Two years...

[Tonto 1]

This past weekend marked 2 years since the Coalition of the willing invaded Iraq.

In all honesty, who thought we'd be where we are now, two years later?

t

It's the year of the Pig.

[Skyrad 0]

i thought it was a ill thought out venture that would lead to massive loss of life and a prolonged guerilla war. I thought that the US forces were not prepared for the urban guerilla war that it would become. i didn't think they would listen to the British who have been fighting a war against terrorists for over thirty years. I thought that they would use inappropriate firepower against civilian areas causing mass devastation and fuel a support for the resistance fighters and I belived that it would become a magnet for Islamic extreamists. So no I'm not suprised that thiis is where we are and I belive that it will get worse before ending in civil war and an American withdrawl having claimed the job is done but in truth getting out and leaving them to it.

When an author is too meticulous about his style, you may presume that his mind is frivolous and his content flimsy.
Lucius Annaeus Seneca

[nacmacfeegle 0]

Ask the good folks here the same question in 20 years.....

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He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson

[miked10270 0]

As Half-A-Plan goes, the invasion & liberation of Iraq was brilliant!
Unfortunately the remaining half of the plan was, if not non-existent, then certainly lacking some fundamental ingredients... Like a (new / replacement) government that could actually govern!

Still... I'm sure that there won't be that problem in Iran.

And certainly not in the newly re-unified Korea! There's already a fully competent South Korean Government in place & ripe for expansion.

Mike.

Taking the piss out of the FrenchAmericans since before it was fashionable.

Prenait la pisse hors du FrançaisCanadiens méridionaux puisqu'avant lui à la mode.

[markd_nscr986 0]

I think coalition forces are doing a fine job,and although there have been some setbacks and some tough times,I believe that things are beginning to improve in Iraq.
So in answer to your question,I didnt think things would be as good this soon.

Marc SCR 6046 SCS 3004

[nacmacfeegle 0]

"I didnt think things would be as good this soon."
Indeed.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4353491.stm

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He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson

[ChasingBlueSky 0]

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As Half-A-Plan goes, the invasion & liberation of Iraq was brilliant!

Yup, it must have been hard to plan out a war to overwhelm a third-world country with the most advanced military on the planet. Let's see....throw almost everything at them and hope we don't lose to many of our kids along the way. Yup....that sounds like the Cliff Notes version.

You think we would have learned about insurgents from Vietnam? Guess not. There isn't enough technology or troops to defeat a mindset and those with the passion and dedication to defend it.

Then there is the nation building.....somehow a man who has run his own country into the ground was the perfect person to help rebuild another country? My thought is he went to Dollywood and figured he could make Ultra Conservative Christian Bush World over there in the Mideast. Looks like he is already planning to expand the park into Iran so it can connect to Bush World Afghan. I wonder if we will see Bush World Syria before the end of these three years?

_________________________________________
you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me....
I WILL fly again.....

[Botellines 0]

Considering that we are only fed what the media wants to, i don´t think that this is over yet.
How many civilians are still dieing?
How many U.S. soldiers are being blown up to pieces?
How much better or worse are innocent people in Irak?

It seems lately the media is very quiet about this issues...

[BIGUN 1,488]

Voted.

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I thought we'd be where we are right now.

And it's going to take another two-three years to get to a point of stability, then another two to exit. When Bush said, "Mission Accomplished." He only meant the combat phase. We embarked on a mission to overthrow a regime that had been in place for ~30 years.

It's going to take a little longer than the time it takes to microwave a brownie to develop stability and long-term relationships in the region.

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

[GTAVercetti 0]

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Voted.

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I thought we'd be where we are right now.

And it's going to take another two-three years to get to a point of stability, then another two to exit. When Bush said, "Mission Accomplished." He only meant the combat phase. We embarked on a mission to overthrow a regime that had been in place for ~30 years.

It's going to take a little longer than the time it takes to microwave a brownie to develop stability and long-term relationships in the region.

I thought we would be at this point by now as well. However, I don't think the administration thought so. Not with quote from Paul Wolfowitz saying (and I paraphrase),

"It is very difficult to concieve that it would take more forces to control post-war Iraq than it would to take down Saddam's regime. Very difficult indeed."

and

"The oil in Iraq will pay for the rebuilding. This will be the first time that a post-war country will be able to pay for its own reconstruction."



So, yes, PERSONALLY I think we are right where I thought we would be. But I think the adminstration thought it would be MUCH easier.

Why yes, my license number is a palindrome. Thank you for noticing.

[BIGUN 1,488]

Never underestimate a politician's ability to incrementalize their objectives. Had anyone said, "Yep, it's going to take a minimum of five years to accomplish X," It never would have happened. Hence, why I suck at politics.

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

[Tonto 1]

Wow.

Over half think this hasn't even started. And you lost in Vietnam. Is this still worth it if you lose?

t

It's the year of the Pig.

[billvon 3,120]

>Is this still worth it if you lose?

As long as you claim it's a victory, what does it matter? We've declared victory about a dozen times so far; we can keep doing it for years.

[Tonto 1]

I'm stuck with an image of choppers being bulldozed off carriers to make room for others to land.. It's kinda difficult claiming victory there, and half of these (primarily American) voters think it'll go that way.

I agree that nomatter what, the US will "win" in Iraq. There's no massive force to come charging in from the North to force them to run away. I think it'll more be a case of being really, really unpleasant to stay - and so they won't.

t

It's the year of the Pig.

[SkyDekker 1,465]

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You think we would have learned about insurgents from Vietnam? Guess not.

On no, they learned from that. But see, Iraq was to be different. JUst like when we went into Europe they will all be lining the roads and throwing us victory parties.

[rickjump1 0]

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You think we would have learned about insurgents from Vietnam? Guess not. There isn't enough technology or troops to defeat a mindset and those with the passion and dedication to defend it.

There wasn't much of an insurgency left in South Vietnam after Tet 68. By then we were fighting North Vietnamese regulars. Massive B52 raids brought the North Vietnamese to the Paris Peace Talks. Without Watergate and the peace talks, we would have bombed them back to the stone age. I'm glad we did not. I think in Iraq the growing mindset of the people is to rid the country of outside influence, kill the insurgency so those Americans will leave. They are starting to take a bigger part in the fighting. Even neighborhood store keepers are fighting back. They have a taste of freedom and they want to keep it. After we leave, who knows? Maybe it will stick.

Do your part for global warming: ban beans and hold all popcorn farts.

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