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#1
06-22-2005, 01:39 PM
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The War is Over, and We Won
The War is Over, and We Won
From the article: I observed many examples of this myself. Take the two very different Baghdad neighborhoods of Haifa Street and Sadr City. The first is an upper-end commercial district in the heart of downtown. The second is one of Baghdad’s worst slums, on the city’s north edge. I spent lots of time walking both neighborhoods this spring—something that would not have been possible a year earlier, when both were active war zones, where tanks poured shells into buildings on a regular basis. Today, the primary work of our soldiers in each area is rebuilding sewers, paving roads, getting buildings repaired and secured, supplying schools and hospitals, getting trash picked up, managing traffic, and encouraging honest local governance. What the establishment media covering Iraq have utterly failed to make clear today is this central reality: With the exception of periodic flare-ups in isolated corners, our struggle in Iraq as warfare is over. Egregious acts of terror will continue—in Iraq as in many other parts of the world. But there is now no chance whatever of the U.S. losing this critical guerilla war. and Policing and political problem-solving are mostly tasks for Iraqis, not Americans. And the Iraqis are taking them up, often with gusto. I saw much evidence that responsible Iraqis are gradually isolating the small but dangerously nihilistic minority trying to strangle their new society. and Increasingly, the Iraqi people are taking direction of their own lives. And like all other self-ruling populations, they are more interested in improving the quality of their lives than in mindless warring. It will take some time, but Iraq has begun the process of becoming a normal country. 
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#2
06-22-2005, 02:17 PM
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Re: The War is Over, and We Won
W is smart. We will be completely caught off guard when he announces the withdrawal of our troops, just as people were when he suddenly turned over the government.
He knows that his schedule of action should not be publicly discussed and telegraphed to the terrorists. Just wait, and you will be surprised some day. Meanwhile, you liberals, please keep gnashing your teeth and whining. [img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]
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#5
06-22-2005, 02:53 PM
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Re: The War is Over, and We Won
As one might expect, journalists of different political outlooks on Iraq tend to come off like they are not even visiting the same country.
From recent reporting, however, it does seem clear that the US military in Iraq believes that they need more troops rather than less, and that the Iraqi security forces are still years away from being able to handle the security situation themselves. Combine this with the obviously growing distaste for the war in America and the administration's demonstrated willingness (not unusual for any administration) to sacrifice long-term interests for short-term political reasons, and it is not that difficult to imagine some problems down the line. As a perceptive officer was quoted in a NYT story last week, "I think the drawdown will occur next year, whether the Iraqi security forces are ready or not," a senior Marine officer in Washington said last week. "Look for covering phrases like 'We need to start letting the Iraqis stand on their own feet, and that isn't going to happen until we start drawing down'." So herein lies the rub for supporters of the war. Ultimately, the decision to go to war will be judged in retrospect in light of the future course Iraq takes. Most sober analysts realize that the country is still in a very precarious situation, not only because the insurgency is still active but also because the American presence also obviates to some degree conflict between the major ethnic groups in the country. Anybody who thinks these people will just easily get along is crazy, especially when the major issues of contention - the role of religion in government, the autonomy of different regions, and the future of Kirkuk - have yet to be addressed. Having a large American presence while these deals are hammered out and while people get used to living under a new set of rules is probably a very good idea. If there is any chance to build a lasting democratic regime (and you should know from my previous posts that I am a skeptic), then surely we cannot cut corners because of the unpopularity of the war in America. Yet that is exactly what everything seems to be leading toward today. First will come the triumphalist bullshit - ie Mission Accomplished. Second will come the premature withdrawal. Third will (probably) come the rise of sectarianism and the breakdown of democratic rule. Fourth will come the historical revisionism of the "the war was a good idea, if only we had done it right" variety.
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#6
06-22-2005, 03:04 PM
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Re: The War is Over, and We Won
[ QUOTE ]
Nice, unbiased source. [/ QUOTE ] You need a sacasm on/sacasm off button for the idiots
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#7
06-22-2005, 03:13 PM
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More Ernst Rohm propaganda
Keep putting out the lies. Your fuhrer believes that if you lie big, and often enough, then it becomes magically the truth.
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#8
06-22-2005, 03:17 PM
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Re: The War is Over, and We Won
[ QUOTE ]
Nice, unbiased source. [/ QUOTE ] Nice logical fallacy.
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#10
06-22-2005, 03:25 PM
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Re: The War is Over, and We Won
[ QUOTE ]
We will be completely caught off guard when he announces the withdrawal of our troops, just as people were when he suddenly turned over the government. [/ QUOTE ] If this happens it will be the ultimate moral failing of this country. I can think of nothing worse that we could do than abandon Iraq.
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