Americans may soon look around Iraq and wonder where everyone went. Great Britain announced that it plans to cut its force in Iraq in half, down to 2,500 troops. And there is no guarantee that even those few remaining will be around by the end of next year.
Even before this British withdrawal, the total number of "coalition of the willing" troops had dropped from about 50,000 in 2003 to less than 12,000 now — or about 7 percent of the foreign troops in Iraq.
Posted by Kristin Mehler
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94 Comments
Thay are finally wising up.
It’s time to bring the boys home. If England can do it, so can we.
How about it Hillary?
The party isn’t over, but it’s heading there. Hundreds of billions of public treasury dollars were transferred to private services corporations, ranging from Halliburtan to Blackwater USA, and every defense-hardware company, from “Shock and Awe” smart-bomb and stealth aircraft producers to mundane Humvee and body-armor makers.
Hundreds of billions of dollars went to oil companies due to the oil-price-destabilization effects of the war.
I wish Kansas had a Democratic Primary on Feb. 5. I’d vote for Bill Richardson.
What? Invading Iraq wasn’t such a smart idea after all?
Here is a very important question:
Who wants to trust Republicans with the next big decision in America’s foreign policy?
“I wish Kansas had a Democratic Primary on Feb. 5. I’d vote for Bill Richardson.”
That would make two for sure votes for Richardson.
Here is a very important question:
Who wants to trust Hillary with the next big decision in America’s foreign policy?
First she is for the war,then against the war,then for the war,then against the war.Finally, she is for the war until at least 2013.
I want a president with resolve and won’t be wishy-washy based upon some poll.
That’s called leadership, and Hillary has zero.
Hillary will ensure we are still in Iraq and America’s youth keep dying over there:
On Sunday, Edwards argued that Clinton was not committed to ending the war. Clinton has said she would withdraw a “vast majority” of the combat troops from Iraq but would leave some troops to conduct anti-terrorists operations.
“To me, that is a continuation of the war, and this war needs to be brought to an end,” Edwards told Tim Russert of NBC News.
Edwards said he would withdraw all combat troops from Iraq and position a quick reaction force in Kuwait to combat al Qaeda.
“I want to be able to say next fall, when I’m the Democratic nominee, and I’m standing with the Republican candidate, that Americans have a very clear choice,” Edwards said. “They can choose a Republican who wants to continue the war or a Democrat who wants to end the war. We can’t just be a little bit better than them. We have to be very clear that voters have choices in this election.”
Yeah, too bad Al Gore isn’t running. He was right all along. He tried to warn us not to invade Iraq. Some idiots didn’t listen to him. Now we pay the price for their stupidity.
But more importantly, I don’t want to hear any more of this Republicans are stronger on defense stuff, because Republicans have proven themselves stupid on defense.
Looks like the WH played politics with the premature release of the Bin Laden tape. It’s all politics.White House denies leaking info that hurt Al-Qaeda spying 2 hours, 5 minutes ago
WASHINGTON (AFP) – The White House on Tuesday denied being the source of a leak involving an Osama bin Laden video that a private intelligence firm said had sabotaged its secret ability to intercept Al-Qaeda messages.
ADVERTISEMENTAsked if the White House was the source of the leak, spokeswoman Dana Perino said: “No, we were not … We were very concerned to learn about it.”
The SITE Intelligence Group said it lost access that it had covertly acquired to Al-Qaeda’s communications network when the administration of President George W. Bush let out that the company had obtained a bin Laden video early last month ahead of its official release, the Washington Post said.
“Techniques that took years to develop are now ineffective and worthless,” SITE founder Rita Katz told the newspaper.
SITE monitors websites and public communications linked to radical Islamist groups and organizations deemed terrorist by US authorities and provides the information to clients, including news media companies.
It got hold of the bin Laden video before its release and provided it for free to the White House on the morning of September 7 but insisted that the video’s existence remain secret until it spotted the official release, in order to protect its own work.
“Within 20 minutes, a range of intelligence agencies had begun downloading it from the company’s website,” the Post said.
