Say Anything Blog

Just because you can find somebody who agrees that 400,000 is the “right number” doesn’t make it so.  With respect to post-invasion Iraq, there is no guarantee that any particular number would have been ideal.  Adding more Americans could simply have fanned the flames of the insurgency, and would have increased the likelihood of intervention by non-aligned nations like Syria and Iran, and could have demolished our fragile relationship with Pakistan.

The best scenario (in my opinion) would have been our original 150,000 sized occupation force, but to use the Iraq Army as the security force, rather than disband them then having to train up a whole new force.  In my opinion, we would have been able to establish a provisional government in 2003, had elections a year early, and would be discussing final force postures right now (no, not complete withdrawal, that would be years away regardless of the scenario except perhaps the roses on the streets one).

Of course, this is the position taken by General Garner, before Rumsfeld removed him.  So yeah, I’d like to see Rumsfeld go.  But it’s not my call.

The fact that the Defeatocrats and their henchmen in the MSM want Rumsfeld to go is the most compelling reason for keeping him. They want us to lose, and he is a winner.  Getting rid of him is part of their strategy for our defeat.

"Give the lefties a pile of money, and they’ll spend it buying votes.” - Rush Limbaugh on the “bailout”.

I dunna if Rumsfeld is a winner (he’s a bungling fool IMHO), but it is certainly true that the liberals are going after him not because of who he is, but as an attempt to leave a mark on Bush.  A defeat in Iraq is a defeat for Bush, and therefore a price many on the left are willing to pay.

A defeat in Iraq is a defeat for Bush, and therefore a price many on the left are willing to pay.

So, if Rumsfeld is such a loser, you would think the lefties would want him to stay, because they want us to lose.  No, Carrick, they are afraid he will win.  I agree.

"Give the lefties a pile of money, and they’ll spend it buying votes.” - Rush Limbaugh on the “bailout”.

Which means R108, that the Dems want to win this war, thanks for finally admitting it. Now that wasn’t so bad was it?

the Dems want to win this war

Dear Democrats,

Can you please tell us exactly what you would do, policy-wise, to win the war in Iraq?

Sincerely,

The Whole Friggin’ Country

When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.

-- Thomas Jefferson

Rob’s recently listened-to songs:

Sometimes losing is winning

"All the perplexities, confusion and distress in America arise not from defects in their Constitution or Confederation, nor from want of honor or virtue, so much as downright ignorance of the nature of coin, credit and circulation.”
- John Adams

Tell me, Troy...how would losing in Iraq really be a victory?

When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.

-- Thomas Jefferson

Rob’s recently listened-to songs:

Rob,

P-L-E-A-S-E!!!  The Democrats can’t say how they would deal with the deficit, how they would pay for all that new spending, how they would save Medicare, how they would save Social Security, how they would manage to keep the economy growing, how they would secure our borders, how they would deal with a nuclear armed Iran (much less how they SHOULD have dealt with North Korea when it was just a nuclear wannabe), how they would defend the United States from a nuclear armed North Korea now demonstrably in possession of ICBM’s, how they would deal with rabid Islamist fascism and Islamist terrorism, how they would stop the spread of nuclear weapons technology around the world, how, or even IF, they would defend the only viable democracy in the middle east, Israel, from attack, etc., etc., etc.

You are apparently expecting some sort of rational honesty from those who have already suggested that the best policy for Iraq is to move all the US Marines to Okinawa on the other side of the planet.  Good luck!

I don’t have all the links in front of me, but staying in Iraq is what Al Queda wants the American forces to do. This a vote for a Dem, is a vote for Al Queda is false. 

Most people credit Ronald Regan (as do I) for bringing the Soviet Union to it’s knees by bankrupting them.  However Osama Bin Laden takes credit for the same action.  He tells his followers there 10 year resistence is what bankrupted the USSR. 

Osama is doing the same in Iraq/Afghanistan as he did in Afghanistan.  He is trying to bankrupt the US, by waging a decade or longer such war.

