Question:
Shoul US Pull Out of Iraq? Why or Why not.

Choices:
YES
NO

 

I think we would lose a major foothold in the region, and judging from the news we are far from "endex" in that area of the world.

Before 9/11 I didn't think we needed to have an Ohio in the middle east but after 3,000 Americans died I think it's necessary.

Middle east people are the ones dancing in the street when America faces a tragedy so it's a good idea to enlighten them on the ways of the modern people.

--Branch

quote:

Originally posted by admin:
I think we would lose a major foothold in the region, and judging from the news we are far from "endex" in that area of the world.

Admin already used my answer

What happens in Iraq if we do? Do the foreign terrorists go home? Do the Shites and Sunnis stop fighting or escalate? What will Iran and Syria do? What happens to the Kurds?

Does anyone think that things will get better if we pull out? Or would that signal a slaughter, that would make the current situation there look like a kindergarten playground squabble?

If people really think all the killing is bad and that's why they want us out...they better be ready to accept the responsibility for the killing that will come when we tuck tail and run because I think it will be truly shocking how fast that country will fall and some people that think it couldnt get any worse won't be able to understand how bad things can really get.


One of my co workers said "Things can't get any worse there" My reply was..."Really? In my experience, things can ALWAYS get much much worse."

I've heard the arugument raised that if we leave there will be more killing, that the civil war between the shiites and sunnis will escalate to biblical proportions and all hell will break loose in the middle east....What's new. Be this as it may the American public isn't repulsed by the KILLING in Iraq, they are appauled by the loss of AMERICAN lives for the freedom of a nation that obviously doesn't want it. Let's open our history books, look at the countries that boast a democracy, at one point or another they've fought and died for that freedom. If the Iraqis truely wanted to be free they would've risen up against Saddam themselves and taken it. That's how America did it, so why not let the Iraqis do it? We went over there looking for weapons of mass destruction, remember that? Of course do to poor intelligence or whatever the case may have been, "they ain't there". For a world leader that's embarassing, I don't care who you are. If you launch a military strike on another country and it turns out YOU were wrong, beet red faces all over capital hill. So in an effort to save face the powers that be decided, "ok let's force our way of living on another people and say we're liberating them, the public will eat that up", and they certainly did. There is just one little problem, our guys are dying over there, that's not cool, the public doesn't like that, and now some of the big wigs on the hill aren't too keen on that idea either. Fast forward to a few months ago, Kim Jung Ill cut's loose not one but two nuclear weapons...the letters WMD strangley come to mind, and on top of that he tells everybody it was him! He was quick to end any and all speculation of what might have happened, rest assured it wasn't an earthquake. So what happens to North Korea? Can we say slap on the wrist? "Here's some sanctions and angry letters and tough talk for you, and let that be a lesson to you!" So let me get this straight, because I'm not the smartest man alive. Our boss THINKS Saddam MIGHT have WMD's we haul ass over there, find none and now we gotta free a nation that isn't willing to free itself. A guy tells us "hey I got nukes", proves it and we give him a stern talking to? WTF? Iraq had and has nothing to do with 9/11, even the president said it in an interview, "the hardest part about my job is connecting Iraq, to the war on terror"... You don't say. Is it worth leaving the Iraqis to their own self destruction? Will it bring the terrorist to America? (As if they aren't already here). Think of the money we spent on this circus, it took a full week for the first bottles of fresh water to get to New Orleans when Katrina came through. The 82nd ABN DIV can have boots on the ground anywhere in the world in 18 hours.... This Iraqi freedom is proof to me that our boss has got his priorities mixed up. You gotta clean your own house before you go sweeping the neighbors porch, you dig? I look at it like this, I have a daughter, am I willing to attend her funeral for the sake of another country? Take a good look at your own children today and ask yourself that question, because the men and women who make the decisions on when and where we fight, the majority of them don't have there own children down range. Of course the decision to wear the uniform is up to the individual, and in my opinion if you don't wear it, you shouldn't have an opinion. This Army gig keeps food on the table for my family, so if freeing the Iraqi people is what's bringing home the bacon, so be it. I just don't think we've got any buisness being there, that's all.

blah blah blah.. Bush lied. Get over THAT.

Deal with the real problems our being there will become if we leave, forgive me if I am not naive enough to believe those terrorists won't celebrate that as a victory and double their efforts.

Maybe they will all throw in the towel once we leave. Right. Things will get better for us when we leave. Right

As long as the job is unfinished, nothing gets better for anyone. End of story...Open that history book of yours and point out where your plan has succeeded in the past and while your at it, look up the cost of American lives gaining freedom in past wars. Then report back with your findings, wars cost lives. If you can't handle that, don't volunteer to serve because we are in a business where we may end up getting killed doing our job.

I personally don't like this President, didn't care for the last one either...sure as hell didnt vote for either.

However, I try to look at the WHOLE picture and use my mind before jumping to some knee jerk reaction because I am upset about something that can't EVER be changed. Why we went? Who gives a crap, that's for politicians to bicker about.

