on for years. More people are dying in Iraq on a daily basis today than before we marched in there looking for WMDs. It could and has been argued that Iraq is in worse shape socially and economically than before we went in. I fully support the brave men and women of the United States Armed Forces and do nothing but pray for their safety. But that does not change the FACT that they are being killed for no reason other than George Bush's personal adgendas.
There are more people IN the United States who are going hungry and who are without the means of medical assistance than there are in Iraq. The gap between the "have's" and the "have not's" here in the USA is growing beyond belief. WHEN do we stop playing police to the world and start paying attention to our own citizens? Taxpayers are spending BILLIONS to fund the war machine. Don't you realize that for less than 10% of what we spend on the war budget, we could significantly improve the healthcare system in the US AND provide food to the hungry?
Here's a stat for you: One year's military budget in the US is equal to more than $20,000.00 per hour for every hour since Jesus Christ was born!!!!!!!!!!! Let that soak in for a minute and tell me we are not wasting valuable time, money and more importantly LIVES to push the adgenda of someone who's goals are not in line with the citizens of the United States.
DJ said:
The only reason this is a war than "cannot be won" is that there are so many liberals that would rather lose the war because if we won then it would somehow be perceived as a loss for them and a win for Bush. They have done and will continue to do anything to keep the hands of the president and the troops tied at all cost. Even if they disagreed with the decision to go to war, we could have gone in and did what needed to be done and been home a long time ago if they just would have kept their mouths shut. We didn't need their help or even an outward appearance of support...we just needed their SILENCE so that we only had ONE war to fight - the one in Iraq. No...Instead they attacked the president at every turn, riled up the American citizens whenever possible and spoon fed the enemy strength and resolve with their pathetic whining and hand wringing.
If there is blood on anyone's hands it is the Bush haters that wouldn't allow him to do his job right from the beginning. They are the first to point out the daily, monthly, yearly (even hourly) death tole, but the truth is that the war would be old news and the ink already dry in the history books if they just would have stepped out of the way.
No matter where this has all gotten us as a nation it is still NOT too late! Leaving Iraq now is just not an option...why on earth would we allow all of those fine men and women of our Armed Forces die in vain? What do you say let's finish the damn job and THEN bring them home, with a ready word of praise and thanks on our lips for their heroic service and a job well done.
God bless America.
To Relevant - the cost of war is only as high as it is because of the treasonous, hate-filled liberals that won't be happy until the day they can say "I told you so!" I can't help but imagine how wonderful life would be if just half of them actually left after they threatened to move to another country if Bush were re-elected. The thought of John Kerry navigating us through the last few years is both laughable and terrifying at the same time.
es said:
bush only listend to what he wanted to hear and look where it got us. remember when they got saddam? one of his spokesman said something like now they work thing out with all these groups but it backfired and that is when it really took a turn for the worse. how bout bush saying" bring it on!" how many died over that statement? how bout him landing on that carrier with that huge banner "mission accomplished" what he accomplished was to get us mired down in another viet nam. sooner or later we will have to leave then im sure it will turn into a blood bath. so the question is how much time money and lives are we willing to sacrifice?
you cant blame the liberals as they are not the ones who refused to listen in the first place and they were not the ones who decided to go ahead and they are not the ones who still wont listen and pack up and go home.
Kate said:
Isn't it strange how those so loud & vicious lack the intestinal fortitude to sign their names? Just because you are more obnoxious then the rest of us does not make you right. Talk about hatred!
Europe, at least, would be a bunch of blond-haired, blue eyed, goose stepping robots if not for the war mongering FDR. We cannot & should not police the world, but should help where we can.
WE cannot change the Middle East, that is up to its young people, the boy recruited to kill Americans but won't because an American gave him his first vaccine, or school books or crayons. The girl who thinks she can make a difference, because an American Soldier, female, ran the clinic, drove a truck or operated the communications.
We can "talk" on this blog because some "war-monger" thought that Feedom was important!
