Forget democracy and bring home troops, Bush will hear

UK Telegraph ^ | Nov. 12, 2006 | Philip Sherwell

[FairOpinion]

A commission of experts appointed by President George W Bush will advise him to abandon his dream of cementing a new democratic system in Iraq and instead tackle the security crisis so that the withdrawal of American troops can begin.

The advice from the Iraq Study Group, a high-level bipartisan panel headed by James Baker, the former Republican secretary of state, will sideline the so-called Bush doctrine of spreading democracy in the Middle East. Mr Bush will meet the panel tomorrow and Tony Blair is expected to offer his views via a video-conference call on Tuesday.

Mr Gates is a member of the Iraq Study Group and has been a strong critic of his predecessor's handling of policy in Iraq and the use of pre-war intelligence. He will provide the White House with the political cover for changes that would have been unthinkable a few months ago.

The Baker panel, which has been charged with looking at all options for Iraq, is expected to recommend a phased US troop withdrawal, timed to accord with deadlines for Iraqi forces' taking responsibility for specific security zones.

[The Bronze Titan]

"THEN we will see not 3000 casualties in Iraq, but 300,000 civilian casualties in the US, or more, when the terrorists will attack us with WMD." That is PURE B.S.

If that's the case, they can do it from IRAN now, from Lebanon, from Syria, and any ENEMY country that has the infrastructure to carry that out.

[expatpat]

....he is expected to clear out ideologues from the Pentagon's E wing, where Mr Rumsfeld's political appointments have had their offices.

I guess they mean the E Ring, the innermost part of the Pentagon, and where all the top dogs in the Pentagon hang out.

[USMA '71]

If a people have had no experience with democracy and are not conditioned to accept it, we simply cannot impose it on them.

You provided your list, now let me provide my list of countries that had no experience with democracy that had it imposed on them SUCCESSFULLY: South Korea, West and now East Germany, and Japan to name a few that most people have heard of. Please don't let the facts get in the way of stating your faulty premise.

[Txsleuth]

Welcome to Free Republic.

Thank you for the link.

I also saw footage of the Iraqi Amb. Khalilizad (sp) giving a speech to our troops for Veteran's Day..in Iraq.

The speech was very good..and he was very appreciative of what our troops have done over there.

[leadpenny]

Give thought to this: Combat deaths are in the name of the United States of America. Murders in American cities are not. I'll say it again - - it is obscene to campare the two.

[SolidWood]

Thanks,

I guess you mean my reply (post 37): I wanted to say that there is no lack of will (to fight) among our soldiers or patriots, but among a large section of the American public.
By voting for the Democrats they have endangered an American Victory in the War on Terror and strengthened our enemies. That is the abyss I was talking about.

[EDINVA]

ever hear of Japan?

[expatpat]

If a nation of 300 million cannot handle 3000 casulties over a the course of 3 years it isn't a serious military power.

Furthermore, if such a nation can't handle the 12,000 men AlQ just bragged about, then it has a craven leadership class.

[The Bronze Titan]

-"We should have declared this war over as soon as we defeated Saddam and his army. Let these stone age people go back to their stone age." Well spoken. Exactly my point.

Let's fight wars for SPECIFIC and DEFINABLE objectives. Not "endless" objectives of "democracy" to a part of the world that their religion is not condusive to such.

[Txsleuth]

They may recommend it...but President Bush has already said that he won't be bound by their recommendations.

I have heard a LOT more people say that it would be CRAZY to talk to them...especially about Iraq.

[Txsleuth]

"damn the collateral damage"...

I hate to tell you...but if we pull out of Iraq too soon...your children or mine may be the "collateral damage" of that decision...no thanks.

[Txsleuth]

Carl Levin, is that you???

[RFEngineer]

"....South Korea, West and now East Germany, and Japan to name a few that most people have heard of. Please don't let the facts get in the way of stating your faulty premise."


There are a few facts about those countries, and the circumstances that made them more amenable to democracy than Iraq that bear stating, don't you think?

[SolidWood]

Thanks, you are welcome.

Zalmay Khalilzad is our (USA) Ambassador to Iraq, not the other way around, BTW he is a native Afghan.

[Reaganesque]

From June 6, 1944 to August 25, 1944, historians estimate that the Battle of Normandy cost 110,000 dead from both sides: 77,866 German, 9,386 American, 17,769 British, 5,002 Canadian and 650 Poles.

According to current Liberal war dead cost/benefit calculus, WWII should have ended just a few minutes after our landing craft hit the beach. 110,000 dead on both sides in a matter of weeks. 9,386 on the American side alone. And today's Liberals are complaining about 3,000 dead over 3 plus years.

Thank heaven they weren't in charge back then. The Third Reich really would have lasted a thousand years.

[brydic1]

If Islam is incompatible with democracy and freedom, and I believe it is, what in the blazes are we doing there. There is no way to destroy the religion of Islam in Iraq so we should destroy as many of our enemies as possible, render that nation militarily powerless in the future and leave the hellhole. Maybe a more callous but effective tactic would be arming both the Shiites and Sunnis to the hilt and let them proceed with liquidating each other. This endeavor in Iraq is not worth one more american life.

[Txsleuth]

The will of the troops is lacking...not by a long shot...

Unless you are talking about the handful of troops that have come back...and been courted by the DEMS to bash Bush every chance they get...like that idiot Paul Reikoff (sp).

[RFEngineer]

"Let's fight wars for SPECIFIC and DEFINABLE objectives...."

I absolutely agree, and let's add some specific language about being in our direct national interest to those specific and definable objectives, and let our military achieve them before politicians get involved.

[Txsleuth]

You are very right, owf.

[Kozak]

Back them with what? simple facts?

Don't cut and run over what amount to trivial casualties in war. Have some PERSPECTIVE as a nation about what fighting a war entails. Our response should be to just continue with the mission. Not wring our hands tear our clothes and run and hide.