By that afternoon the video and a transcript from it had been leaked to a cable television news network and broadcast worldwide, the Post reported.
According to Katz, this tipped off Al-Qaeda that its communications security had been breached by SITE.
White House officials said the matter would be referred to the Director of National Intelligence, and that the White House was not planning any internal investigation.
“When the White House receives information from an individual or a company, we refer that appropriately to the intelligence community. That’s what happened here,” Perino said.
“And I’ll have to refer you to the Director on National Intelligence for any process problem they had in that regard.”
Homeland security adviser Fran Townsend echoed Perino’s “concern” and referred the matter to the nation’s spy chief.
“This is going to be an issue for the DNI to look at so that we can understand what, if anything, happened, and how to deal with it to ensure that we fully protect those who cooperate with us,” Townsend said.
“I haven’t looked at the internal White House emails, so what I can tell you is the DNI and the Intelligence Committee will need to look at who had access to it.
She added: “We are only going to be successful in the war on terror with the help of the American people.”
The video appeared to be timed to coincide with the sixth anniversary of the September 11 attacks on the United States, and was bin Laden’s first video appearance since October 2004.
In it, the elusive Al-Qaeda chief mocked the United States as “weak” and vowed to escalate fighting in Iraq.
Another US-based organization that monitors Islamic militant websites, IntelCenter, said its “sources, methods and techniques … to collect terrorist video material remain intact,” according to CEO Ben Venzke, who added that the focus on rushing videos to the public could have dangerous consequences.
“Simply getting the video first but not having the professional knowledge and responsibilities to know what to do with it can not only result in the loss of valuable intelligence but it can actually harm ongoing activities within the official counterterrorism community,” he said.
This “has happened time and time again when private citizens and organizations outside of the IC (intelligence community) play in fields where they lack the depth and experience.”
Looks like the HH (Hillary Haters) are out in force today.
I don’t hate anyone Phantom.
I just want all the people who were upset about this Bushy war to stay focused.
Hillary is not going to stop this insane war. We need someone who WILL STOP THIS WAR AND NOW!!!
Phantom – don’t you know that the opportunity for a slick press release or photo op is more important to the Bush administration than national security?
Well with the Betrayus questioning coming up, he just wanted to get out in front of it!
What?! Leakers in the White House? Surely not.
Bush, The Denier
MPS,
I don’t really think the invasion was a bad idea. It was post invasion where we screwed up! That’s just my take on it. The Bush administration is so incompetant! They ruined a golden opportunity. Hey, I’ll admit that hindsight is 20/20, but people were jumping up and down within the administation screaming “nooooooooooo, noooooooooooo, nooooooooooooo” when they fired the Iraqi military, caused the 1st shots of a 3 way civil war through “debathification” policies.
Once liberated, American troops should have withdrawn to the dessert (along the Iranian border would have been nice) while the Colonels and Generals hammered out details with the Iraqi military and police on how things would be done.
A few hundred thousand troops on the Iranian border would have been handy in keeping Iran quiet. Long term, the bases we are building in Iran should have been 3 feet from Iranian and Syrian borders! BAM, POOF, WHALLAH, you gots peace in the middle east!
We will spend over a trillion dollars in Iraq and Afghanistan before it’s all said and done. A trillion dollars would have paid for 100% of eliminating our dependance on foreign oil!
9/12/01 American’s would have swallowed policy and lifestyle changes, of which we would have had ironed out by now, and life would be moving on as usual. BUSH FAILED! He wanted to protect his oil buddies more than save our country, and save the lives of our men and women in uniform. BUSH IS A CRIMINAL! Whoever is elected in 08 should have him arrested and sent to Gitmo!
Whoever is elected in 08 should have him arrested and sent to Gitmo!
What would the charge be? Or would you bother with a silly little thing like that?
Well…King Georges coalition of the “willing” is about to go dry. What a shock!
Most Nations were smart enough to see through Bush’s lies right from the start,the others have paid a price for an invasion based FULLY on lies and BS.
Gore was right,Scott Ritter was right,the Dixie Chicks,U2,Mike Ferrell,Cloney,ME. Feel free to add more….