"If you can read, thank a teacher. If you are reading in English, Thank A Vet!!"
Paul Short said:
No they will not be out next year or next decade. The mess that this administration has created for some selfish purpose (oil companies, I presume) will be left for generations ofAmericans and Iraquis to die for. We can drawdown however and try to keep the civil war from becoming a pure bloodbath. Dictators who create these messes are usually eventually tried for war crimes. Why not Bush, Cheney and the rest of the neocons?
Paul Short said:
No they will not be out next year or next decade. The mess that this administration has created for some selfish purpose (oil companies, I presume) will be left for generations ofAmericans and Iraquis to die for. We can drawdown however and try to keep the civil war from becoming a pure bloodbath. Dictators who create these messes are usually eventually tried for war crimes. Why not Bush, Cheney and the rest of the neocons?
Bob Musil said:
I feel the US only addressing half of the issue in the Middle East. We should be taking them on idealogically and militarily. These people are mired down in a low sence of self issue and their culture will not allow them to grow out of the constant murder of their neighbors as a solution to their problems. This is not 1935 where thinking that what goes on half way around the world has no bearing on ourselves. We found out that staying neutral allowed a horrible mess that became world war II and cost this Earth 55 million lives was too high a price to pay.
We need to embrace these people and help them become whole and develope a sence of self that allows them to accept the rest of the world and their neighbors. We can give them the tools to help themselves, we can not do it for them. The endless suicide bombing is a sympton of desperation. We went through this with Japan in WWII with their Kamakazi planes against our fleet.
The main problem with this region is that their cultures only allow the masculine part of themselves to prevail in their behavior. The feminine part of them is not allowed to be a part of the culture. The feminine, creative, intuative part of them is not allowed in the Middle East and parts of Africa. This is obvious in the way they treat women and make them cover themselves in the Burka. What is left is only the male part of their character.
The basic makeup of our sence of self is based on manifesting ourselves or our core energy through thinking, acting, feeling and sensing. The first 2 are more the masculine part or ourselves and the later 2 are the feminine part of us. The world around us is interpreted through these four avenues. If one or more are not allowed to function, then the others become more accentuated and out proportion. In the case of the Middle East and I must say the rest of the world to a quite lesser extent, we must include ourselves, this is what is really happening. Religions are interpreted through this filter and our sense of self is based on these factors. Bernard Lewis does a great job in his book about the Middle East called "What Went Wrong" in explaining this. Also Dr. Harville Hendrix in his book "Keeping The Love You Find" explains this quite well.
A multi billion dollar campaign to help these people through something very difficult and provide them with a deep sense of self would be very rewarding to ourselves and to all of humanity. These four factors are a great common denominator for all of humanity and include everyone, not viewing ourselves in an exclusive way but an inclusive way.
Lets give the helplessly desperate people over there hope.
es said:
well bob that was quite an observation but on the other hand bush is an idiot and we are stuck with his mess.
Quinn said:
I just wanted to point out that there are a lot more people coming on these blogs expressing good, viable solutions to ending the war than the last time this topic was up here... Last time everyone was just arguing and calling each other names; there were also a lot of Bush supporters who didn't listen to reason.
Good job! Let's get on the phone with our Congresspeople and senators to get this fixed!
es said:
I just wanted to point out that there are a lot more people coming on these blogs expressing good, viable solutions to ending the war than the last time this topic was up here... Last time everyone was just arguing and calling each other names; there were also a lot of Bush supporters who didn't listen to reason.
Good job! Let's get on the phone with our Congresspeople and senators to get this fixed!
Posted by: Quinn at July 20, 2007 07:11 AM
so far there are nearly twice as many posts about the xmas decorations at the airport than this or scooter libby.
Anonymous said:
A US Marine was tried and convicted for murdering and torturing helpless Iraqi civilians, then lied about it. He received the same sentence as that of someone who just failed a drug test... NOTHING. The kid was kicked out of the Marines with an "Other than Honorable" discharge, and gets to keep his GI bill. You don't even get to keep that if you're gay and kicked out...
