101 Americans die in Iraq during October

Associated Press ^ | 10/30/06 | STEVEN R. HURST,

[atlaw]

We shouldn't leave until the mission is accomplished.

The mission is being redefined as we speak. Reality has a way of doing that.

The only way the enemy can win is to create the kind of attitude you express here at home. You are their last best hope.

Chest-thumping hogwash. It is not a badge honor to aimlessly and ignorantly wander off a cliff. The "enemy", as you would have it, consists of a myriad of warring domestic factions in Iraq. To put it another way, the "enemy" is Iraq itself. This ambiguous "enemy" is not subject to US military engagement, and both the reality of the region and the design and purpose of our military render the playing of policeman a fool's errand. What will happen now in Iraq will happen regardless of our presence. We ousted Saddam. The rest is up to the Iraqis.

[kabar]

The mission is being redefined as we speak. Reality has a way of doing that.

Not really. The reason why we went into Iraq is contained in the Text of Joint Resolution On Iraq Passed By The United States Congress: 296-133 by the House of Representatives and 77-23 by the Senate on October 10 and 11, 2002. We want a stable, democratic Iraq, which will not be a sanctuary for terrorists and a threat to its neighbors.

The "enemy", as you would have it, consists of a myriad of warring domestic factions in Iraq. To put it another way, the "enemy" is Iraq itself.

Hogwash. Do you deny that AQ is still in Iraq? The insurgency is primarily defeated Saddam followers and Baathists. The Sunni minority still hasn't come to grips with fact that they no longer can oppress the majority.

This ambiguous "enemy" is not subject to US military engagement, and both the reality of the region and the design and purpose of our military render the playing of policeman a fool's errand. .

Funny but the enemy is engaging us and the Iraqi military and police who have suffered twice the casualties we have. The enemy is not only killing innocent Iraqis but also those in the governmental apparatus. We are also killing them. It is a guerrilla war just like the ones fought by the British against the communists in Malaysia or the IRA in Northern Ireland. The enemy in Iraq is far from ambiguous. You don't remove a repressive regime that held sway for almost 30 years and not have some instability following its removal.

What will happen now in Iraq will happen regardless of our presence. We ousted Saddam. The rest is up to the Iraqis.

Wrong. Without a continued US presence, Iraq will really fall into chaos and the effects will be felt regionally and globally. We can't just walk away like we did in Vietnam. Remember the millions of Vientamese put into reeductation camps, the tens of thousands murdered, and hundreds of thousands of boat people and refugees. Or the millions murdered in Cambodia and Laos. Or the fact that South Vietnam has been living under a repressive Communist regime for 30 years?

Beyond the humanitarian concerns in Iraq, we have some real strategic interests in the region, which has more than half of the world's exportable oil. What happens to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the rest of the countries bordering Iraq if chaos reigns? The Saudis don't want us to leave immediately because they understand the impact on them and stability of the country. Will Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, etc. want a continued US presence in their countries?

Sorry, but it does matter how we leave Iraq.