What would the charge be? Or would you bother with a silly little thing like that?
LOL,your little Bushie is a War Criminal pal. Saddam was hanged over less than 200 killed,Bush has murdered at least 100K,maybe 500K based fully on lies that are easy to prove. He’s also FULLY responsible for the deaths of almost 4,000 US soldiers.
He shouldn’t be in the Oval Office,he should be held in the Hague awaiting trial.
What would the charge be? Or would you bother with a silly little thing like that?
LOL,your little Bushie is a War Criminal pal. Saddam was hanged over less than 200 killed,Bush has murdered at least 100K,maybe 500K based fully on lies that are easy to prove. He’s also FULLY responsible for the deaths of almost 4,000 US soldiers.
He shouldn’t be in the Oval Office,he should be held in the Hague awaiting trial.
What would the charge be? Or would you bother with a silly little thing like that?
How about we do what Bush does … just hold him for as long as we want without charge. Or how about letting Blackwater use him for target prectice?
We’ll be there for a very long time…the whole point was to establish a base and have more influence in the Middle East. I’d be surprised if any leader is serious about leaving anytime soon. There are many thing to consider if we do..it will turn into the killing fields for sure and those Iraqis who have been loyal to America will be wiped out while the ones who hate us will sieze power and control of the country. It’s totally our fault Iraq’s in such a mess, and we owe it to the Iraqis not to abandon them. It was a horrible mistake, but I think pulling out at this point would be an even bigger mistake. The current Iraqi government needs to be supported until it steps up to the plate, and it’s pretty clear that it’s too fragile to do so right now. If it takes forever, we have a responsibility to try and fix our mistake.
the whole point was to establish a base and have more influence in the Middle East. Mary Caruso
It is almost funny how quickly the liberal juice flows the change in direction. “It’s a horrible mess caused by a republican president, so democrats are excused from any future wrong-doing and must prevail by establishing a long term base in Iraq.”
A hell of a long way from your, “Hell NO! We won’t go!”
See Mary?
That was the plan.
Not bush. He’s just a front man puppet.
bush’s handlers KNEW what this would be. It’s a trap. Leave and the democrats are “surrender monkeys” and the right will wail “Look at the carnage!!”.
I’m not for staying in a trap myself. We need to set a date, alert the Iraqis to it, and then by that date Iraq stands up or falls apart. We get out and they solve their own problems.
Unbelievable – yes, its unbelievable how the BushBots will blame the Democrats when they cannot magicall fix the horrendous fubared mess BushDaBum deliberately created. But they give a pass to their beloved leader.
when they cannot magicall fix the horrendous fubared mess. Ben
But your party WAS going to fix it remember? A couple of acts in Congress? A couple of votes to set ARTIFICIAL WITHDRAWAL DATES AND SCHEDULE??????????
What happened? Your memory can’t be that bad is it??
No memory problems whatsoever. As you know, the Democrats promised they would pass a series of measures through the House. They did so. They never promised that Bush would sign them.
Of course, it is not unbelievable at all that you don’t understand minor details like cloture.
One explanation given as to why our country is so divided along party lines, was said that a lot of the Republican voters are racists and a little less educated. The beer guzzling caucasian deep south nascar fans are the never ending supporters of the Republican party. Ironically, they are part of the demographic that benefits the least from electing Neo-conservatives that have high jacked the Republican party since the 70’s.
More of the samo-samo: Apparently, the so-called sending troops home for Christmas isn’t going to happen. What happened was Bush promised he would be bringing home troops for Christmas, knowing that one of the groups was not allowed to return to Iraq. This was due to the fact that group had not been out of Iraq for a full year.
But Bush counted them as part of the Christmas reduction. Huh? But the main problem is when Christmas rolls around, there will be more troops on the ground than during their latest push.
Again, Bush is lying to the public. How far does this so-called administration have to go before congress puts a stop to it?
So there were 50,000 troops in 2003 helping us?
I thought it was a unilateral action and no one was helping.
Hmmm….
I guess now that it can be reported as bad news the numbers are highlighted.
Typical.