Sick. Sick. Sick.
Our government is literally communicating to us that it is better to KILL SOMEONE and lie about it than to be gay.
Dan said:
*This is a reply to his post*
*****Posted by: A NORMAL PERSON WITH MORALS at July 18, 2007 01:09 PM*******
How quickly we forget what they have done to us 911? We can not leave until we have solved this problem. The negativity is like feeding the terrorist steak and lobster on a Dailey basis.
They can read and I'm sure they feel the more harm they do to our heroes who risk their lives every day in that war torn country is going to cause a lose of our citizens backbone as it has
the news media (NY times for example )may have been responsible to more lose of life than the actual killers in those god forsaken hill holes!
*********************************
so let me get this straight? Iraq is responsible for 911? Al qaeda was not in iraq when we invaded. They only went there after George Bush and his cronies made it an unstable country.
learn your facts buddy, don't just recite republican talking points (that's not fair, TRUE republicans and TRUE conservatives aren't crazy). Maybe i should say stop following this Fascist Right Wing Nut Job.
But again... Iraq had nothing to do with 911. This war should have been focused on Afganistan and only Afganistan. Bin Laden probably would have been found if we had the 150 thousand troops there instead of the only 10 thousand troops we have hunting for the REAL mastermind of 911.
If you truely support our troops or want to win the war on terror, then get the troops out of iraq and either in to afganistan or home. It's that simple.
Iraq is just a big distraction so bush can have a legacy. Unfortunatly for him... history will not be kind to him.
Quinn said:
Dan, the name of the poster goes at the bottom of the post... "Normal Person with morals" did not write that...
Anonymous did...
"Posted by: Anonymous at July 18, 2007 01:22 PM"
Dan said:
Thank you Quinn, I apologize to "normal person with Morals"...my mistake.
es said:
it still just amazes me that the christmas decorations at the airport has drawn far more comments than our troop withdrawl. when that bus driver got fired for giving bush the finger she got something like 150 during the first week. makes me wonder if this is why bush gets away with what he does.
Relevant said:
What amazes me ES, is that I get the impression from those who seem OK with us being in Iraq that they would not mind the US being a dictatorship as long as each citizen still had their personal freedom.
I always thought that the Bill of Rights stated that this is a government of the people, by the people and for the people. When over 75% of the population is for us NOT being involved in a civil war in Iraq, then why are we there? Are we fighting for the Iraqi people? Are we fighting against terrorists and Iraq just happens to be where US Intelligence says we should be fighting? It is confusing to me because when we began this war, we were trying to stop the Iraqi government from using WMDs. Once we found out that there were none, what are we fighting for now? I beleive that news came out at the end of last week that the Iraqi Parliment was preparing to issue a vote of "No Confidence" for those currently in power. Those who WE put into power. It sounds to me like we are fighting for something that the Iraqi people do not want. Remember, the Iraqi Parliment was put into place by a vote. So if the Iraqis voted for these people(like the Americans did for the Senate)and the Parliment does not agree with direction that Iraq is headed, then we should not be fighting against the wishes of a democratic state.
Wow, sounds like politics in Iraq is more like America after all. George, you were right: Mission Accomplished!!!
Dennis said:
To answer the original question(which seemed to me to be only a yes or no question.) No.
How about this for a solution? Remove ALL politicians from power and elect from scratch.(vote for me, I'll spend your money...wisely)
We all better figure this out together, because as divided as the U.S.A is getting, civil war is only a few steps away. And that would be no fun. I guess there will always be fanatics on both sides
NO
I would like to have the troops home today. I don't feel that there is any reason for them to remain in Iraq or Afghanistan. Our continued military presence is only helping the terrorist organizations who are accusing the United States of empire building.
I really don't think we will be able to bring our troops home until we have a new president. Preferably Democratic. Maybe then we will leave a little less debt for our great-great-great grandchildren to pay off. As it stands now, the national debt is so high, I'm not sure if this country will ever be able to pay it off. A debt almost entirely due to this insane war.
