Posted on 07/20/2007 4:44:22 AM PDT by Kaslin
"I am convinced, based on everything I have read, it won't be a hell of a lot worse than it is now." -- Rep. John P. Murtha
Jack (redeploy to Okinawa) Murtha was speaking of Iraq after an American pullout. He's not worried. Nor are most Democrats now urging America to flee Iraq. There really ought to be a name for the "it can't get worse" fallacy. For the moment, let's just call it Democratomyopia. It has a long pedigree.
One thinks of March 1975. Liberal New York Times columnist Anthony Lewis scoffed at warnings of a coming bloodbath in Southeast Asia. "Some will find the whole bloodbath debate unreal. What future possibility could be more terrible than the reality of what is happening to Cambodia now?" Most Democrats agreed with Lewis.
Six weeks later, the last Americans lifted off in helicopters from the roof of the U.S. embassy in Saigon, leaving hundreds of panicked South Vietnamese immediately behind and an entire region to the mercy of the communists. The scene was similar in Phnom Penh. The torture and murder spree that followed left millions of corpses. The psychological effect on America -- despite dozens of declarations that the Vietnam Syndrome is dead -- has not yet been transcended.
Democrats like Murtha and Rep. Lynn Woolsey ("I believe, if we leave, the region will pull together") represent the myopia school. But to be fair to the Democrats, there is another perspective; call it the TDB school, best represented by Rep. David Obey. Asked by the Los Angeles Times whether he didn't think Iraq might experience violence akin to that in Bosnia during the 1990s, Obey responded, "I wouldn't be surprised if it's horrendous. The only hope for the Iraqis is their own damned government, and there's slim hope for that."
And then, a perennial: The diplomacy first, last and always school. Sen. Carl Levin, co-sponsor of a withdrawal resolution, calls for the United Nations to appoint an Iraq mediator. (Of course! Why didn't we think of that before?) Sen. Harry Reid believes we should withdraw our forces in Iraq immediately to be replaced by "tough and strong diplomacy." Threaten me one more time with that IED, and I might just have to convene a roundtable discussion!
The Democrats have convinced themselves, once again, that the enemy is us -- or at least our fault. There was no al Qaeda in Iraq before we invaded the country, they argue. If it exists now, it's entirely our own doing. It is our presence that causes the violence in Iraq. In fact, our presence in Iraq is the greatest recruiting tool the terrorists have!
Why don't the Democrats argue that our presence in Afghanistan is equally provocative to the terrorists? One would think it would be more so. Nor is it the case that before the allied (remember the others?) invasion, Iraq was irrelevant to the terrorist threat worldwide. Saddam was a faithful and generous supporter of numerous terror groups -- a fact cited by the many Democrats who voted for the war.
But even assuming (and it's a dubious assumption) that America would be better off if Saddam were still in power, there is the problem of reality. We are faced with either perseverance and determination to support Gen. David Petraeus and his so far pretty successful strategy to stabilize the country, or we can unilaterally decide to declare defeat.
Now, if you want to see a recruiting tool for al Qaeda, you cannot possibly do better than this story line: "We chased them out of Iraq just as we chased the Soviets out of Afghanistan. They cannot defeat us! All of their smart bombs and guided missiles and up-armored Humvees cannot defeat a few soldiers of Allah!"
If the Democrats' withdrawal script is followed in Iraq, as it was in Vietnam, there is no question that the resulting violence will make today's chaos seem like an idyll. John Burns, the respected reporter for The New York Times, recently offered the view that "the United States armed forces here -- and I find this to be very widely agreed amongst Iraqis that I know, of all ethnic and sectarian backgrounds . . . are a very important inhibitor against violence. . . . I think it's a much larger truth that where American forces are present, they are inhibiting sectarian violence, and they are going after the people, particularly al Qaeda and the Shiite death squads, who are provoking that violence."
Never say "it can't get worse." It reveals a terrible poverty of imagination.
John Edwards said there were no killing fields in Vietnam after we left, just prison reeducation camps.!! Implying that the Iraqi people wouldn’t suffer much if we leave because the Vietnamese didn’t suffer much. So the title to this article is perfect. Bunch of morons.
Killing fields. It can get much worse. Democrats are sweet, the way they imagine they best.
Ms. Anthony Lewis (chief Judge, Massachusetts, installed by the NYTimes and Boston Globe
forced gay marriage down the throats of America.
