What If We Would Seriously Ponder the Unthinkable?

The Intellectual Conservative ^ | 13 May 2004 | George de Poor Handlery

[Lando Lincoln]

This guy has had some unusual ideas in the past. I'm tossing it out into FReepland for discussion purposes.

Lando

[meatloaf]

Couldn't he have put all that in three paragraphs? I think Bush needs to take Prince Bandar aside and tell him that in a vision Allah had told him he was displeased with the Arabs.

Therefore Mecca would "accidently" be nuked within a few days. It is after all, Allah's will.

[tet68]

“civilizing” Iraq “with the Crag”


Paul Mauser rolling on floor laughing ass off.

[Irish_Thatcherite]

If this noble experiment in Iraq doesn't work out, the above is certainly a plausible exit strategy.

[expatpat]

Long-winded as all get out. His audience would have fallen asleep long before he got halfway through his peroration.

[MileHi]

Give the left exactly what they claim to want. Boy, would that pi$$ them off...

[CAPTAIN PHOTON]

I could see earthlings getting some version of this speech
from disgruntled aliens as they leave this planet in disgust...

[LS]

I appreciate his logic, although I don't agree, based largely on an on-going study I'm working on about the situation in post-war Japan and Germany.

Just as a preview, one of the things I'm finding is that virtually everything that is said about Iraq was said EITHER about Germany or Japan (i.e., they aren't capable of democratic self-rule, their religion prohibits reasoned self-government) while VERY SIMILAR "resistance" and/or political demonstrations were occurring as early as May 1946 in Japan.

There are, of course, two key differences: 1) Germany and Japan---unless you count the communist insurgents coming in to screw things up---did not have neighboring countries sending in fighters to oppose U.S. occupation; and 2) both Germany and Japan were far more devastated physically.

[longtermmemmory]

I think the notion of creating a seperate kurdish nation would be a valuble tool in stabalizing the area. It was and is the only region to be largly stable. It would even be valuble to consider just restoring iraq into the three seperate nations that formed Iraq. Each would have oil reserves and a means of generating income. This would make for two largly stable nations sandwiching an insurgent infested middle.

It is at least worth the threat if not the actual implimentation.

[isom35]

I hate thinking about the unthinkable. it make my head wanna busssss open.......

[Lando Lincoln]

LOL!

Lando

[CaptainK]

Hollywood has already dealt with this subject

[Billthedrill]

A couple of points. First, the insistence that our Iraq strategy has fallen apart seems to me to be an exceedingly popular one considering that it is almost devoid of real fact. What did the author expect at this point? What is surprising to me is just how incorrect this is turning out to be - the locals want us to off Sadr for them, the Shi'ites are celebrating their religion openly again, and the very best efforts of an experienced and well-funded international effort to destabilize Iraq are effective only in very limited, if well-publicized, areas. The aim of turning over control to a provisional government on 30 June is, in fact, right on schedule, and the incredible level of hysterical ranting about the prison photos and a handful of insurgents serves to obscure the likelihood that we really will see that project to a conclusion.

I think that partly explains the heightened rhetoric on the part of the left, and I include most of the print and broadcast media under that rubric. They desperately don't want us to succeed because that will diminish their political power, and hence they even more desperately don't want the Iraqis to succeed. If it is these who have convinced our author that our plans are failing, perhaps he ought to turn off the television set.

I think, too, that he's selling the Iraqis a bit short here. Certainly the Kurds have made a go of representative government, as he cites himself. Why not the rest? Could we wait just a bit and see what actually happens before declaring defeat?

[Texasforever]

It is at least worth the threat if not the actual implimentation.

We owe the Kurds more than that. I don't want them used again by us. I support giving the Kurds autonomy and it is obvious they can handle it. In fact I would support a 3 state solution as being the best compromise.

[tpaine]

It is, & was, politically incorrect to admit that we need bases in Iraqi to control the middle east situation.

Once our bases are functional, we should withdraw from the streets, and let the Iraqi's skirmish with each other for local political control, will keeping a tight rein over outright large scale warfare.
-- Let the political factions kill each other off in gang style actions. Who cares?

We are in Iraq for the long haul, defending our political interests. One way or another, we will stay.

Best to bite that politically incorrect bullet as soon as possible. Odds are it will be done immediately after the election, whoever wins.

In truth, the winner may be the one who first faces this fact, and fesses up.

[wku man]

I agree. He said so much, but so little.

Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!

[Our man in washington]

I beg to differ. Is the Kurdish region really all that stable? The two political parties there had a civil war ther from 1994 to 1997. Ansar-Al-Islam, a radical Muslim group, has a stronghold in the Kurdish area. The Kurds have had historically bad relations with the Turkomens, Assyrians, and Chaldeans.

Currently, the Kurds seem to be at peace among themselves. But I wouldn't bet on any long-term stability.

[blam]

"Couldn't he have put all that in three paragraphs?"

That is exactly my thoughts...too many words.

[Poodlebrain]

First, we do not need "enlightened" suggestions from a self-described patriot who chooses to live overseas to inform us of our political interests. His ideas would only be appropriate if we agree that our national interests have changed, and the course of action he proposes would be great if we were letting our national interests be determined by the French Foreign Ministry.

I think the current Administration has repeatedly, concisely and accurately stated our national interests with respect to Iraq and Afghanistan. While conditions have certainly changed, our interests haven't. And one of our interests is the establishment of stable representative governments in Iraq and Afghanistan.

If we were to determine that our national interests were changed with respect to Iraq and Afghanistan, I think it is much more likely that we would determine it is in our interests to exploit our control over the region, and use it as the base for dealing with other perceived threats to our national interests.

[sarasmom]

LOL!
We battle against insanity and the truly evil, and some people still wish to debate the "best way" to deal with the insane and the evil doers, so as to allow "them" to retain a measure of self-respect!
God help us!