“it will turn into the killing fields for sure and those Iraqis who have been loyal to America will be wiped out while the ones who hate us will seize power and control of the country.”
Posted by mc
Of course it will. Viet Nam did, and it’s now part of the world community.
The difference is we need to bring all the surrounding countries into the mix. We need to pressure them with the fact a stable middle east is much better than what the spread of radicals would do, and is doing, to the whole area. We also need to get the hell out, and let the middle east police itself.
Of course, it is not unbelievable at all that you don’t understand minor details like cloture.
Posted by: Ben
Oh you mean they had an EXCUSE ready? Hmmmm. So they gave up after a couple of trys. No scratch that. Now they have gone so far as to push the words of the OTHER SIDE, “We cannot withdrawal from Iraq. We have responsibilities and the consquences are dire.”
Eggzactly the words of republicans all along. Interesting, now they are your words too.
Wolf in sheeps clothing? Or is that a democrat in republican clothing?
based upon some poll.
That’s called leadership, and Hillary has zero.
Posted by: mastermind
lolLOLis this the best you can drag out of your “mastermind.”
you DO suck.
“it will turn into the killing fields for sure and those Iraqis who have been loyal to America will be wiped out while the ones who hate us will seize power and control of the country.”
Gee, I wonder where democrats learned THAT lesson? Would it be Cambodia following withdrawal from JFK’s Vietnam trilogy?
The difference is that, while we have a mess on our hands that we must deal with, it is YOUR beloved leader who deliberately and with malice aforethought created hat mess. As Colin Powell warned – “you break it and you own it.” Your beloved leader deliberately broke it. Now it will be up to his successor to try to clean up his mess – just as he has done his entire life.
AFTER the Democrats gain control they can be held responsible for what they do. They are NOT in control yet.
was said that a lot of the Republican voters are racists and a little less educated. Whitey Elephant.
You are an ignorant person who shows all the sterotyping abilities of Archie Bunker. You are truly, what you fear most.
We need to pressure them
Posted by: J M Walker
And just what specific “pressure” would you recommend using?
Congress? A couple of votes to set ARTIFICIAL WITHDRAWAL DATES AND SCHEDULE??????????
What happened? Your memory can’t be that bad is it??
Posted by: Still unbelievable
heywe be doin real good in towelhead land.
that’s your dumbass repuke message for the last 5 years, right??
Gee, I think Bush’s policies are doing wonderfully!
Now for some more of that good stuff to chase down my Oxycontin!
“…the whole point was to establish a base and have more influence in the Middle East.”
Actually, Mary, there were 14 bases planned for Iraq, but the number has since been downsized, I believe. Nathan might know the current number.
The really, really sad part is, the site of Babylon was bulldozed by U.S. forces to build one of those bases. Several “layers” of history were destroyed.
There ain’t no important history there! Just a bunch of heathen towelhead junk!
Asked if the White House was the source of the leak, spokeswoman Dana Perino said: “No, we were not … We were very concerned to learn about it.”
the new wh hand puppet is HOT.too bad she’s also as dumb and a liar like rove, the oh i have cancer guy, and the rest of them.
it’s insane how just before an important vote or national election bush and rove release a story about a big threat to our country.
actually the insane part is how YOU dumbass rePukes believe it and swoon all over like larry craig gettin off a plane and finding the nearest men’s public restroom.
isn’t it kinda uncomfortable to be so scared about everything all the time ??
Cambodia following withdrawal from JFK’s Vietnam trilogy?
Posted by: And now you speak republican
didn’t ike start namyou knowthe first big military guy to send kids “in country”
you repuke fems are sooo butch like larry craig
We caused the problem in Iraq, JR. It’s our responsibility to make it right, no matter how long or how many lives it takes. At least the Americans are there of their own free will, we didn’t give the Iraqis a choice, now did we?To pull out now would be pretty heartless, and it would only further damage our image in the world. We should try to repair what we destroyed, that’s the right thing to do. I’ll be the first to admit it’s a very costly lesson, let’s hope this time we learn it.
Well, have you liberals finally come to the realization that you’ve been had?
