[raj bhatia]

Found this interesting, coming from Krauthammer. Amnesty for troop killers in exchange for a politcal settlement? I am very queasy about this and I hope he knows what he is talking about. The ultimate objective is laudable though--finish the mission and bring the troops home.

[Coldwater Creek]

I can think of 2,500 reasons not to grant amnesty!!!!

[Mike Darancette]

If they didn't kill Americans then it is the Iraqi Government's decision.

[EagleUSA]

The world is just upside down. Law-abiders have to obey the law, criminals are pandered to and get amnesty --- WHO SAID "CRIME DOES NOT PAY" ?? -- he was not either a Mexican or a Terrorits.

[Billthedrill]

An excellent, thought-provoking article, IMHO. I remain unconvinced but it's certainly a legitimate argument.

Our objective in any war is not revenge but success. Confederate soldiers who swore allegiance to the United States were pardoned after the Civil War, even those who had killed Union soldiers. We gave amnesty to legions of Japanese and Germans who'd killed thousands of Americans in World War II.

It would not be us granting amnesty this time around but Iraq. While it is well within their sovereign rights to do so it might be considered as a little premature (not to mention discourteous) to do so while the objects of that amnesty are still actively involved in killing our people.

Krauthammer suggests that such a step might help reconcile the Sunnis to a place in the current government instead of permanent, violent opposition. I'm not convinced he's on solid ground there. The very nature of this sort of amnesty allows its beneficiaries to pledge anything they like and continue the covert killing anyway. That isn't amnesty at all, it's giving our enemies an insuperable advantage.

[familyop]

"The second has proved far more difficult than anticipated..."

...as "anticipated" by whom--all who propagandized the assumption that the effort shouldn't take longer than a television mini-series? HammerKraut lives in a fantasy world, as much as others who view the War on Terror as a political game in their minds while writing for the purpose of gaining political power against other ethnic groups. He only pretends to know what the situation in reality is--a situation that is distant from him.

Yes, he would like to free his friends, so that they can further attack people he's paranoid about.

[DJ Taylor]

[OkiMusashi]

If it were our country then we would get to make the call.

It ain't and we don't.

[familyop]

We will neutralize the insurgents in their own land: Iran. That will calm Iraq down enough for Iraqis to their to get their nation in better (but not perfect) order.

Our efforts in Iraq were never intended to be about perfection. Iraq is a strategic base of operations from which to finish the War on Terror. Iran/Syria are next, and the various closet anti-American, ethnic/religious/Euro identity fantasy mongerers won't change that plan.

[Berlin_Freeper]

I feel like this about it... The Media makes hysterics of over 2,500 US soldiers killed in Iraq, but the number of soldiers actually killed by the enemy is much lower than that.

So the number of enemies that actually killed a US soldier is not that high to begin with. And you have to consider that some of those have either since been killed or left Iraq.

So just how many troop killers are we talking about here that would be effected? I don't think that many, and it depends on how culpable you want to hold them. Do we count the ones that pulled the trigger or set off the roadside bomb? Or are we counting all in a cell regardless if they personally killed anyone? So I think we are talking about a few hundred at this point.

Then we need to consider if we offer amnesty what benefits can we expect? It might help simmer down some of the insurgency from the Sunnis. That would make things a bit more difficult for the terrorists to operate. And the more we can squeeze the terrorists the more we can effectively wipe them out. Then it might be expected that we score some international diplomacy points as we display that we are showing restraint, and that will buy us some political capital for when we need to lower the hammer again.

And finally what does amnesty really mean? Right now we have no solid clues exactly who is the bad guy otherwise we go visit and blow them away. We offer amnesty today and in the future when loose mouths start wagging we take note and make their lives miserable in another way.

We offer them amnesty-shamnesty to serve our purpose now and then crack their skulls later.

[zarf]

Absolutely amnesty. Excluding Al Queada and Arabs from outside Iraq, those that resisted US forces should be given a pass. Anyone who chose to attack civilians should be hung.

There's no crime in a local resistance to foriegn forces, any of us would do the same.

[Mark Felton]

US forces should stay in Iraq for the next 50+ years.

Iraq has already been democratized faster than Japan and Germany. We have achieved greater political objectives, faster and at lesser cost of life than practically any other military operation in US history, save perhaps Haiti or Panama.

Bopth Japan and Germany were under US miltary rule (or Allied rule) for over 6 years. Both of them took over 6 years before a constitution and democratically elected governments were etsablished.

Iraq has established a Constitutional government faster than the USA. (it took 12 years AFTER the War of Independence to create a Constitution because of the religious and political conflict between the different states).

Nobody today suggests we are imperialistic rulers over Japan or Germany because that is just utter nonsense, the same is true for Iraq.

Radical Muslims must never be allowed to gain power bases within nation states ever again, because they will use that power to wage war and sabotage against non-Muslim states. It is thus essential that we maintain forces in strategic areas such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Turkey, Pakistan...

Why does nobody demand we pull our troops out of Pakistan or Turkey or Kuwait? How about Germany? Japan? etc etc...

It is only the rabid anti-Americans who demand we surrender Iraq to the terrorists and allow the fledgling democracy to fail before it has fully established its military force.

All liberty is won and maintained at the point of a gun. All of it...that has always been true.

[GeronL]

This guy wants to nationalize the price of gasoline at $3.50 or something and anything over that goes to government.

No free markets for him

[RobbyS]

The way our civil war came to an end. Parole for the troops, pardon for confederate leaders with few exceptions. That did not, of course, end the animosity. Ten years of reconstruction ended with the "Bourbon restoration" and eventually injustice for the southern blacks who were supposed to be raised to citizenship.