Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Bruce L who wrote (147790)	10/14/2004 1:12:46 PM
From: cnyndwllr	Respond to of 281500

Bruce, of course I believe your opinions are principled. I just cannot accept the assumptions which underlie them. You state that, The 9/11 attack amounted to a declaration of war against the United States. I believe that the tactical decision to invade Iraq was appropriate and part of that same war. I don't know how you get from "9/11" to justifying an invasion of Iraq. Who declared war? Are you assuming that we have the right to, and more importantly can, revenge non-Iraqi terrorism, control terrorism or somehow make ourselves safer by invading and occupying a sovereign Muslim nation. So far there is ABSOLUTELY NO evidence that it is working, or will work. Most experts said not to go, most experts are saying it was a huge mistake and we have clearly created a problem we cannot fix with "will and resolve" or with bombs and tanks. As far as the "will and resolve" statement's accuracy; the fact that the "war is already underway" has little to do with the accuracy of that statement. "Will and resolve" change with events and as the successes or failures in the conflict begin to mount. If you want to look at the end of the conflict and then say, "the side with the greater will and resolve at the end of the conflict 'won,'" then by definition you will be correct. That doesn't mean that at various times during the conflict "will and resolve" will not ebb and flow. I think that wars are not "on or off" endeavors. This is especially true when there are diplomatic exits available. We are not trapped in a fight to the death in Iraq. We can exit just about any time we want to. And we will exit, no matter who is elected. We will exit not because we do not have the "will and resolve," we will exit because the mission was a fool's mission and even the fools who took us there are recognizing that simple truth. When we came to Iraq our enemies must have said "welcome to the world of Old Testament thinking; welcome to the world of an eye for an eye; welcome to the world of a proud people of a different culture, welcome to the real world." In the real world we cannot dominate the internal workings of Iraq, and in the real world our welcome in Iraq was short-lived.