I ran across this exchange by accident last night. I was going to say something then but decided not to, but I see it is continuing. Even though I have grown to like you a lot over the years, your posts strike me as having no real point except hectoring.
How many times does someone have to say they have no interest in continuing a discussion before you have the grace and manners to stop badgering them and move on? You aren't here for my convenience, I'm not here for hers, and Euterpe definitely isn't here for yours. So Euterpe won't answer your questions - BFD, Laz. Lots of people won't answer yours, mine and others. Get over it and act like the adult that you are. (Up to now, at least Euterpe has had the good manners to give you the courtesy of a reply, albeit not one to your liking. Most people would have put you on ignore a long time ago.)
She answered the questions she was interested in answering, Laz. Just like everyone else does. Whatever other answers you are looking for you aren't going to get.
Your last post calls into question the real reason for your obvious anger because you, Euterpe, and I have similar outlooks:
The Bush Administration screwed up this occupation. You and I appear to agree that they did it so badly that nothing short of total war will provide a victory and that is an impossibility. Unlike me, you seem to harbor the illusion that, were the Democrats not in power in the Congress, we might start a draft to get the troops necessary to win. A GOP congress is about as likely to do that as Dennis Kucinich is likely to be the POTUS.
If you bothered to check the record, you would find that Euterpe was quite reasoned in her arguments against this elective war in Iraq before the war. (In fact, the sources Euterpe provided for her opinions at that time were right about the consequences of this unconscionably ill-considered, poorly planned and under-manned misadventure.)
So, yes, we are going to end up going out with a whimper, not a bang, thanks to George W. Bush & his advisers. More soldiers are going to die for not much more than we would have had had we never invaded, and thousands more Iraqis are going to die because we did, screwed it up and then left. I don't like it one damn bit. |