Have you looked in the mirror and caught sight of the republican looking back at you.
You should. Your stand on Iraq is EXACTLY our stand.
Thank-you.With Gods helpand YOUR help
We will prevail.
See ya in Bagdad in 2015!!!
Black elephant, pink elephant, whatever name your trying to mock me with, my statment must obviously hold some truth or you wouldn’t be so offended. btw, I was born in the south, I drink beer, although I hate Nascar, I grew up Christian, but I guess I must be one of the exceptions to my generalizing of conservetive voter. I myself hold a lot of conservetive views, the difference is, neo-conservative has nothing to do with the old conservative Republicans which basically held classical liberal views.
I guess now that it can be reported as bad news the numbers are highlighted.
Typical.
Posted by: Nathan
repeat after me
nobody likes me
the media hates me
80% of the country thinks i’m dumb
i talk about guns and people think i’m smart
thereyougo
To pull out now would be pretty heartless, and it would only further damage our image in the world. We should try to repair what we destroyed, that’s the right thing to do.
Yes, Mary, Yes!! We love more blood! Send more American men and women to their death.
Why?
BECAUSE IT’S THE RIGHT THING TO DO.
What will you tell their mothers?
THEY DIED BECAUSE OF BUSH, WE ONLY MADE HIM STAY BECAUSE IT WAS THE RIGHT THING TO DO.
What will you tell their brothers?
YOU MUST ENLIST AND DIE IN IRAQ TO SAVE AMERICA’S IMAGE.
What will you tell their papa?
WE WILL CONTINUE TO SEND BOMBS AMMUNITION AND M-16′S TO REPAIR WHAT WE HAVE ALREADY DONE.
Blood makes the grass grow: KILL KILL!!
Drama over.
Mary won’t tell any of their family members anything. She could not face them with this.
“please accept this flag,”
Mary
You are talking about a mission that will need to last at least 50 years and likely longer.
America did not sign up for that. America will not accept that.
Failing that, there is no choice but to minimize our own losses and get out of the way of their sorting it out.
When Americans become better educated that permanent occupation was the goal all along, when they know how badly they were played, they will not care what happens to Iraq if we leave.
In a perfect world, bush and his handlers would have to pay for this. It isn’t up to the rest of America. I’ll have no part of it.
Again, Bush is lying to the public. How far does this so-called administration have to go before congress puts a stop to it?
Posted by: J M Walker
maybe as soon as some of the repukes decide to stop blowin bush and change their votes to reflect the outlook of the majority of the citizens of the u.s. there will be a real change in the direction of our country.
Like I said before, the Americans are there of their own free will…no one is forcing them to serve. What choice will the Iraqis have if we pull out now? We owe them more than that.
On behalf of a proud and grateful nation: Families know what the risks are going to be when their loved ones sign up. If you go to war, you may get killed…it’s not rocket science.I think it’s pretty chicken shit to just say “Opps..we made a mistake..see ya”.
How would you feel if you were in their shoes?
I’m sorry but I can’t be that distraught over the loss of those
who went to Iraq of their own free will..I’m more distraught for the Iraqi family who will get slaughtered because we decided they weren’t worth trying to save after we turned their world upside down.
“And just what specific “pressure” would you recommend using?”
Posted by some multi-headed troll.
That “pressure” would be diplomacy, something you neo-con 28%ers don’t seem to understand. Excuse me, that should read, can’t understand.
Jimmy Carter just pointed out, the largest Democracy on earth is India, the second the U.S., and the third is Indonesia. Just thought that was interesting, Hindus, Christians, and Muslims, all large democracies.
Did anyone hear the Jimmy Carter interview on NPR today?
I really admire him as a person.
Is anyone watching the Republican debates?Blah…Blah..Blah
Will anything EVER really change?
think it’s pretty chicken shit to just say “Opps..we made a mistake..see ya”.
How would you feel if you were in their shoes?
Exactly the words on this blog months ago – and was crucified by liberals.
In fact, those are very republican views.
Lastly I have been in their shoes. That’s why I get very hostile for REPUBLICANS to speak lightly and off-hand at committing them to war. And DEMOCRATS for justifying more of their deaths with their off-hand remarks.