"All the perplexities, confusion and distress in America arise not from defects in their Constitution or Confederation, nor from want of honor or virtue, so much as downright ignorance of the nature of coin, credit and circulation.”
- John Adams

but staying in Iraq is what Al Queda wants the American forces to do.

Oh man...now I’ve heard it all.

Osama is doing the same in Iraq/Afghanistan as he did in Afghanistan.  He is trying to bankrupt the US, by waging a decade or longer such war.

We haven’t even scratched the surface of what we’re capable of in Iraq.

Osama and all the other Islamic zealots out there want us to leave Iraq so that they can claim victory over the great satan and then refocus themselves on establishing terror training camps in the chaotic Iraq that would exist after we leave so that they can resume major attacks on America and the west.

That you don’t get this is sad.

When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.

-- Thomas Jefferson

Rob’s recently listened-to songs:

Troy:

but staying in Iraq is what Al Queda wants the American forces to do.

Bullsh*t.

Al Qaeda wants us to leave so they can declare victory.  If you don’t know this, you need to quit watching the news with your eyes closed.

dd and r108
these magazines want to make money. they aren’t going to print something in these types of mags that the military doesn’t agree with… at least partially.
people also blame rummy for tora bora. i think carricks comment about the pakistan relationship might have some relevancy there.
i think we should have made an effort to protect museums and the like post-invasion. they help boost national identity and pride. looting is widespread. if we are going to ruin the infrastructure during the invasion, we should be able to protect it as we rebuild. stability happens when basic infrastructures are back in place. we should have either made a better effort to preserve infrastructure or we should be protecting it better during reconstruction. democracy simply cannot occur without proper infrastructure.

Yun Chu said, “You must strictly not express in words what is very significant. Both dragon and snake are killed in one blow.”

Sometimes losing is winning

Only when it comes to dieting.  Seriously, if this is the magical thinking the lefties are into these days, they are really getting desperate.  Refer to “1984"(Newspeak).

"Give the lefties a pile of money, and they’ll spend it buying votes.” - Rush Limbaugh on the “bailout”.

The goal of Al Queda is take away the superpower status of the US. The resent the political influence we have, by having the worlds largest economy and the world reserve currency. 

Our financial systems, economy, and our wealth is our biggest political weapon, and that is there target.  911 had several targets, the World Trade Center, The White House, The Pentagon, and possibly the NYSE.  Their goal was not to kill American lives, but to disrupt our economy and government.

Like I stated before they are trying to bankrupt us with a prolonged war in the Mid-East.  Al Queda is already addapting their strategy. They have discovered they can cause more harm to our financial systems with the use of computers, than ramming planes into the infrastructure.  Al Queda is learning to hack in hopes to cause a panic and a stock market crash or a deep recession, or any kind of disruption.

"All the perplexities, confusion and distress in America arise not from defects in their Constitution or Confederation, nor from want of honor or virtue, so much as downright ignorance of the nature of coin, credit and circulation.”
- John Adams

Which means R108, that the Dems want to win this war, thanks for finally admitting it. Now that wasn’t so bad was it?

I suggest a course in elementary logic.  Rumsfeld is a winner; the Dems want to get rid of him; the Dems want to get rid of the winner, so therefore the Dems want us to lose.  You just can’t stop with the nonsense, can you?

"Give the lefties a pile of money, and they’ll spend it buying votes.” - Rush Limbaugh on the “bailout”.

The goal of Al Queda is take away the superpower status of the US. The resent the political influence we have, by having the worlds largest economy and the world reserve currency.

I agree, but the way we’ll lose the super power status is by cutting and running from Iraq.  When we retreat, our status in the world is diminished.  It happened after Vietnam, and it happened after Clinton ran from Somalia (which prompted Osama to call us “paper tigers” and emboldened him to attack us on 9/11).

