Setting a Date to Withdraw Coalition Troops from Iraq

[Felix_Nietsche]

Yes seven years is a short time to assess the situation.
You're right. Better make it 20 years just to be safe.

[MMMMMM]

I say we publicly set a date, with the provision that the insurgency is by then somewhat more under control---and then break that date.

The insurgents will attempt to wait us out, toning down their attacks a bit in the meantime in order to see us leave and to conserve resources for wide-open warfare right after we leave. This would give us more and better opportunities for building the government and for training Iraqis for critical posts. Meanwhile we can continue to hunt the insurgents and terrorists down in their lairs and strongholds--a task which should be given equally high priority as training Iraqis.

Then, when the date arrives and the insurgents are expecting us to leave, it will be HAHAHAHA suckers! We aren't leaving until the insurgency is kaput, and the government is operating fully and Iraq is growing and prospering! So fight us and the now-well-trained Iraqis now, or wait to be hunted down like the rest of the rats! Suckers!!!

This plan would be diplomacy and strategic thinking in action.

[shots]

[ QUOTE ]
Well it worked so well in Vietnam why not try it again.
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I'm calling bull**** on this.
Please provide a link supporting this.

[/ QUOTE ]

What do you want a link to a history book? Go to amazon and do a search, after you read it you'll know exactly what I was talking about.

[wacki]

[ QUOTE ]
This plan would be diplomacy and strategic thinking in action.

[/ QUOTE ]

And piss off a lot of the family members in the US.

[MMMMMM]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

This plan would be diplomacy and strategic thinking in action.


[/ QUOTE ]


And piss off a lot of the family members in the US.

[/ QUOTE ]

Concurrent with this plan would be the recruitment remedy of doubling the pay of all military personnel, and tripling the pay of those in hazardous areas such as Iraq. Then there wouldn't be a recruitment shortfall; there'd be a surplus. So almost nobody would be forced to stay in Iraq who didn't really want to.

This plan would be funded by abolishing many unneeded social services and pork barrel projects right here in the USA.

Just off the top of my head, of course;-)

[MMMMMM]

Wacki, I hope you can tell from the tone of my post that I'm actually half-joking.

Of course, that also means that I'm actually half-serious.

[Felix_Nietsche]

What do you want a link to a history book?
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I want you to back up your claims.
Nixon ended the war when it became obvious the South Vietnamese did not have the will to continue.

We left Vietnam because despite winning every pitch battle, we were politically defeated. The cause was already lost. THE OUTCOME WAS ALREADY DETERMINED and yet you are trying to apply a false analogy to Iraq when the outcome is yet to be determined.

[shots]

We signed a peace agreement with the north Vietnamese and set a date to pull troops out, as soon as we did that they just waited for us to leave so they could take over the south. The analogy is apt in that the terrorists will do the same thing if we announce a date to pull troops out of iraq they'll wait for us to leave and then all hell will break loose.

[Felix_Nietsche]

I say we publicly set a date, with the provision that the insurgency is by then somewhat more under control---and then break that date.

The insurgents will attempt to wait us out, toning down their attacks a bit in the meantime in order to see us leave and to conserve resources for wide-open warfare right after we leave. This would give us more and better opportunities for building the government and for training Iraqis for critical posts. Meanwhile we can continue to hunt the insurgents and terrorists down in their lairs and strongholds--a task which should be given equally high priority as training Iraqis.

Then, when the date arrives and the insurgents are expecting us to leave, it will be HAHAHAHA suckers! We aren't leaving until the insurgency is kaput, and the government is operating fully and Iraq is growing and prospering! So fight us and the now-well-trained Iraqis now, or wait to be hunted down like the rest of the rats! Suckers!!!
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You assume that the insurgents will go underground and wait us out. Time is against them. The longer the new Iraqi govt stays in place, the more stable the new govt will become. If this happens, the insurgents WILL LOSE! If the USA announces a withdraw of troops at the beginning of a new admin and the insurgents go underground, the insurgents will lose credability while the new govt gains crediability.

If the insurgents are dumb enough to go underground then by all means lets give them a deadline.

[MMMMMM]

I would guess that they wouldn't go completely underground faced with such a dateline, but would conserve some resources in anticipation thereof. Meanwhile we keep training, building, and hunting.