HE is eager to force defeat upon America as well.
What a power-mad family.
Same BS Dems said when they pulled the rug out from under South Vietnam. There’s no end to these peoples stupidity we’re still paying for that disgraceful action.
They have no ideas in how to solve aproblem, and because of that, they want us to make the same mistakes they made
How come the Libs like to compare the WOT to ‘Nam to show why we should leave... and then when we point out what would happen if it was “like ‘Nam” they keep quiet?
They see only one problem, their ascent to power, and there is nothing they won’t do to get it treachery included.
The Surge is Working to Expose Both Enemies
Dirtbag Riedtard had the Helicopters warmed up to evacuate the Iraqi Embassy and failed.
Pray for W and Our Freedom Fighters
The answer is not at all surprising. The answer is that they pointedly ignore history if they don't like it. They want another ideological victory, the kind that will put us in another malaise and get us another Jimmuh Carter or worse.
With the Dems, it's all about power, they've already sold their souls and are willing to make a deal on their wife and kids, too if you're interested.
I was talking to Thornton recently and he said that I'm exactly right, and that he was surprised that conservatives knew that all the Libs really want is power. The libs simply assume we can't read what they write out every day.
Very telling that it came from one of their “street soldiers” (snort, hehehehehehe!)
Many of us just assume the “common” liberal is naive. Turns out, they just want to show support for the Dark Side in hopes of getting treated nicely (handouts).
They KNOW what they are doing.
What these fools don’t percieve is that Americans are “paid” to take care of trouble in the world.
By that I mean the standard of living we enjoyed from WWII until the early ‘70’s had a lot to do with 5-6% interest rates. Those come from other governments, busnesses , and individuals investing in America. They do so when they perceive stability, reliability and effective use of power and leadership to contain and resolve the “hot spots” of the world. When we walked out of Vietnam in 1975 -3 years later we could’nt buy gasoline and in five years we had 20% interest rates. It took all of RR’s presidency, with its resolution of the Cold War, ultimately, to get the world re-invested in the USA and get our interest rates down. They plummeted after 911 when GWB showed the world we were serious about dealing with the Islamic threat.
These fools walk on Iraq—we’ll be looking at 25% interest rates in 3 years...and 10.00 gallon gas-which is what Europe already pays. But then again, I’ve always held out that the Democrats can only find opportunity in their fellow American’s misery.
So, what have you read, Jack? "See Dick Run"?
"Democrats like Murtha and Rep. Lynn Woolsey ("I believe, if we leave, the region will pull together")...
This isn't myopia. This is a perfectly logical belief starting from their premises. As Ayn Rand used to say, "check your premises". For Murtha and Woolsey, the United States is an evil country. The United States is the problem in the world. So, if you remove the US, things will be better. Thus, "I believe, if we leave, the region will pull together". It makes perfect sense, if you're a self-hating, morbidly narcissistic, liberal, progressive Democrat.
God forbid the Demonrats get their way and we once again look like cowards and fools to the rest of the world, and most importantly, the terrorists!
But how can we be sure, if the unthinkable comes to pass, and we pull out before finishing the job like we did in Vietnam, that the evil complicit MSM that has so thoroughly succeeded in brainwashing the sheeple would tell the truth on what will happen in Iraq?
Certainly, they are not telling the truth now. All indications from military leaders in Iraq in internal communications are extremely positive. After nearly five years, we have barely lost as many people as were killed in several hours by terrorists on 9/11. Every life is precious, but we are encountering the enemy every day and have suffered very few losses overall...
If YOU were an Iraqi, trying to decide to support the government, would you risk the slaughter of your family, knowing that Democrats could abandon you at any moment to the fates?
We HAVE done that to our allies before....
Murtha and all the Democrats will have BLOODY hands....but what’s MORE blood than all those abortions they love?
My heart still breaks whenever I see this image. (And I was a clueless teen at the time.) I can guarantee this same image will be repeated time after time if we pull out of Iraq anytime soon. And with the same result for anyone past the sixth or so person in line.
I've wondered why there are so few, if any polls, about pulling out of Afghanistan. Of the 70% ,I suppose, that want to pull out of Iraq, don't 69% want to pull out of Afghanistan also? Why don't the pollsters ask that question, or have I just missed it?
bump
They are so predictale
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