- : Businessman * Environmentalist * Southern Californian * B.S. Degree, Business Administration * Born 1962, Married, 2 Children
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"You need some idea beyond "stay the course." The US has been in that mode for at least a year with no appreciable progress. More of the same makes no sense whatsoever."
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It just seems to me that when bloggers say this, they really either are not keeping tabs of the progress in Iraq, or they are not being honest about it.
One thing I've noticed is that slowly but surely the U.S. military has installed forts all around Iraq's borders, sealing off the country from imported insurgents and imported arms and other military supplies.
It is an extremely difficult "mission" that they have if you really stop to think about it. It would not have been hard if there was no insurgency.
So I think we owe it to the 2000 soldiers who have died, to give it another year before we push for pulling out of Iraq and leaving the Iraqi's to deal with their own mess. After all, it isn't really their own mess, it's our mess. We have to own up to the mess and give it our best shot, no matter a Dem or a GOP in the whitehouse.
To push for withdrawal prematurely I think is selfish politicizing, even if vietnam vets are the ones calling to withdraw. As Iraq is not Vietnam. It's a completely different situation.
If it weren't for environment and shortening the divide between the economic classes in America that needs shoring up, I'd probably switch to GOP after being disappointed in hearing so many Dems that really IMO belong in the Green Party.
Posted at November 17, 2005 11:58 PM in response to Murtha's Bombshell
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I agree regarding universal preschool.
Many in the middle class in Calif. can't afford private preschool, yet don't get state funded preschool, for their kids, while they pay more taxes to the state then the low class and immigrant low class i might add to a fairly large extent, who do get state funded preschool for their kids.
I'm not advocating cutting preschool for the lower class and immigrant lower class, that should and is the priority, I just think it's fair to offer it to everyone, or at least up through the middle class ranges.Posted at November 17, 2005 11:45 PM in response to Pre-K for All: A Winning Issue for Progressives
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I think the wise thing is to state publicly, boldly, and loudly, that if by this time NEXT year, there is no progress in Iraq, we are pulling out.
To push for pulling out now is nothing but cheap political maneuvering that is bound to backfire.Posted at November 17, 2005 8:09 PM in response to Murtha's Bombshell
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It's possible the GOP may be roping a dope, at least with the 2008 elections, including the Presidential election.
The anti-Iraq war frenzy taking place now among Dem politicians and Dem bloggers is akin to pounding the opponent who is up against the ropes.
The only trouble is, the opponent is a lame duck. At least in the case of the President which is by far the most important fight.
Which means a new contender will step into the final rounds of the fight, armed with a new administration and advisors.
It's too early for me or anyone else to really tell if the current rope a dope situation will amount to much or not.
TPM Cafe should be around by November 2008 I hope, although I don't know if it will be archived for 3 years. I hope so as I may need to refer back to this blog entry and say "I told you so."
(For those who don't know what rope a dope is, muhammad ali coined the term, as he might have been the first one to come up with the strategy, where in a fight he backs into the ropes on purpose, and allows the opponent to hit him over and over. He has covered up with his arms and gloves though so he doesn't suffer body shots very much and his head is protected. This gives Ali resting time, and wears out his opponent, and the opponent is suckered into it ("rope a dope"), with the result that Ali comes back in the next round and knocks out his opponent since he is far less tired then his opponent at this point. It is usually done near the end of the fight (we only have 3 years left of Bush's term.)
And how I am drawing the analogy is regarding the public possibly viewing Democrats as weak on terror, and our losing a 3rd Presidential election as a result (since we don't know who is going to be running 3 years from now.))Posted at November 17, 2005 7:56 PM in response to Murtha's Bombshell
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This article mentions "terrorists" blowing up part of Iraq's oil infrastructure.
But who's to tell it was terrorists? The American oil industry has so much profit it could have it's own special forces and we'd never know it. Or mercenary guerrillas could be bought, either way.
