Timetables and Such
In the news today, the House Democrats are proposing a timetable for pulling troops out of Iraq. They want to set the date in the Fall of 2008. Some quick thoughts:
+ I am all for getting out of Iraq. I don't want our troops there one minute longer than necessary, and whatever it takes to finish this up, I'm all for.
+ If the timetable passes Congress, why wouldn't insurgent groups sort of lay low for the next 12 to 18 months, gather their forces, and then when the US forces are gone, take over everything? If your enemy tells you when they are leaving, why not sit and wait for them to go, and then strike?
+ Why would the Democrats set the deadline right before the 2008 elections? Sure, they will say that the Republican administration couldn't meet the deadline, etc. when all the troops aren't out by then, but isn't the easy Republican response that the Democrats have been in power for 2 years and weren't able to meet their own deadline? After all, they have control of both houses of Congress, so if the deadline is missed, how is it not their fault?
+ How can a deadline for pulling out of Iraq help our troops? How does this help stabilize Iraq? There is absolutely no way that the US can leave Iraq without being able to claim a victory. If that would happen, and Iraq becomes another Vietnam, there would never again be a reason for rogue states to listen to the US or the UN, because they would know that there is no real threat of us ever taking military action against them absent their first strike directly against the US or maybe the UK.
+ I am all for getting out of Iraq. I don't want our troops there one minute longer than necessary, and whatever it takes to finish this up, I'm all for.
+ If the timetable passes Congress, why wouldn't insurgent groups sort of lay low for the next 12 to 18 months, gather their forces, and then when the US forces are gone, take over everything? If your enemy tells you when they are leaving, why not sit and wait for them to go, and then strike?
+ Why would the Democrats set the deadline right before the 2008 elections? Sure, they will say that the Republican administration couldn't meet the deadline, etc. when all the troops aren't out by then, but isn't the easy Republican response that the Democrats have been in power for 2 years and weren't able to meet their own deadline? After all, they have control of both houses of Congress, so if the deadline is missed, how is it not their fault?
+ How can a deadline for pulling out of Iraq help our troops? How does this help stabilize Iraq? There is absolutely no way that the US can leave Iraq without being able to claim a victory. If that would happen, and Iraq becomes another Vietnam, there would never again be a reason for rogue states to listen to the US or the UN, because they would know that there is no real threat of us ever taking military action against them absent their first strike directly against the US or maybe the UK.
posted by White Hat Black Hat at 10:09 AM
2 Comments:
Point 4: Ok, right - I understand your point here. But really - how do we ever claim victory in Iraq? There has NEVER been peace in the middle east, and I don't think that even the mighty United States is going to change that, no matter how long we stay.
There's something to be said for honoring those who have died by not pulling out before the job is done, but there is also something to be said for recognizing that some things will NOT change.
We can claim victory if we hand over the country to local Iraqi control during a time of relative peace, while at the same time keeping a military base over there.
Then, after we turn over control when things are starting to look ok, let them all kill each other. That is what they want to do anyway.
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