I feel that are troops should have been home along time ago. As long as the decision maker is in office ignoring the American people they will not come home. We are over there conveying our future and making plenty more anti American friends. I just cannot believe this administration they have done nothing for this country except put it in the biggest Black hole of which we will most likely never get out. I know that my family USED to vote nothing but republican but this administration has made me change my whole perspective on that. We do not need another republican to lead this country for a long long time.
Unfortunately no.
However wouldn't it be ironic if we sent GWB their to run the country;-[
Forget the image of America and whats at stake, pull'em out and declare these bastards as cockroaches.
Unfortunately no.
That would take planning and thats something we can't do...
;= we can debate the hell out of it, and once it becomes recess, it's the other guys problem.
I believe the congress men and ladies don't have the kuhonies to stand up to the president.
Forget the image of America and whats at stake, pull'em out and declare these bastards terrorist as cockroaches.
'after his term is up, we should punish him to serve as IRAQ'S new leader. '
It would seem that the voice of America's people is finally being heard. Whether or not the president agrees to bring our troops home, members of the House and Senate--both Democrats and Republicans--seem to sense and, in truth, cannot help but realize this president has set America on a course that is clearly not in the best interest of our nation. We cannot afford to be an aggressor--which is exactly what the United States has become. The president appears to have masked a personal agenda in claiming Iraq's possession of weapons of mass destruction--which amounted to nil. By toppling and supporting the execution of a dictator who, by admission of many Iraqis, maintained stability via a political structure that afforded medical care, jobs, and an educational system by means of power not foreign in that part of the world, this president has brought about the deaths of more than 3,900 American troops, the maiming and disability of more than 25,000 American troops, and has deprived hundreds of thousands of military families of any semblance of normal lives. In addition, he has placed America in excessively great debt from which the next two generations will not recover and fostered contempt for our nation throughout the world. What a pity; what a disgrace--and what a tragedy that our newly elected Congress and House failed to rein in the out-of-control maverick; and shame on those of us who failed to speak out against the folly and corruption of this administration.
There are three key points to ponder in reflecting on the war in Iraq: by failing to relieve the current commander in chief of his delusional effort, 1. Will America take care of its military families; 2. Will this administration ever admit the true cost of its war; and 3. Will it meet the responsibility truly care for and mend American Troops once they return? To all three questions, the answer is quite likely "no"--what a pity...
Hitler had a vision...and desire to rule the world, perhaps similarities can be drawn between the motives and method of that misguided soul and America's current leader. With four million Iraqi refuges currently seeking sanctuary--the greatest number of refugees in the middle east since post WWII--let's pray that world will not permit history to repeat itself further.
Marlene Schaffer
Former Republican and Wife and Mother of Soldiers serving in Iraq
Unfortunately no.
I just got back from Europe for business and, WOW! People are PISSED at us!! So, we should probably take a step back and look at what we've done, realize WHAT WE STAND FOR (some of the anti-American sentiment made me feel bad), not what Bush wants, and we need to get our troops out, NOW!!!
I would have to agree with many here that the answer is UNFORTUNATELY NO.
My only hope for a silver lining to this whole mess is that maybe, just maybe people will vote for the best person in the next election and not vote for the person representing the "party" of their choice. Thankfully, many Republicans are beginning to pull their support of "W" and this will hopefully open the eyes of some who blindly vote for one party and blindly oppose another.
For Quinn - people in Europe are not PISSED at us because we are at war. They are pissed because we allow our elected officials to act in an unethical matter. I just wanted to clarify that for those who base their knowledge simply on the local news. People are upset about the fact that we are not up in arms about the way our administration is acting. In most Democratic societies, when the elected officials act like our White House staff is acting, the people put a stop to it. Power to the People. Now we have to use it.
Thats exactly what I meant. I was asked in a pub by a man... "How can you let ONE MAN ruin something so great?". Just thought I would clarify.