None of them deserve to die for ANY of you. They are truly more worthy of this life than you are.You speak of committing them to war as casually as going out for dinner.
Look in the mirror. You will see the republicans you hate. It should make you sick.
“Did anyone hear the Jimmy Carter…?”
Yes, I heard the Jim-mah on the NPR today. Agree. He sounded like a politician that we have not had around for several years. He put his business interests into a blind trust (sort of like Frist did – or maybe did not) and when he lost in ‘80 he found out he was 1 million dollars in debt. Had to start writing those books as a way out. Any bets that GWB will chose that path? Oh, probably not…
I don’t consider myself conservative or liberal. I try to weigh each issue on it’s own merit and form my opinions based on my values.
Our military personal are not victims, martyrs, or heroes in my opinion. They signed up for military duty for various reasons and I’m not elevating them to the status of saints like many of you do. They are grown men and women who freely choose to participate in an unnecessary, wasteful, and illegal war. No one twisted their arms and they weren’t drafted…and dying is one of the risks of going off to war. If they were truly fighting for the freedom of Americans, I’d probably be more supportive and admiring.We bit off more than we could chew when we invaded Iraq for the oil and the power..we destroyed a country that was no threat to our national security. We broke it…now we should fix it.
Save me your indignation, “Stop the killing”, because by pulling our troops out of Iraq now, the killing will just get much worse.
If they were truly fighting for the freedom of Americans, I’d probably be more supportive and admiring.We bit off more than we could chew when we invaded Iraq for the oil and the power..
Mary you are probably a lost cause. You’d respect your fellow Americans if they died for a cause YOU believed in, ELSE screw em.
And we did NOT bite off more than we could chew militarily. Only the lack of faith and belief of the American people are preventing a victory. Doubt me? What are you going to call it when Hillary in 2012 starts the drawdown?
Oh Mary,
I knew I’d see this from some.
Like I say, bush’s handlers counted on it you know.
They are gonna use your compassion for the victims of what they have done.
To keep right on doing it.
You fell for the trap. So I have to be tough.
You argue that those who are sent to Iraq go there of their own free will.
Ok. Why did the military up the signing bonuses? Surely there must be enough of those “free will” folks out there to be the pawns of foreign policy.
This is gonna hurt. I don’t like saying it. But fact is, in your situation, you have little idea just how bad it is for some folks. You’ve no idea how tempting a $20,000 signing bonus is for someone who can’t even imagine that much money.
You aren’t alone in this. I hope you’re not entirely decided. And this is a decision the whole country will have to make.
Whether it be our compassion for Iraqis or are want to occupy their land, are we willing to send
poor kids to die for our cause?
Not my son Mary.
The really, really sad part is, the site of Babylon was bulldozed by U.S. forces to build one of those bases. Several “layers” of history were destroyed.
Posted by: Rox
Hey Rox. F–U–C–K– Babylon.Our men and women are dying over there. And you don’t know shi- about it.
And how many Iraqis would give up everything they have to ensure the safety of their families?I haven’t fallen for any “trap”, JR. I simply think we have a resposibility to help the Iraqi people stabilize their country before we leave (although I doubt we will ever really leave).Just be glad your son doesn’t have to serve if he chooses not to. When I was young, the guys I knew had no choice.What the Cambodians went through when we pulled out of Vietnam was one of the worst things I ever witnessed in my life, I have no desire to watch a replay with the Iraqis.
Mary you are the perfect Jane Fonda of the war.
Please. Go to Iraq. Mount an anti-aircraft gun. Make a speech.
And you will be as bitterly remembered as I still remember her – forty frucking years later.
bush and his handlers broke Iraq Mary. I know there is no way to make them pay for it.
PLEASE don’t ask poor kids to pay for it. It’s not fair and it’s unwise.
I know I keep the military as far away as I can from my kid.
Got to get up early..g’night guys! Good discussion.It’s good to have you back JR!
Vet, go take your medicine, dear.
Damn, Vet, a bit bitter, aren’t you?