I am a chess player and war is a heck of a lot like chess...don't think several moves ahead and see where that gets you. Focus on PAST mistakes and see where that gets you.

I want America to come out on top and if that means pissing off some people or running the risk of dying over in some third world crap hole...thats what it means.

Also, the Dems ain't pulling anyone out of anywhere...they are playing politics and trying to get a Dem elected president. Mark my words...regardless of who goes in office we stay and fight. They may reduce, then send more back in but every thinking strategist knows what I know. We do not benefit from pulling out now, we stand to LOSE even more than we already have. You just haven't looked that far ahead yet.

War isn't about the battle going on now, war is about five battle from now. It always has been.

Of course freedom cost lives, that's a given. As in every war and conflict the U.S. military is a part of, American lives have been lost. The revolutionary war, Americans fought for independence from England and hundreds of thousands of American lives were lost. However because of those men who laid down their lives WE, AMERICANS live free. We hear it all the time on the news, so it's no secret that thousands of Iraqi civilians have lost their lives, but not because they have risen up in arms to join the fight for their freedom. The majority are just picking up some groceries at a croweded market, and a suicide bomber comes along. How do you push democracy on a society that will not fight for it? Sure there's the Iraqi police, and the civil defense, but they clearly don't have the troops to make it happen, which makes it rather clear they don't want it (freedom) bad enough. The mission is Operation Iraqi Freedom, keyword in that title "IRAQI". As for leaving when the job is finished, what exactly is the job? And how do we know when it's finished? Hell, we didn't finish the first job in Afghanistan, which in my opinion is where we should be focusing our attention, money, and valuable military resources. We went there because of 9/11, so I'm all for that, we should stay in Afghan as long as it takes, Iraqi not so much. It's the fact that we didn't finish the first job that makes deaf to those preaching that we should stay till the job is done, it's those darn history books again. I took an oath to defend the constitution of the United States of America, not the constitution of Iraq. However I am a Soldier and I follow orders to the letter, and I will continue to do so. Some say, "well you made the choice to serve so don't complain", I say nonsense. If there is something I disagree with I will complain, or whine or state my grievence or what have you, it's how to bring about change, which brings me to my next point. The Iraqi people never asked for a helping hand. My history books educated me to the Truman Doctrine which basically states any oppressed nation who ASK, for the U.S. to help, we are obligated to help them. Maybe I missed that news flash on CNN, when the Iraqi people banded together and asked the U.S. for help, let alone one single citizen for that matter. You are absolutely correct with your statment of war not being about the battle today, but the battle to come. This however is a battle we shouldn't be fighting in the first place.

Who cares? Let them Iraqis die for themselves. I don't think we need to be over there. Just let them all kill each other off. We are fighting for their freedom and they're not doing much to fight for their own. So I think we've done enough for them. Its their turn to do something now.

We need to pull out. Gather our thoughts retrain and go back in with a better plan.

There are many successes going on there that aren't making it to the media (or they're not reporting it intentionally). Things are going well in many provinces in Iraq.

That being said however I do believe that in the areas where conflict is still a major issue that both the Iraqis themselves and the US needs to step up. The Iraqis need to really enforce high standards on their police/security forces to reduce corruption & foster trust. The US needs to step up with overwhelming personnel in the high risk areas & enough armor to intimidate anyone.

Some more good recent news - http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1624697,00.html Sunnis in the Al Anbar province are joining up the the US & Iraqi forces to drive out Al Qaeda. "An alliance of U.S. troops and local tribes has been very effective in moving against the al-Qaeda foreign fighters....The success in Anbar has led sheiks in at least two other Sunni-dominated provinces, Nineveh and Salahaddin, to ask for similar alliances against the foreign fighters."

All I hear nowadays when people discuss the war is blah, blah, frickin blah. Its the same crap we've been talking about for 4 years. Stay, pull out, nuke 'em, negotiate, "surge", cut and run... I'm so mentally fatigued with all of it. Can't someone choose a course of action and then just run it into the ground? Instead they put one plan into motion, parachute out of it, then take off in a new idea, only to contemplate jumping out of that one and wish they had brought another parachute. If you catch my drift...

No matter what side you're on, this endeavor will have consequences that will be analyzed and over analyzed for years to come. Let's just hope no matter what we do... it works.

I just want to know how you pull out of a fight with an enemy that's global? Most the guys we're fighting over there came from other countries to fight us...I guess we can build space ships and launch to the moon.

Leaving Iraq solves nothing, fighting won't end, not even for us.

quote:

Originally posted by SSGGunbunny:
I just want to know how you pull out of a fight with an enemy that's global? Most the guys we're fighting over there came from other countries to fight us...I guess we can build space ships and launch to the moon.

Leaving Iraq solves nothing, fighting won't end, not even for us.

If that's the case why not just give the Iraqi's a month or two to evacuate Iraq and then level the country?