Stabbed In The Back

First of all, welcome back. Great you're here, and this is simply one outstanding essay, with which I agree in every way.

I've been writing right here on TH for a couple of years -- it was one of my first essays -- that our strategy in Iraq is completely wrong, won't accomplish anything, and that the idea of a western-style democracy in the country -- frankly, the region, outside of Israel -- is a crackpipe dream.

It's one of the reasons I'm so ticked about McCain's de facto nomination, because the guy's whole campaign is based on doing more of the same -- like Einstein's definition of insanity -- and he's just God-awful on the domestic issues that REALLY matter, particularly amnesty and guns, and admittedly knows ZIPPO about economics -- right when we may be entering a recession.

McCain's "more of the same" approach reminds me of LBJ and Westmoreland with their "light at the end of the tunnel", which ended up being an oncoming train.

And I'm old enough to remember that well, having served in Nam myself.

Bad, bad times, my friend.

Good stuff!

Thanks for coming by. I share your misgivings on McCain, and I agree with your Einstein insanity reference.
*sigh*

This war is a real challenge, for sure...we face a dangerous road ahead...

Everytime I hear from one of our military men who have been there in the middle of it, they seem to feel we are doing amazing things, are making progress, and we can win this, if we stay the course.

It's hard to know where we will end up...sad to say. We live in a very dangerous world, with too many who hate us, and we have our own home grown hate America crowd on the left here who are helping them hate us more...bad combination...:(

in a PC world...Mc will have the best chance IMO of doing things right...but it's up in the air...too many things can happen to make it an impossible scenario...like Iran going nuclear...

Thank you for coming by :)

I know we make progress, yet we don't have a realistic goal to work toward. You end up always making progress...but never seeming to get anywhere.

We need a realistic goal, and that might not include a unified or democratic Iraq.

What we need is a stable govt that is pro-America (pro-West), to keep terrorism from gaining too much footing in the ME, and threateneing our security.

We are there because EVERYONE, including Pelosi, Reid, Hill, Slick, Kerry, and the "who's who" of the dem leftists were all saying Sadam was a major threat, not just Bush and the "selective" Intell that the dems always use, now, to say "Bush lied Pople died".

It is very complicated...but I remember the purple fingers of the Iraqis who risked their lives to vote. It all depends on the tribal rivalries there and whether or not can they live together...

What on earth can we do but press on and try to help them become a legit pro-West govt...

What do you think can realistically be done, now that we are there, thanks to 9-11?

The war went well; the occupation was bungled beyond all belief.

Again, the current strategy is predicated on the absurd idea that Iraq will install a Western-style democracy, and that AIN'T happening; not in our lifetimes.

We've been in Iraq for 5 years, and things are no better than they were when we got rid of Saddam.

Hell, we entered, fought and won WW2 in less time, on two fronts a world apart.

The reality is that this war is now hugely unpopular, right across the political spectrum. It is simply HILARIOUS that McCain's basing his whole candidacy on it. Check out this article:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/mccain

The Obama quote in there makes more sense than McCain does.

"It's a failure of leadership to support an open-ended occupation of Iraq that has failed to press Iraq's leaders to reconcile, badly overstretched our military, put a strain on our military families, set back our ability to lead the world, and made the American people less safe," Obama said.

He's right.

It is wonderful to see you back old friend. Good post right out of the box too.