How To Herd Calico Cats In A Forest While Blindfolded?

[Scalliwag]

There is a lot of talk about how the repubs want to "win" the war in Iraq and how everybody else wants to "lose" it by leaving. But is it really that simple?
GW has flipflopped from the beginning and was incredibly slow at admitting any fault. Like he says, he is the "decider". But there is a responsibility that goes with making the decisions that he always seems to want to skirt.
If a neurosurgeon makes a wrong incision that leaves a patient paralyzed it does not mean a more skilled neurosurgeon can fix it.

The subject line says it all. The war was lost in the beginning by the decider. Too many cats made it to the forest now and it seems to be two choices burn down the forest and kill all the cats or let the cats fend for themselves.
But Bush wants to send more troops and go house to house. What happens when the insurgents set boobie traps or when non-insurgents become insurgents because because that has been happening as well?
All of the decisions by the decider gave the insurgency way to much time to dig in and organize. Sadaam is dead. Another government is in place and while it may be shakey it comes down to if the Iraqi people want freedom as much as other countries that had to go through there own struggles to build their own government.
they will have to fight their own civil war at this point because all our presence does is fan the flames.

I guess I am all for cutting and running. I am all for cutting and running from all of the Decider's bad decisions. THis leaves us with a black eye but I am not hearing anything but a bunch a loudmouth repubs that want to act like badasses but have absolutely no solutions. This has dragged out too long and every month we are losing more troops due to this "badass" mentality.
So Doc you have paralyzed the patient and you are still cutting and everybody in the room but you seem to know you need to go face the family and tell them what you did.

Would any pro-war people like to tell us how to "win" this war realistically? Other than nuking the whole damn place how do you herd the only calico cats in the cats of every color forest blindfolded?
to me I really think that republicans want to leave the unpopular decision to pull out in the democrats hands. I think they realize that there is no "winning" to this and want to shift the blame later that the end result was the democrats fault.

Making the Iraqi people step up and actually fight for there own future is not a win for the terrorists. Getting out of their way and letting the process start is a plan in itself.

I would like to hear other ideas. Right now this video here depicts the people that support the war. No answers, just rhetoric. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGOiNbLFwJ0

[newsman]

Thanks for saying what a lot of Americans have been intimidated into not saying. That is, we never should have gone into Iraq in the first place. Our motives were suspect, our evidence was non-existent and we ignored international law to pursue what can only be called Bush's own personal jihad against the nation of Iraq. That that terrorists who perpetrated the attacks of September 11th should be brought to justice is not an issue. However, GW redirected our forces from a legitimate mission to hunt down and capture Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan and focused our military on an unwinnable one in Iraq.

One needs to ask: why do the radical factions of Islam hate the US? I can think of any number of reasons, and let it be said that I consider myself a good american. The fact that our current administration was funded by, represents (to the detriment of the american people) and, in fact, IS the oil industry is a prime reason. We continue to impose ourselves on (and dabble in the affairs of) the middle eastern countries that have the resources we so desire. Our unwillingness to to work for an independent state of Palestine is another.

Unfortunately,our administration has equated rational discourse and dissent with treason. Where would the US be today if our forefathers knuckled under to pressure from King George and said nothing? What makes this country great is our ability to question the decisions of our leaders, and to hold accountable those who stray from the rule of law, flaunting the wishes of the majority. Yet we have allowed ourselves to be held hostage by a man who continues the ignore rising tide of public opposition. How much different from Saddam Hussein is a president who continues to send patriotic soldiers to their deaths and plunge an entire country into civil war? Have we not traded one evil for another?

We need to be able to sit down and not be afraid to ask those who oppose us what it is that offends them so. We need to be able to step outside of our own culture and try to understand the world around us. I am afraid that in many ways we have become too arrogant for our own good. If it's not our way, it's the wrong way. Benjamin Franklin once said, "Good fences make good neighbors." But I think that in these troubled times, understanding may make better neighbors. The American way is great... for America. Let's learn about, and accept, what 's right for the rest of the world.

[ghostofdavid]

Why would anyone be intimidated in saying, "Thanks for saying what a lot of Americans have been intimidated into not saying. That is, we never should have gone into Iraq in the first place," unless they were in a VFW hall?

[Scalliwag]

that is not very true today. But again, today the Dixie Chicks or anybody else could pretty much say anything they want about GW and not get blacklisted. That obviously was not the case a few years ago.
Time had it's way of proving who was right and all the fools that were wrong as well. Unfortunately it was a very expensive lesson paid for because of a majority of peoples ignorance.

But I never cowed down to anybody about what I felt about Bush even when it was not the most popular of opinions. The cool thing is I have sure got to tell a lot of people I told them so

[tingjunkie]

The cool thing is I have sure got to tell a lot of people I told them so

Yeah, +1. But I'm still so angry about the whole situation that even my self-righteousness is tainted and I can't reallly enjoy it.

[phr0]

One needs to ask: why do the radical factions of Islam hate the US? I can think of any number of reasons, and let it be said that I consider myself a good american. The fact that our current administration was funded by, represents (to the detriment of the american people) and, in fact, IS the oil industry is a prime reason. We continue to impose ourselves on (and dabble in the affairs of) the middle eastern countries that have the resources we so desire. Our unwillingness to to work for an independent state of Palestine is another.

[Oracle]

I have to disagree with the "unwillingness to work for an independent State of Palestine" thing. Both this administration and the Clinton administration put a lot of effort into making that a reality, and the Palestinians (particularly Arafat) were the ones that caused the problems, not the Israelis. Then the Palestinians go and elect a terrorist organization to run their government? Yeah, that's really a cry to be taken seriously. (/sarcasm).

We should never have been in Iraq in the first place. Yes, Saddam Hussein was an evil sonofabitch, but, so is Robert Mugabe, and we aren't doing jack about him. And the main reason to leave him in power was the same as it's always been - to act as a check on Iran's power in the Middle East. Without that, Iran suddenly becomes a whole lot more powerful than they ever have been, and that's a far worse situation than anything Saddam Hussein ever did.