“Well, which is better, a secular dictator, or an islamic fundamentalist state? “
Your Saddam fellow was an Islamic terrorist.
” Iraq is going to be an islamic state. “
The invasion of Iraq will cost tens of thousands of U.S. casulties. The U.S. will never find Saddam. Zarqari has popular support among Iraqis and will never be caught. The elections will never succeed. Blah, Blah, Blah....
“So we burn money and pretend we are making a difference until we leave.”
To quote President Bush, “Our troops in Iraq are performing brilliantly. Along with Iraqi forces, they have captured or killed an average of more than 1,500 enemy fighters per month since January.” Doesn’t sound like ‘pretend’ to me. The only pretenders are you defeatists.
“Your Saddam fellow was an Islamic terrorist.”
Good one. Yeah, he’s my guy.
To quote president Bush:
“Victory will not look like the ones our fathers and grandfathers achieved. There will be no surrender ceremony on the deck of a battleship. But victory in Iraq will bring something new in the Arab world — a functioning democracy that polices its territory, upholds the rule of law, respects fundamental human liberties, and answers to its people. A democratic Iraq will not be perfect. But it will be a country that fights terrorists instead of harboring them — and it will help bring a future of peace and security for our children and our grandchildren.”
I don’t see us vectoring in on any of these, except the “not looking like our forefathers victory” part.
You call me a defeatist. Failing to prosecute military operations in Iraq in a manner that results in unambiguous victory - not the kind GWB envisions - but an unambiguous military victory, is the sure path to defeatism.
Subordinating military operations to Iraqi whims is defeatism.
You are the defeatist. Because this “war lite” strategy will end as soon as the American people get sick of paying for it. That is the practical reality of war - the American people eventually get sick of paying for the freedom of the ungrateful. Iraqis aren’t worth it. The war on terror, yes, if we were truly fighting one in Iraq (and Syria, and Iran). Democracy for Iraq? No......that is up to them to secure, not us.