Well. That settles it, then. If Bill O'Reilly said it. :rolleye33: I recommend books. Start with this one. Read some of this. And then maybe check this guy out. O'Reilly is a salesman. Just like the rest of them. My advice to everyone - for all our own good - is to stop watching that crap.
was it 30,000 troops that worked so well, or other things? the anbar awakening had nothing to do with the surge, it was petraeus new counter insurgengy tactic that bought that win. turn the sunni against al qaeda, arm some of them, pay them, get them on your side. no doubt the surge helped, but other changes were more important than the surge IMO, although the secret new tactic may not have been possible without the troops.
Obama should be questioned for this strange about face in a matter of 30 days. Here's what Obama had to say July 20, 2008 on New Hampshire Public Radio. Here's what Obama had to say last Thursday in his interview with O'Reilly. Given the nature of these diametrically opposed statements it certainly gives good reason to question his judgment and experience. What happened to make him change his view 180 degrees in such a short period of time? Additionally, Obama hammered the crap out of Hillary Clinton for her vote on the Iraq war but Joe Biden, who also voted for the Iraq war, gets a free get out of jail card by Obama on the same issue. Obama says he nominated Biden for VP because of his foreign policy expertise yet he completely disagrees with one of Biden's most important decisions and a main platform in Obama's campaign.
That you sound a lot like Jane Fonda who is at the top of my list of people that need to die a painful death.
As we're making sure Iraq is secure those responsible for 9/11 are free. How much more of my money are you willing to spend on Iraq? What if Iraq crumbles after we leave, should we hop back and spend more of my money trying to make everyone hold hands? While we're fcking around with third world countries on China's dime (my grandchildren will repay them, with interest), Russia's dcking around with Venezuela and China is becoming formidable.
Do you offer a viable solution or just derision? Shall we pack up and leave tomorrow? Or how about in 12 months, 16 months, or 18 months whether things are better or not? However it appears that things are better, and we are rotating troops home. If we are allowed to let Petraeus finish what he has started, then we should be able to leave in a fashion that is dictated by us, and not by the enemy. I think we are all in favor of getting out of Iraq, so why don't you accept the fact that they are making real progress towards that and let them do it.
I just get irritated that so many here are uninterested in logic. Those who want to see "victory" in Iraq above ALL else, with no concern about how that will affect other aspects of our well being. Too many are caught up with what is happening in Iraq and perhaps don't feel the pinch that many of their fellow Americans are feeling. If we are close to the end it is probably in our best interest to see it through, but I see our politicians leaning toward long term aid for Iraq. I feel concerned that Iraq will have issues and we won't be willing to allow them to handle those issues themselves. We've been told before that things are improving, and while many seem to believe it now, I find it hard not to be skeptical. Should we really be cavalierly propping up countries around the globe while the waters are rising and normal folks are in up to their neck with the current and prolonged economic situation in the US?
Hook, line, and sinker. We're not even in a recession. And that's not an opinion, it's a fact. There's more to international relations than public opinion polls. Sometimes, our own domestic national interest and "well-being" is directly linked to our foreign policy. Iraq and Afghanistan will have far reaching implications that apparently you have not even considered, based on the language of your post. Those implications are posted all over this message board, in countless threads, and you can read about them almost anywhere, including the NYT and the WAPO. So I won't bother. But don't sell the BS about the economy being in the toilet, because it's tired populist crap and whoever wins this election will be taking credit for THE INEVITABLE UPTURN that occurs as the business cycle continues on...
