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Politics : Just the Facts, Ma'am: A Compendium of Liberal Fiction -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Jim S who wrote (52895)	11/3/2006 4:40:28 PM
From: Cogito	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 90947

>>When we invaded Iraq, we pretty conclusively whipped the entire government. It ceased to exist, and the government of Iraq quit fighting against us. So, the war ON Iraq was complete. We won. If we'd just left, right then, we could have brought our troops home to a confetti parade through Times Square. Going in, our mission was to whup up on the government there. And we did that. The problem was, we tried to let the people of that mixed up little country resume their lives with some sort of security and economic organization. That's when the "second war" began, the one we are now trying to fight, and the one that may go on for a long time. This war, may be unwinnable, I don't know. But I do know that we can't just quit and go home.<< Jim - So leaving immediately after toppling Saddam's government would have been OK? You can't be serious. What do you suppose the country would look like now if we had done that? What kind of radical Islamist faction would have stepped into the power vacuum. Don't forget that it took us months to even find Saddam. If we had left before finding him, he might have even managed to get back into power. I agree that we can't just quit and go home now, either. We're in a quagmire. That's one of the problems with quagmires. You can't get out of them. This is why the criticism that Bush, Rummy and the rest didn't think their little plan through properly is completely justified and appropriate. - Allen

To: Jim S who wrote (52895)	11/3/2006 5:48:39 PM
From: Cogito	Respond to of 90947

>>"I think confusing the war in Iraq with the greater war on terrorism is one of the biggest mistakes Bush and his followers make. It's really both simplistic and misleading." I agree, except for the part about "Bush and his followers." I'd say the false thinking is pervasive, regardless of party or persuasion.<< Jim - I forgot to respond to this point earlier. I believe the Pew Research Center has polls indicating that the majority of Americans now see that there's a distinction between the war in Iraq and the war on terrorism. I know I've seen polls to indicate that, but I'm not sure if it was on the Pew site or elsewhere. - Allen