Posted on 10/24/2006 11:04:34 AM PDT by areafiftyone
Democrats and Republicans are agonizing over their positions on the Iraq war.
The polls indicate that a tsunami effect is expected, with the loss of 40 Republican seats in the House and enough in the Senate to shift control of both Houses to the Democrats.
However, I am sticking with my prediction that the Republicans will hold both Houses, because the Republican base made up of the Christian right and evangelicals is, for ideological reasons, more committed to voting than the Democratic base. I have said continually that the Democrats should be running on the issues they do best — Social Security, comprehensive medical insurance, abortion (choice), education, housing, fair taxation, and not engaging in Bush-bashing as the major reason to elect them.
A long time ago I urged that the Democrats come up with their version of the 1994 Republican "Contract With America". That approach taken by Newt Gingrich for the Republicans, then the minority party, provided Republicans with a great victory, making Gingrich Speaker of the House. The Democratic leadership decided otherwise and Bush-bashing and the conduct of the Iraq War became the overriding issues.
My position on that war is that unless our regional allies — Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Jordan, and Turkey — all Sunni nations — join us with boots on the ground, we should announce an ultimatum that we are leaving Iraq in six months. A similar ultimatum should be given to our NATO allies, some of whom have joined us in Iraq — Great Britain and a few others — most of whom, however, led by France, have not. When we leave, all of those nations will be compelled to support the government of Iraq because the existing civil war will escalate, the regional countries with common borders with Iraq will fear the flow of millions of refugees crossing into their countries, along with terrorists threatening their governments. NATO nations and others at the U.N. will be called upon for both humanitarian and security reasons — fear of escalating terrorism — to join in the rescue of the Iraqi civilian population from the ongoing horrendous civil war.
It being quite clear that the Bush administration has not accepted my proposal and given the necessary ultimatum, I now propose that an ultimatum be given to Iraq’s Prime Minister Maliki. The New York Times reported on October 21st, “Iraq is awash in killings, and many are blamed on the Mahdi Army, the militia commanded by a glowering Shiite cleric, Moktada al-Sadr. An indignant Mr. Sadr called his men to fight against the American military twice in 2004. It was bloodied, but survived. Since then the Mahdi Army, and a growing criminal breakaway element, have grown into one of the government’s biggest problems and are a major obstacle to the success of the American enterprise here. Despite its new rogue fringe, Iraqi Shiites see the Mahdi militia as their most effective protector against the hostile Sunni groups that have slaughtered Shiites and driven them from their homes. Shiites say that as long as the government cannot keep them safe, they cannot support the disarming of militias.”
Maliki was elected by Sadr whose party gave its votes to him. When the U.S. army recently captured one of his senior aides whom the army believed was directing the death squads used to kill Sunni citizens of Baghdad, they were compelled to free him on the order of the prime minister. The Times reported, “But in a measure of just how complex Iraq has become, it is impossible to tell where loyalties to Mr. Sadr end and criminal activity begins. Rogue groups of his former followers now run underground fiefdoms of sectarian killing and kidnapping — and even a special market for victims’ cars. One of his senior aides was arrested by the American military earlier this week on suspicion of having directed the killing and torture of Sunnis. The Americans later reluctantly released him at the request of the Iraqi government.”
Sunnis are killing Shiites as well and probably began the civilian violence, but we should also recall that just before the U.S. invasion of Iraq, Saddam Hussein emptied his prisons, releasing tens of thousand of hard-core criminals onto the streets. The Shiites responded to Sunni violence, as described in The Times, “But that reaction spilled over into open carnage in February, when Shiite mobs rampaged through Baghdad, dragging Sunnis out of their homes and mosques and killing them. Shiites’ patience had snapped, and they began to take systematic revenge.”
Every observer of Iraq, those critical of Bush and those supporting him, believe that the Sunni minority has to be both brought into government in larger numbers than is now the case and made to feel that the government is committed to stopping violence perpetuated by both Sunni and Shiite militias. Instead, it appears that the government is supporting the Shiite militia headed by Sadr.
If Prime Minister Maliki lost support from the U.S. government and the U.S. troops on the ground who are doing the fighting for the Iraqi army, he could not remain in power. CNN reports that solely for the month of October, as of October 23rd, American military casualties are 86 dead and 580 wounded. Maliki recently called President Bush to ask whether the U.S. President was seeking to unseat him and was assured to the contrary. That response should have been different. Maliki should be told that unless he is willing to come to terms in power-sharing with the Sunni and arrest Sadr and his terrorist minions, we will leave. That is my third proposed ultimatum.
Under the U.N. mandate authorizing the U.S. to maintain troops in Iraq, the U.S. has committed to leaving whenever Iraq’s government asks us to do so. The Iraqi government has continually publicly stated that it wants the U.S. to stay. Why not, since our troops are dying in seeking to provide Iraqis with security and services, while the Iraqi army and police force are engaged in the rising civil war and killing and torturing the Sunni population, all undoubtedly in revenge for what the Shia suffered when the Sunni supporters of Saddam Hussein were in charge.
While Iraq can ask us to leave and we will go, we surely have the right to demand that the Iraqis take the measures needed for us to stay, particularly ending the Prime Minister’s support for the terrorist Shia militia and arresting them. Failing which, we will leave. That’s my advice.
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I'll give Koch his due and I recognize him as not a hateful DIM (One of the few). But he is still wrong.
DIMs only win when their deceitful message gets more voters ears than the truth.
The Democratic party simply stands for nothing!
BINGO-
And, unfortunately for Koch, they are not good on the issues...because all their plans, if they have one, are farcical at best.
This flies in the face of those who have been saying that the "religious right" only represents 10% of the GOP vote.
That's because the Democratic base lives in the local cemetaries.
I respect him too. He's not a bad guy - he supported Bush in 2004 and the war in Iraq. He's been a pretty honest guy thru the whole thing. He's a character though! You gotta smile when you see him. I've seen him a few times around town - A Really friendly and nice guy!
Democrats like Koch are a dying breed! Zell Miller is another one who is a good Democrat!
Ha!
Queers, baby killing and handouts?
The latest polls show that there is 67 percent chance that the GOP will keep control of the Senate, but only 33 per cent of the GOP keeping the House.
Sad but true.
Also, Talent and Corker will win, but most of the other contested seats will be lost. Would like to see Kean pull an upset. Chafee looks like he is gone as well.
"My position on that war is that unless our regional allies — Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Jordan, and Turkey — all Sunni nations — join us with boots on the ground, we should announce an ultimatum that we are leaving Iraq in six months."
I'm all for that. It makes sense. If GWB would make that move now, the democrats would be crushed like bugs in November.
Social Security Lockbox!!
abortion (choice) Murder
fair taxation Rat Tax
Yep, that's pretty much what they're good at.
In fact, the only way to pacify Iraq is to remove the Sunni Arabs from the region. Bringing in more of them is ridiculous.
Absolutely. And, preferably something other than "Bush bad".
Methinks the dems and the media won the election about four weeks too soon.
I understand your point...but considering the region, we need our FOBs there...IRAN/SYRIA are terrorist regimes, we need to have our forces in Iraq for the long haul...or we need to regime change IRAN and SYRIA now...
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