I would love to see our troops come home now. This isn't a war that we will win. It is another Bush trying to finish what his father couldn't do. And I doubt that he will finish either. Let's cut our losses and get out now.
no i dont see our troops out of iraq till sometime after the next presidentual election or even doing it till election time to boost votes for the republican party.
I hope that we are NOT!
I am the mother of 2 Soldiers who have spent over a year in Iraq and may go back. Both are medics & have made a difference in the lives of the people & children of that country. We sit at our dinner tables & see the trajic news of deaths of brave soldiers & bombing of civilians without seeing the accomplishments of our military. We seem to forget the last time Congress ran a war (Vietnam). The pictures of people hanging on to our helicopters as they left that country, desperate to leave. We forget the mass slaughter of people, as the country was overtaken. We need to support our President (whether we like the man or not)and support him in listening to his commanders on the ground.
I hope that america wakes the heck up. Do we want to bring our guys and girls home, just to have to send them back in another 10yrs. I DONT! I dont care who is in office. The minute we set a day that we will leave, the very next day we will be watching the news as thousands are killed. Learn from the past, stop repeating those mistakes and for the love of all you hold holy, please remember that our men and women there are doing something that they were NOT forced to do, but they do NEED us to be there for them when they return. They are not getting many of the care that they need. Neither physcially or mentally and listening to you all scream bring them home just make s them feel like you hate them. These men and women have been willing to put their lives on the line to support the very base's of our nation. Support them in return.
I agree with the other lady, too many times you are only being shown the negs on the news, how about how much change we have brought with our medical assistance. With our willingness to help another. Do I like how this world currently is, heck no, but I will support my husband and all those that serve with him and if you dont like it, well I hear that you have the right to leave too.
I believe if we leave before we finish the job(Iraqi Govt. able to help their citizens with good security control over terriosm) that this will just embolden Al Quaida and the likes to continue to spread their tyranny and fear. The Iraqi people deserve the chance to be happy and make a decent living for their families. After all that is what we in the USA claim as our rights. I do not like seeing our troops killed and maimed, and it is personal, as we have good friends with family members over there. But we in the USA need to remember FREEDOM IS PRECIOUS, BUT IT IS NOT FREE(just read our own history and the fight England went through to keep their freedom from Hitler.)Just think, if our citizenzs had not stepped up to the plate in WWII, those of us in the Western part of nation would be bowing to a Japenese empreror, and the East coast would be goose stepping to the Nazis.
We have a President that is carrying out
his own agenda. Most of what he is doing
does not conform to the will of the
American people. He will stay on his
course until his term of office has
expired. Doing anything else would
make him look like a failure.
I doubt very much if our troops will
come home next year.
The mideast clans have been fighting
each other for thousands of years.
Our presence there will not change
that fact. There is nothing to win
there and no way to win it.
To preface my comment, I am related by blood to a signer of the Declaration of Independence, so, I STRONGLY believe in America's principles and morals (The secular ones at least...).
It is the supporters of Bush that will continue to ruin our reputation with the rest of the world. People whom which promote HATRED and VIOLENCE like Anita, Valerie, and Kate for example, only hinder the goal of the American people. The goal of Americans is to have a voice, an opinion, and express it freely. To live free and to matter, to speak our mind to mold our country how we feel is correct, not live in a Police state. Not to be ruled with angst, nor to feel punished by our "government". Nothing we say or do can change the mind of George Bush. Face it people... WE LIVE IN A FASCIST DICTATORSHIP RULED BY SOMEONE WHO CANNOT READ. He is not my president and I'm sick of hearing about high school buddies of mine being killed for his greed.
How quickly we forget what they have done to us 911? We can not leave until we have solved this problem. The negativity is like feeding the terrorist steak and lobster on a Dailey basis.
They can read and I'm sure they feel the more harm they do to our heroes who risk their lives every day in that war torn country is going to cause a lose of our citizens backbone as it has
the news media (NY times for example )may have been responsible to more lose of life than the actual killers in those god forsaken hill holes!
