tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5990055.post109615585994691955..comments2024-01-26T01:52:53.198-05:00Comments on PolySigh: Bush v. IkePhilip Klinknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15559722693896372701noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5990055.post-1096351474471261192004-09-28T02:04:00.000-04:002004-09-28T02:04:00.000-04:00"If Bush had been in a similar position, he would ..."If Bush had been in a similar position, he would have pressed on with his original plans"<br /><br />This is a strawman.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5990055.post-1096243286347310752004-09-26T20:01:00.000-04:002004-09-26T20:01:00.000-04:00The analogy that plans for Iraq are like "rearrang...The analogy that plans for Iraq are like "rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic" is a valid one. Unfortunately, we ran this ship into the iceberg, now we have to do the responsible thing and fix it.<br /><br />Any argument that the expectations of the electorate were unreasonable is specious. Bush's articulated expectations were at least as high, if not higher. He's the POTUS who was alledgedly leading us through a time of national crisis. Should everyone just have written him off as a liar? That's what would have needed to happen in order to not believe in the rosy expectations for Iraq (I personally did write him off as a liar...but then I tend to be a skeptic when it comes to Republicans).<br /><br />The responsibility for Iraq rests with Bush. Period. He made the mess and every move he's made on this issue has been in an effort to score political points. Period. Did Bush buy into Chalabi despite all the warnings against doing so because it was the right thing to do..or because it was the way to politically sell Iraq? Did we leave Fallujah with our tail tucked between our legs because it was the correct military strategy? <br /><br />And lest we forget...there is also Afghanistan. It's also in a downward spiral, with the Taliban back in force...and our installed/appointed leader unable to maintain power. Hamid Karzai is the mayor of Kabul and that's it.<br /><br />It's disheartening to see this go on...and know that these geopolitical failures, along with Bush's reprehensible treatment of our allies, has given America a black eye that will take generations to heal.carlahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01035236392515977261noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5990055.post-1096209396528745172004-09-26T10:36:00.000-04:002004-09-26T10:36:00.000-04:00Stop rearranging the deck-chairs, folks. The Titan...Stop rearranging the deck-chairs, folks. The Titanic is going down. If Richard Beeston of the Times of London is reporting accurately that the beheading VHS tapes are selling by the thousands in Baghdad, then this pathetic illusion of a "Democracy Project" is over. Are the traffickers and possessors of the snuff tapes in the right frame of mind for American-coached democracy? I doubt it. Americans are "over" in the Sunni areas. You were fools to go in. You will lose more and more fine young soldiers in a piece of folly that rivals the Athenian Expedition to Sicily in 413 B.C. It is all "over." Observed with some sadness from outside your borders.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5990055.post-1096205002951931572004-09-26T09:23:00.000-04:002004-09-26T09:23:00.000-04:00In response to Palooka:
And what would a destabil...In response to Palooka:<br /><br />And what would a destabilized Iraq look like? What would a more alienated Iraq look like?<br /><br />An additional 20,000 (or even 10,000) U.S. troops patrolling the borders or the pipelines would hardly be noticed by the Iraqi population, nonetheless, they would make a real impact on the security situation. <br /><br />Or how about an extra 1000 troops to secure the Green Zone in Baghdad?<br /><br />Or how about an extra 100 MPs so that tired and stressed troops at Abu Ghraib don't succumb to the temptation to abuse their prisoners?<br /><br />Let me turn it around. Do you really think that Bush has done the best job in Iraq under the circumstances? Do you really think that the current situation there is the best that could possibly be hoped for? Do you really think that the criticisms of people like John McCain, Chuck Hegel, Lindsey Graham, Dick Lugar, and many, many members of the uniformed military constitutes partisan sniping? <br /><br />PhilPhilip Klinknerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15559722693896372701noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5990055.post-1096172067958795342004-09-26T00:14:00.000-04:002004-09-26T00:14:00.000-04:00Let me engage in your silly analogy. If Kerry were...Let me engage in your silly analogy. If Kerry were Roosevelt, no American troops would be sent to Europe until we had the approval of the League of Nations.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com