Furthermore, might there be a weak protection of Iraq's oil infrastructure as an invisible way to encourage destruction of the infrastructure? How good of a job are we doing in guarding Iraq's oil infrastructure? And if a lousy job, why?
Sure it's a conspiracy theory. But not a far-fetched one, seeing what is trying to be rammed down America's throat with the drilling fine print in the budget bill at the moment in D.C.
The biggest problem to our gasoline prices is refinement of oil i believe though, not supply of oil. But disrupting the supply of oil might be a strategy used by the energy industry to try to get their way for building more rigs in America as well. I really am not expert at this but it is possible I would think.
I am guessing that the continued high gasoline prices even when refineries should be back online by now, is no coincidence regarding the drilling provisions in the budget bill (that hasn't passed as a result yet.) And maybe this is the story.Posted at November 16, 2005 11:40 AM in response to Mr. Sleeze
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I was just re-thinking about (OK I can be a little obsessive but that is probably the case for many of us) my above comment as to "why don't we just buy extra oil that we 'need' from Iraq", and I wonder if this might not be a good topic for an investigative reporter (with some time on his/her hands which is not my case) to delve into?
What is going on with Iraq's oil exports? Is there a connection between what could be going on with Iraq's exports, or lack thereof rather, and the American energy industry's thirst to put many new rigs in America?
Certainly it is a topic worth investigating, as if such corruption could be found (interfering with Iraq's exports, which interferes with Iraq's future at such a critical time when they need to fuel their economy with exports of oil), it would really be another nail in the coffin, if not a stake in the heart, of the GOP at this point in time.Posted at November 16, 2005 11:27 AM in response to Mr. Sleeze
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"strength of [US]' global position"
Except the poll results that Bruce posted himself, show the opposite. The poll results do not show that there is an increase in anti-american sentiment. It shows an increase in anti-Al Queda sentiment.
Also, such flip flops of public attitude are the open door to bettering a friendship with America, not the other way around. Which can lead to greater security - financial security, military security (not including isolated cases of bombed weddings), you name it. And it becomes more acceptable for the leadership of the country to strengthen relations with the U.S. when these sorts of "breakdowns" occur, because of the public sentiment and because of anger being directed towards Al Queda.
Someone else has posted a comment mentioning that someone's argument reduced a complex situation to "the playground." Yet the playground model does apply. When the challenger (Al Queda) takes a whack at the big boy on the playground, and then takes a whack at some of the other smaller boys, the smaller boys are both angry at the challenger, and thus an alliance is formed because of the common ground of being angry at the challenger.Posted at November 16, 2005 10:52 AM in response to Jordan Bombings and the Rumsfeld Terrorism Metric
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Perhaps time will tell if it would have been a better idea to install a benevolent "Shah." The critical thing is to get the Iraqi forces on their own feet, even if we have to leave a lot of military equipment behind in their possession to do that, so that it becomes more clear that it is then terrorists vs. Iraq when the terror continues. Or in other words when the war becomes more clearly terror.
The people will have a lot of anger, and as we have seen in Jordan, a resolution to stamp out terrorists for good.
The internal conflicts between the 3 'pieces' of Iraq are the fuzzy thing of course. But I think they'll get to a place in the future where they are all cooperating and there is no longer a common ground between the terrorists and sunnis. When sunnis realize they only choice is to side with the other 2 'pieces' of Iraq.
It is a grand mess though I would agree. Which brings me back to my first sentence regarding they might have been better off with a Shah. As a "step one." With the goal of democracy a longer term goal once Iraq was stable.Posted at November 16, 2005 10:41 AM in response to The Problem with Political Islam
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I wouldn't be too sure (net negative.) Your own mention of the poll results:
whereas al Qaeda once had over 60% approval in Jordan, now "more than 87% said they considered al Qaeda a terrorist organization, and almost as many said that al Qaeda's acts of terror did not represent Islam."