Wouldn't it be nice to leave there today? Unfortunately we can't Bush has made such a mess of it all it will be years before we leave. I do agree that after his term he should relocate there.
Kate, Valerie & Anita:
If we really need to be in Iraq to help the citizens fights terrorism, get medical attention, and prevent us from going back again, then when do we go to the other parts of the world and help them? When do we go to the parts of Africa where hundreds of children die each day because they lack the medical attention to fight of maleria? When do we go to Venezuela and North Korea to put a stop to the vicious dictators who currently run those countries? When do we go to Saudi Arabia, the place where the 9/11 bombers were from?
The United States IS NOT the world's police force. We have no business being in the middle of a civil uprising that has been going on for years. More people are dying in Iraq on a daily basis today than before we marched in there looking for WMDs. It could and has been argued that Iraq is in worse shape socially and economically than before we went in. I fully support the brave men and women of the United States Armed Forces and do nothing but pray for their safety. But that does not change the FACT that they are being killed for no reason other than George Bush's personal adgendas.
There are more people IN the United States who are going hungry and who are without the means of medical assistance than there are in Iraq. The gap between the "have's" and the "have not's" here in the USA is growing beyond belief. WHEN do we stop playing police to the world and start paying attention to our own citizens? Taxpayers are spending BILLIONS to fund the war machine. Don't you realize that for less than 10% of what we spend on the war budget, we could significantly improve the healthcare system in the US AND provide food to the hungry?
Here's a stat for you: One year's military budget in the US is equal to more than $20,000.00 per hour for every hour since Jesus Christ was born!!!!!!!!!!! Let that soak in for a minute and tell me we are not wasting valuable time, money and more importantly LIVES to push the adgenda of someone who's goals are not in line with the citizens of the United States.
The only reason this is a war than "cannot be won" is that there are so many liberals that would rather lose the war because if we won then it would somehow be perceived as a loss for them and a win for Bush. They have done and will continue to do anything to keep the hands of the president and the troops tied at all cost. Even if they disagreed with the decision to go to war, we could have gone in and did what needed to be done and been home a long time ago if they just would have kept their mouths shut. We didn't need their help or even an outward appearance of support...we just needed their SILENCE so that we only had ONE war to fight - the one in Iraq. No...Instead they attacked the president at every turn, riled up the American citizens whenever possible and spoon fed the enemy strength and resolve with their pathetic whining and hand wringing.
If there is blood on anyone's hands it is the Bush haters that wouldn't allow him to do his job right from the beginning. They are the first to point out the daily, monthly, yearly (even hourly) death tole, but the truth is that the war would be old news and the ink already dry in the history books if they just would have stepped out of the way.
No matter where this has all gotten us as a nation it is still NOT too late! Leaving Iraq now is just not an option...why on earth would we allow all of those fine men and women of our Armed Forces die in vain? What do you say let's finish the damn job and THEN bring them home, with a ready word of praise and thanks on our lips for their heroic service and a job well done.
God bless America.
To Relevant - the cost of war is only as high as it is because of the treasonous, hate-filled liberals that won't be happy until the day they can say "I told you so!" I can't help but imagine how wonderful life would be if just half of them actually left after they threatened to move to another country if Bush were re-elected. The thought of John Kerry navigating us through the last few years is both laughable and terrifying at the same time.
bush only listend to what he wanted to hear and look where it got us. remember when they got saddam? one of his spokesman said something like now they work thing out with all these groups but it backfired and that is when it really took a turn for the worse. how bout bush saying" bring it on!" how many died over that statement? how bout him landing on that carrier with that huge banner "mission accomplished" what he accomplished was to get us mired down in another viet nam. sooner or later we will have to leave then im sure it will turn into a blood bath. so the question is how much time money and lives are we willing to sacrifice?
you cant blame the liberals as they are not the ones who refused to listen in the first place and they were not the ones who decided to go ahead and they are not the ones who still wont listen and pack up and go home.