Cut and run is not an option, Troy.  At least not for any sane person who cares about this nation’s status in the world.

When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.

-- Thomas Jefferson

Rob’s recently listened-to songs:

Rob: In Troy’s upside down and backward world, losing is winning; don’t you know?

"Give the lefties a pile of money, and they’ll spend it buying votes.” - Rush Limbaugh on the “bailout”.

Sparkie:

i think we should have made an effort to protect museums and the like post-invasion

The problem here is that what militaries do for a living is destroy threats, and that’s what soldiers are trained for.

They aren’t trained to keep the peace or to respond to looters...unless the looters are posing a threat.  Hell, there are probably instances of armored columns driving by businesses being robbed & not responding.  If it’s not part of their mission objectives, officers could even get in trouble for ad-libbing and needlessly putting their men in danger.

I’m not saying you can’t overcome this, but if you think we have problems now, imagine a world in which we regularly train our troops in how to occupy foreign countries!

if we are going to ruin the infrastructure during the invasion, we should be able to protect it as we rebuild.

Unfortunately much of the infrastructure was already lost, either through negligence or worse (in some Shi’ite areas, it was a deliberate policy of Saddam to not upgrade or repair electric power, schools, hospitals, etc.)

I agree with your other remarks.  Unfortunately the dead-enders realize that if things improve too dramatically they’ve lost, so there has been a deliberate policy of sabotage to prevent such an outcome.

quote]Cut and run is not an option, Troy.  At least not for any sane person who cares about this nation’s status in the world.

“Cut and Run” is an option, and it’s our “nation’s status in the world” is why the Middle East hates us.

Sometimes instead of changing the world, you have to change yourself.

"All the perplexities, confusion and distress in America arise not from defects in their Constitution or Confederation, nor from want of honor or virtue, so much as downright ignorance of the nature of coin, credit and circulation.”
- John Adams

Troy:

it’s our “nation’s status in the world” is why the Middle East hates us Sometimes instead of changing the world, you have to change yourself.

Yeah.  It’s our nation’s status as a super power.  And your solution?

Why not be a second-rate nation instead? 

Vote Democrat!  We’ll make us second rate.

I suggest a course in elementary logic.  Rumsfeld is a winner; the Dems want to get rid of him; the Dems want to get rid of the winner, so therefore the Dems want us to lose.  You just can’t stop with the nonsense, can you?

..what if they actually want Bush to keep him?

Actually, aNON I think they really want to get rid of him.  They see his performance as problematic, PLUS they see this as an opportunity to damage the President.

It can be more better than it is.

Please don’t forget that Willie Horton was also set free by the Democrats.

<center></center>

William Horton Jr. is a convicted felon who was the subject of a Massachusetts weekend furlough program that released him while serving a life sentence for murder, without the possibility of parole, providing him additional opportunities to commit a rape and armed robbery.

Democratic Presidential candidate Michael Dukakis was the governor of Massachusetts at the time:

On October 26, 1974, in Lawrence, Massachusetts, Horton and two accomplices robbed Joseph Fournier, a 17 year old gas station attendant, stabbed him 19 times, and left him in a trash can.

Fournier died from blood loss. Horton was convicted of murder, sentenced to life imprisonment, and incarcerated at the Concord Correctional Facility in Massachusetts.

On June 6, 1986, he was released as part of a weekend furlough program but did not return.

On April 3, 1987 in Oxon Hill, Maryland, Horton twice raped a local woman after pistol-whipping, knifing, binding, and gagging her fiancé.

He then stole the car belonging to the man he had assaulted, but was later captured by police after a chase.

On October 20, Horton was sentenced in Maryland to two consecutive life terms plus 85 years.

The sentencing judge refused to return Horton to Massachusetts, saying, “I’m not prepared to take the chance that Mr. Horton might again be furloughed or otherwise released.

This man should never draw a breath of free air again.”

Sorry....submitted to wrong post!!

Mu bad!!