So you say F*** to the cradle of civilization? Must be why you’re so uncivilized. You talk history when you mention Vietnam, yet you spit on any other?
Our men and women are dying over there because of greed.
Mary’s right. Go take your meds.
Thanks Mary.
And agreed with you and Rox.
Vet? What ARE you arguing? They are dying so respect it and shut up about it? Death for deaths sake?
CAN we fix it?
Vet? What ARE you arguing? They are dying so respect it and shut up about it? Death for deaths sake?
Posted by: J R | October 09, 2007 at 10:51 PM
And you are the guy who is going to shoot and kill a Pitt Bull dog.
Please Rox, Mary, and J R, let me know when your HILLARY will make the above speech you just did to the American people.
Psst! Your slip is showing.
“Vet” – a new nut on the WE Blog, just when we were running out…
Thank goodness.
Mary, you should be grateful to Vietnam for going into Cambodia, after we left vietnam, to stop the genocide. We were never concerned about Pol Pot, that wasn’t the war we were fighting. We did not leave a vacuum in Cambodia, although we contributed to the rise of the khmer rouge by our bombings in Cambodia, trying to get at the vietnamese that were using it as a sanctuary.
We did not leave a vacuum in Cambodia, although we contributed to the rise of the khmer rouge by our bombings in Cambodia, trying to get at the vietnamese that were using it as a sanctuary.
Posted by: The Phantom
That’s a nice way of pretending America did not contribute to 5 million innocent deaths in Cambodia.
“………..the site of Babylon was bulldozed by U.S. forces to build one of those bases. Several “layers” of history were destroyed……”
Say it isn’t so —- are we that stupid?
Vet is one of those phony soldiers Rush was talking about ……….
Vet is one of those phony soldiers Rush was talking about ……….
Posted by: ken
Very interesting. But stupid.
You can’t bad-mouth Rush – and then do EXACTLY what he did.
Unless you are two birds of a feather. And probably should
flock together.
Kev, I’m not sure if this is the original story I heard on NPR, but close enough, I think.
U.S. Base Damages Ancient Babylonian Temple
Morning Edition, June 24, 2004 · Camp Alpha, a U.S. military base in Iraq, was built directly on top of the ancient temple area of Babylon. The base’s location was chosen to protect the archeological site from looters. Instead, the base has resulted in damage that some antiquities experts characterize as “horrifying.”
You can listen to the program from the following link:http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1973682
And here’s a newer one I haven’t heard:
IraqU.S. Military Deals Cards to Save War-Torn SitesMorning Edition, June 19, 2007 · The Pentagon has brought back its “deck of card” approach — but not with a new list of the most-wanted. The new cards feature archaeological sites in Iraq and Afghanistan. The seven of clubs shows an ancient arch and the caption: “This site has survived 17 centuries. Will it survive you?”
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=11181173
Must really be hard to be so negative on everything like the Libs are.
Is there a happy day in their entire life?
What’s your happy day like “kansas”?
The only reason the Brits can come home is because Austrailia is going to send more troops to make up for the ones leaving.
Gordon Brown is no dummy. He sees Iraq for the political rat-hole that it is.
Funny when this was announced last week to watch the White House turn on British forces and question their military effectiveness.
“The White House official added that Britain would always be “the cornerstone” of US policy towards Europe but there was “a lot of unhappiness” about how British forces had performed in Basra and an acceptance that Mr Brown would pull the remaining 4,500 troops out of Iraq next year.
“Operationally, British forces have performed poorly in Basra,” said the official. “Maybe it’s best that they leave. Now we will have a clear field in southern Iraq.” Another White House official described Mr Brown as “challenging” and far less close to the US than Mr Blair.”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/10/03/nbrown603.xml
I love it: “now we’ll have a clear field in Southern Iraq.” For what? Carpet bombing? Mustard gas?
Bush in the White House = Hitler in the Bunker. A little historical perspective, anyone?