Shows quite a flip flop has occurred in Jordan regarding support for Al Queda. Each country that this happens in is a serious blow to Al Queda. There should logically be less Jordanians joining Al Queda now, and less financial donations provided from Jordanians to Al Queda. Which obviously translates into a net positive in the war on terror, compared with the 50 killed in the bombings in Jordan.
It would be interesting if someone did a poll in Iran. As we have shiites being blown up by Al Queda/Sunnis. Yet Iran is hardline and even more so with their current President regarding Islam, so I am not sure anyone would know unless a poll was done in Iran (which it probably wouldn't allow a poll to be done.)
As more and more countries experience their "9/11", Al Queda's chance of winning their campaign to take over the world as an Islamic planet gets smaller and smaller.
There is also an obvious opportunity after such "9/11"'s of other countries, to improve relations with the victimized nation and strengthen intelligence cooperation and military cooperation other cooperations not related to the war on terror.
I heartily disagree with your assertion that it is a slam dunk that muslims blowing up muslims is a net negative in the war on terror.
Posted at November 16, 2005 10:13 AM in response to Jordan Bombings and the Rumsfeld Terrorism Metric
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oops, copy/paste didn't work out, here's a copy/paste in text format:
Representative State Phone Address
Rep. Christopher Shays CT (202) 225-5541 1126 Longworth HOB
Rep. Rob Simmons CT (202) 225-2076 215 Cannon HOB
Rep. Nancy Johnson CT (202) 225-4476 2409 Rayburn HOB
Rep. Michael N. Castle DE (202) 225-4165 1233 Longworth HOB
Rep. Jim Leach IA (202) 225-6576 2186 Rayburn HOB
Rep. Mark Steven Kirk IL (202) 225-4835 1717 Longworth HOB
Rep. Timothy V. Johnson IL (202) 225-2371 1229 Longworth HOB
Rep. Wayne T. Gilchrest MD (202) 225-5311 2245 Rayburn HOB
Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett MD (202) 225-2721 2412 Rayburn HOB
Rep. Vernon J. Ehlers MI (202) 225-3831 1714 Longworth HOB
Rep. John J.H. Schwarz MI (202) 225-6276 128 Cannon HOB
Rep. Mark R Kennedy MN (202) 225-2331 1415 Longworth HOB
Rep. Jim Ramstad MN (202) 225-2871 103 Cannon HOB
Rep. Charles F. Bass NH (202) 225-5206 2421 Rayburn HOB
Rep. Joseph E. Bradley, III NH (202) 225-5456 1218 Longworth HOB
Rep. H. James Saxton NJ (202) 225-4765 2217 Rayburn HOB
Rep. Christopher H. Smith NJ (202) 225-3765 2373 Rayburn HOB
Rep. Frank A. LoBiondo NJ (202) 225-6572 225 Cannon HOB
Rep. Michael Ferguson NJ (202) 225-5361 214 Cannon HOB
Rep. Rodney P. Frelinghuysen NJ (202) 225-5034 2442 Rayburn HOB
Rep. Sherwood L. Boehlert NY (202) 225-3665 2246 Rayburn HOB
Rep. Sue W. Kelly NY (202) 225-5441 2182 Rayburn HOB
Rep. James T. Walsh NY (202) 225-3701 2369 Rayburn HOB
Rep. Michael G. Fitzpatrick PA (202) 225-4276 1516 Longworth HOB
Rep. James W. Gerlach PA (202) 225-4315 308 Cannon HOB
Rep. Bob Inglis SC (202) 225-6030 330 Cannon HOB
Rep. Tom Davis VA (202) 225-1492 2348 Rayburn HOB
Rep. David George Reichert WA (202) 225-7761 1223 Longworth HOB
Rep. Frank James Sensenbrenner, Jr. WI (202) 225-5101 2449 Rayburn HOBPosted at November 16, 2005 9:55 AM in response to Mr. Sleeze