Isn't it strange how those so loud & vicious lack the intestinal fortitude to sign their names? Just because you are more obnoxious then the rest of us does not make you right. Talk about hatred!
Europe, at least, would be a bunch of blond-haired, blue eyed, goose stepping robots if not for the war mongering FDR. We cannot & should not police the world, but should help where we can.
WE cannot change the Middle East, that is up to its young people, the boy recruited to kill Americans but won't because an American gave him his first vaccine, or school books or crayons. The girl who thinks she can make a difference, because an American Soldier, female, ran the clinic, drove a truck or operated the communications.
We can "talk" on this blog because some "war-monger" thought that Feedom was important!
"If you can read, thank a teacher. If you are reading in English, Thank A Vet!!"
No they will not be out next year or next decade. The mess that this administration has created for some selfish purpose (oil companies, I presume) will be left for generations ofAmericans and Iraquis to die for. We can drawdown however and try to keep the civil war from becoming a pure bloodbath. Dictators who create these messes are usually eventually tried for war crimes. Why not Bush, Cheney and the rest of the neocons?
No they will not be out next year or next decade. The mess that this administration has created for some selfish purpose (oil companies, I presume) will be left for generations ofAmericans and Iraquis to die for. We can drawdown however and try to keep the civil war from becoming a pure bloodbath. Dictators who create these messes are usually eventually tried for war crimes. Why not Bush, Cheney and the rest of the neocons?
I feel the US only addressing half of the issue in the Middle East. We should be taking them on idealogically and militarily. These people are mired down in a low sence of self issue and their culture will not allow them to grow out of the constant murder of their neighbors as a solution to their problems. This is not 1935 where thinking that what goes on half way around the world has no bearing on ourselves. We found out that staying neutral allowed a horrible mess that became world war II and cost this Earth 55 million lives was too high a price to pay.
We need to embrace these people and help them become whole and develope a sence of self that allows them to accept the rest of the world and their neighbors. We can give them the tools to help themselves, we can not do it for them. The endless suicide bombing is a sympton of desperation. We went through this with Japan in WWII with their Kamakazi planes against our fleet.
The main problem with this region is that their cultures only allow the masculine part of themselves to prevail in their behavior. The feminine part of them is not allowed to be a part of the culture. The feminine, creative, intuative part of them is not allowed in the Middle East and parts of Africa. This is obvious in the way they treat women and make them cover themselves in the Burka. What is left is only the male part of their character.
The basic makeup of our sence of self is based on manifesting ourselves or our core energy through thinking, acting, feeling and sensing. The first 2 are more the masculine part or ourselves and the later 2 are the feminine part of us. The world around us is interpreted through these four avenues. If one or more are not allowed to function, then the others become more accentuated and out proportion. In the case of the Middle East and I must say the rest of the world to a quite lesser extent, we must include ourselves, this is what is really happening. Religions are interpreted through this filter and our sense of self is based on these factors. Bernard Lewis does a great job in his book about the Middle East called "What Went Wrong" in explaining this. Also Dr. Harville Hendrix in his book "Keeping The Love You Find" explains this quite well.
A multi billion dollar campaign to help these people through something very difficult and provide them with a deep sense of self would be very rewarding to ourselves and to all of humanity. These four factors are a great common denominator for all of humanity and include everyone, not viewing ourselves in an exclusive way but an inclusive way.
Lets give the helplessly desperate people over there hope.
well bob that was quite an observation but on the other hand bush is an idiot and we are stuck with his mess.
I just wanted to point out that there are a lot more people coming on these blogs expressing good, viable solutions to ending the war than the last time this topic was up here... Last time everyone was just arguing and calling each other names; there were also a lot of Bush supporters who didn't listen to reason.
Good job! Let's get on the phone with our Congresspeople and senators to get this fixed!
I just wanted to point out that there are a lot more people coming on these blogs expressing good, viable solutions to ending the war than the last time this topic was up here... Last time everyone was just arguing and calling each other names; there were also a lot of Bush supporters who didn't listen to reason.
