Here Goes Nothing ...

Although the status quo is unacceptable, I do not think that we can simply walk away from Iraq.

If Somalia or Afghanistan looked like terrorist havens, what do you think Iraq will look like post-withdrawal? Iran, and other states, will use Iraq as a staging ground to launch terrorist attacks elsewhere. However, unlike Somalia or Afghanistan, Iraq is not located in some desolate area without any significant infrastructure and far away from large cities.

Although Al Qaeda was not in Iraq before the invasion, they are there now and we cannot simply retreat without emboldening those who think that America is a paper tiger that will run at the sight of blood. I believe that our enemies' resolve to fight is, in part, dependent on whether they believe that we can be defeated. Most think that we will run and lack the determination that they do. The war in Iraq not only affects our present, it affects our future ability to wage wars successfully and our credibility in general.

If people were/are concerned about humanitarian crises like Somalia, Rwanda, Darfur, etc., what do people think will happen in Iraq if we leave? The Iraqi civil war is not going to end, it is going to get worse. I've never understood why some opposed the war in Iraq and supported intervening in Bosnia, Rwanda, Darfur, etc. (BTW, I opposed both Iraq and all other humanitarian interventions).

What do we do about those hundreds of thousands who have cooperated with the U.S., its allies, or the Iraqi government? They, and their families, are almost certain to be killed in a horrible way if we leave and I do not think it would be honorable to simply leave them to their fates.

I think you could add West Germany to the list.

And Kosovo.

And Kosovo.

And the Brits built a democracy in India (granted it was upon the shell of colonialism).

What do we do about those hundreds of thousands who have cooperated with the U.S., its allies, or the Iraqi government? They, and their families, are almost certain to be killed in a horrible way if we leave and I do not think it would be honorable to simply leave them to their fates.

Agreed. When we went in there, we created a power vaccuum that led to all this violence we're seeing now. We owe it to those people to stick it out.

Not to hijack ... but did someone say, "iRack"?

Mad TV - The iRack (http://www.i-am-bored.com/bored_link.cfm?link_id=22390)

Agreed. When we went in there, we created a power vaccuum that led to all this violence we're seeing now. We owe it to those people to stick it out.

I am shocked at the current civility of this thread. many good posts.

Yes, we do owe it to them, and the rest of the world, like N. Korea, Iran, etc are watching closely. I am deeply concerned with every drop of American blood that is spilled. However, combat losses for this war are a fraction of what many others have been.
That having been said, we need to get in this war or get out. Commit the necessary manpower to winning it now, and forever, or blow it off. Install a workable from of gov't and ........."have a nice day". For the record, I do not recommend premature withdrawl as an option here...............or, hmmmm.......anywhere else for that matter.
Unfortunately, Bush has to deal with unfavorable political factions unwilling to commit to this option. It obviously is not luck that the last terrorist attack on American soil was before the war. If anything you read is true, the problems lie (as is usually the case) predomanantly with a small portion of the radical populace. They will have to be controlled, or killed. It's not just a problem in Iraq. Check out the probs with radical Islam in France, and England. It's a world wide problem that most of the rest of the world fears to address. If left unchecked, we will pay for it many times over, later.

Not to hijack ... but did someone say, "iRack"?

Mad TV - The iRack (http://www.i-am-bored.com/bored_link.cfm?link_id=22390)

Take it to the super happy fun thread, please.

in my opinion there has to be a time table. and like tmc said, once the United States feels that certain regions are secure, then they need to be turned over to the Iraqi people. we have created one helluva of a mess by over estimating the amount of Iraqi people that really wanted a democracy. just because it kind of works here doesn't mean we should will it on everyone. when religion plays that big a part in their everyday life's, democracy simply isn't the way to go

Suppressing the teachings of any religion kind of flies in the face of one of the building blocks our country was built on. It's kind of unAmerican, even if the religion is completely bonkers.


But radical Islam is not true Islam. The teachings of radical Islam teach that jihad must be waged on the Jews and Christians, and that the infidels must die. There is no negotiation with radical Islam, those that are in it preach death to the Jews and to Americans, no compromises.

Hey guys, I didn't read through all the posts, but I thought that this was a really good read on what's going on in Iraq.

washingtonpost.com (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/09/AR2007030901839.html)

It talks about how President Bush's strategy of a "surge", by all early signs, is working. One can only hope.