“On April 22, during a three hour military conference in the bunker, Hitler let loose a hysterical, shrieking denunciation of the Army and the ‘universal treason, corruption, lies and failures’ of all those who had deserted him. The end had come, Hitler exclaimed, his Reich was a failure and now there was nothing left for him to do but stay in Berlin and fight to the very end.”
http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/timeline/death.htm
So, let’s see: initiating a catastrophic war, being deserted by allies, and failed by subordinates. Sound familiar?
From shock and awe to shame and blame. Bush history will hate you.
No, I’m saying we were the catalyst for the khmer rouge coming into power, we started the ball rolling in the ‘killing fields’. But we did nothing afterwords to help stop the genocide.
I just don’t want the same thing to happen in Iraq….Like I said before..we broke it, we should fix it.
Just look at Afganistan…we didn’t fulfill our committment there and now the Taliban is gaining ground again. It’s stupid to think we can go into the Middle East and turn things around in a few years. The whole idea was crazy in the first place, but now that we’ve turned it upside down, we should do our best to keep it from collapsing even further than it has.
I got a better idea Mary.
Let’s get the international community involved in Iraq. But for that we need a sell point, since you know, this isn’t their fault?
Get the international community involved by offering bush and cheney and that whole rotten gang to the world court.
Get the international community involved by offering bush and cheney and that whole rotten gang to the world court.
Posted by: J R | October 10, 2007 at 09:48 AM
I disagree. If you want to clean the dirty laundry, do it yourself.(or in this cae, ourselves). Don;t give the “world court” any jurisdiction over our governmental affairs.
“Get the international community involved by offering bush and cheney and that whole rotten gang to the world court.”
It might be a start…to admitt we made a big mistake, apologize to the world and ask for their support in helping Iraqis put their country back together. Bush’s tunnelvision has cost us a fortune in lives, money, relations with our allies, and our world image in general. It’s time for the political parties to quit blamming each other and instead turn their energy into cleaning up the whole mess.
Mary, you forget. Being a con means never having to say you are sorry…
It might be a start…to admitt we made a big mistake, apologize to the world and ask for their support in helping Iraqis put their country back together. Bush’s tunnelvision has cost us a fortune in lives, money, relations with our allies, and our world image in general. It’s time for the political parties to quit blamming each other and instead turn their energy into cleaning up the whole mess.
Posted by: Mary Caruso | October 10, 2007 at 10:04 AM
Mary, I agree. But I doubt the international community wants anything to do with this. The number one reason: They are quite willing to let the US pay the price for their defense as well.
As I recall, It has been reported several times (I don;t have any links, sorry) that several countries privately have wished and communicated such that the Americans would do somehting about a particular situaiton, and publicly rail against the US for doing so. Plays to their own audience. In any case, most of Europe is pretty much self serving (as is most countries). I doubt that they would spend a nickel, even if we left it entirely up to them,with no US control whatsoever.
I agree Mary and also lj – however I think that with new leadership in place in the US we stand an infinitely better chance of getting help than with the same obstinate bozos in charge.
however I think that with new leadership in place in the US we stand an infinitely better chance of getting help than with the same obstinate bozos in charge.
Posted by: Ben | October 10, 2007 at 11:38 AM
Perhaps. It will certainly be interesting to see. I would be happy to see the international community take over and do something besides public handwringing.
LJ, if other countries are as self-serving as you indicate (I agree, btw), then it just means Augustus Stupidus has to sweeten the pot.
I think that we Americans would be pleasantly surprised at how much the rest of the world would help us in Iraq if Bush spread the money outflowing from Iraq among European and other ROW economies.
Caveat: It’s also very likely that Europe wouldn’t lift a finger until Bush resigns from office. Whatever may be true about European self-interest, Western Europeans tend to value honor and integrity in American presidents more than we Americans do, especially when
1) Americans tend to brag incessantly about the virtues of American democracy (see Putin in E Europe; also see Sarkozy in France), and2) we’re frightened (ie, 9/11 fear of terrorism on American soil).
Hello? Anybody else still in Iraq?
No.
It was a lie to cover a lie from the very beginning.
The next closest “ally” in Iraq has 3 percent of the forces we do, and it’s already started to cut that in half.
Why pay for the cow when you can get the milk for free?