Good job! Let's get on the phone with our Congresspeople and senators to get this fixed!
Posted by: Quinn at July 20, 2007 07:11 AM
so far there are nearly twice as many posts about the xmas decorations at the airport than this or scooter libby.
A US Marine was tried and convicted for murdering and torturing helpless Iraqi civilians, then lied about it. He received the same sentence as that of someone who just failed a drug test... NOTHING. The kid was kicked out of the Marines with an "Other than Honorable" discharge, and gets to keep his GI bill. You don't even get to keep that if you're gay and kicked out...
Sick. Sick. Sick.
Our government is literally communicating to us that it is better to KILL SOMEONE and lie about it than to be gay.
*This is a reply to his post*
*****Posted by: A NORMAL PERSON WITH MORALS at July 18, 2007 01:09 PM*******
How quickly we forget what they have done to us 911? We can not leave until we have solved this problem. The negativity is like feeding the terrorist steak and lobster on a Dailey basis.
They can read and I'm sure they feel the more harm they do to our heroes who risk their lives every day in that war torn country is going to cause a lose of our citizens backbone as it has
the news media (NY times for example )may have been responsible to more lose of life than the actual killers in those god forsaken hill holes!
*********************************
so let me get this straight? Iraq is responsible for 911? Al qaeda was not in iraq when we invaded. They only went there after George Bush and his cronies made it an unstable country.
learn your facts buddy, don't just recite republican talking points (that's not fair, TRUE republicans and TRUE conservatives aren't crazy). Maybe i should say stop following this Fascist Right Wing Nut Job.
But again... Iraq had nothing to do with 911. This war should have been focused on Afganistan and only Afganistan. Bin Laden probably would have been found if we had the 150 thousand troops there instead of the only 10 thousand troops we have hunting for the REAL mastermind of 911.
If you truely support our troops or want to win the war on terror, then get the troops out of iraq and either in to afganistan or home. It's that simple.
Iraq is just a big distraction so bush can have a legacy. Unfortunatly for him... history will not be kind to him.
Dan, the name of the poster goes at the bottom of the post... "Normal Person with morals" did not write that...
Anonymous did...
"Posted by: Anonymous at July 18, 2007 01:22 PM"
Thank you Quinn, I apologize to "normal person with Morals"...my mistake.
it still just amazes me that the christmas decorations at the airport has drawn far more comments than our troop withdrawl. when that bus driver got fired for giving bush the finger she got something like 150 during the first week. makes me wonder if this is why bush gets away with what he does.
What amazes me ES, is that I get the impression from those who seem OK with us being in Iraq that they would not mind the US being a dictatorship as long as each citizen still had their personal freedom.
I always thought that the Bill of Rights stated that this is a government of the people, by the people and for the people. When over 75% of the population is for us NOT being involved in a civil war in Iraq, then why are we there? Are we fighting for the Iraqi people? Are we fighting against terrorists and Iraq just happens to be where US Intelligence says we should be fighting? It is confusing to me because when we began this war, we were trying to stop the Iraqi government from using WMDs. Once we found out that there were none, what are we fighting for now? I beleive that news came out at the end of last week that the Iraqi Parliment was preparing to issue a vote of "No Confidence" for those currently in power. Those who WE put into power. It sounds to me like we are fighting for something that the Iraqi people do not want. Remember, the Iraqi Parliment was put into place by a vote. So if the Iraqis voted for these people(like the Americans did for the Senate)and the Parliment does not agree with direction that Iraq is headed, then we should not be fighting against the wishes of a democratic state.
Wow, sounds like politics in Iraq is more like America after all. George, you were right: Mission Accomplished!!!
To answer the original question(which seemed to me to be only a yes or no question.) No.
How about this for a solution? Remove ALL politicians from power and elect from scratch.(vote for me, I'll spend your money...wisely)
We all better figure this out together, because as divided as the U.S.A is getting, civil war is only a few steps away. And that would be no fun. I guess there will always be fanatics on both sides