How do you solve problems if denial is your assessment?

“majority, merely trying to survive” is another version of “Kill or be killed.” No henchmen, no problem. I understand the situation with the infrastucture can hamper basic supplies and/or fuel opportunism.

What would I do if I lived in Iraq? I wouldn’t live there is the answer. If Australia turned into a sesspool of hatred, I wouldn’t live here. If the World became so enraged with itself it could only find solace in hatred and violence, I wouldn’t live.

Iraq is a big place. Though I don’t intend to go and find out, I would be surprise if there was nowhere within its borders offering temporary sanctorary for the sane.

The allied powers opened the door and now Iraqis misbehave. Who should God congratulate, the murdering Sunni, or the murdering Shia?

Is it ok to hold a fellow human being in contempt because what they assert they believe doesn’t make you feel comfortable.

I am waiting for the famous retort “kill or be killed.” But, wait, who would be rewarded by the creator of man? The killer of the creation, or the martyr who lays their life down on principle? Those who chose arms as the solution in attack or defense are jointly culpable, under that philosophy.

The ‘media victory tours’ didn’t work then, and I doubt that they will work for long now. As we have seen throughout this Bush catastrophe, reality will eventually intrude — perhaps a cheerleading Michelle Malkin type will get caught in a Baghdad ambush or a Liebermanesque senatorial nitwit will be hit by a mortar round in the Green Zone and then the game’s up. “Yes. I may have lost my legs, but the surge is working.”

BTW, Bush-backer Section 9 — isn’t that one degree crazier than a Section 8? How would you like to take a tour of Baghdad courtesy of Uncle Sam — the enlistment offices are open and empty — or, perhaps, you’re not really that crazy after all?

I did not make my point clear. It has nothing to do with patriotism, which frankly I do not indulge in. It is a matter of neither pride or shame, it is a matter of historical fact that if you want to invade and take over an Arab country, Iraq is the worst choice you can make. Just about any Arab will tell you that, the British learned it the hard way, and now the Americans are learning it the hard way.

And forgive me for correcting you, but Iraq is not just a “cesspool of abuse”, whatever that is intended to mean.

my question, is lieberman the dog or the pony of the dog-n-pony show?

Yeah, well, the lessons “learned” won’t be the key ones, I am afraid.

Lesson 1: Don’t indulge in pure, unprovoked acts of aggression.

Lesson 2: If you insist upon indulging in pure, unprovoked acts of aggression, don’t f*** with Iraq. Everyone knows that Iraqis are the last people you want to try to f*** with.

5. the kagan behind the surge. the aei puke. (there’s 3 of them. dad’s a history teacheer at yale, and 2 sons. anyway, the aei puke is a) yale, and b) wait for it…….skull & bones like w.

supposedly, w was thinking the iraq war could not be won and the kagan puke says it can be. w. grabs the life preserver and goes w it.

6. btw, great catch on the o’hanlon and petraeus at princeton together. w’s david grew up a few miles from west point. married the supe’s daughter.

7. petraeus also had a parachute accident. about 60 feet off the ground “lost his air.” fall. splat. puts self back together. put it’s a great metaphor for iraq. because when i jumped out of perfectly good airplanes if you recognized that you had a major malfunction and took too long to take corrective action and then “pulled the ripcord” you would still die. all mil. hist. from the loser’s point of view is summed up in 4 words: too little. too late.

8. i expect to be in chicago at the vvaw conference. maybe i’ll see ya there. or, we’ll meet down the road.

keep hitting ‘em slugger. (your radio address countering w. still brings a big smile to my face. great job.)

4. saw somewhere (sorry no link) that gen. keane, key proponent of the surge, was the guy that shot petraeus on a live fire/or range at ft. campbell. IF TRUE, this is wild because how do get an accidental discharge and nearly kill a battalion cdr. w/o consequences, ie, keane stays on duty and becomes, iirc, vice chief of staff of the army.

also, little historical factoid for you. they airevac ltc petraeus to the nashville tramua center hospital. surgeon who worked on him? bill frist. later to become sen. maj. ldr.

also, for me this is wild because a key surge proponent sending petraeus to the quagmire in iraq is the same guy that almost literally killed him. the irony/symbolism (something?) is too rich for words.

cont’d.

various thoughts:

1. believe you will be in chicago at dailykos confab. do you know that vvaw, vietnam veterans against the war is also having their yearly convention/meeting this weekend in chicago. go to http://www.vvaw.org for more info.

it would be great for you, imho, to meet some of these folks. ask for barry romo, head organizer and dave cline. two legends. tell ‘em an airborne ranger in st. louis co. mizzourah sent you.

2. re col. ted westhusing and petraeus. any plans by y’all to get this into the hands of the senate & house armed services cmtees. for upcoming petraeus testimony before cong. this sept?

3. point about the surge. the brits started this war w like 45,000 troops. they are now down to like 5,500 troops. how many u.s. troops are in the recent surge? point of story: there’s your whole god dang surge knuckleheads.

cont’d.

To the Editor:

Michael E. O’Hanlon and Kenneth M. Pollack echo what many troops have seen in Iraq. A “good” final outcome is unlikely, but lessons can still be learned and military successes replicated.

Unfortunately, many Americans want out of Iraq now so badly that they fail to analyze tactical changes objectively. This is not new. Political rhetoric on both sides in Washington has always been detached from Iraq’s military realities. Complexity is ignored, and rigorous discussions are replaced by efforts to find information supporting cemented conclusions.

As a result, many Iraq veterans have decided to opt out of the discussion entirely.

Military successes happen in Iraq — even now. But appreciating and exploiting them will be possible only with thoughtful, objective analysis.

I learned an Iraqi saying once that illustrates the complexity of the issues: “All the fingers on your hand are not the same.”

Paul Rieckhoff
New York, July 30, 2007

The writer is executive director of Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America.

What baffles my mind is how 9/11 always gets forgotten within the context of the past and future horrors of Iraq.

In 2001, it was the “most solemn duty” of President Bush to protect the US from attack. (We now know was aware of this since it was one of his most often repeated selling points in the election).

Judging by the nearly 3000 murders and the tens of billions of dollars in damage that occured on and after 9/11, only a juvenile or a moron could say that President Bush has succeeded in doing that ever so highly touted “most solemn duty” of the POTUS.

Then, supposedly to prevent another 9/11, as if he stopped the first, Bush invaded Iraq, deposed SH, and then **inadvertently** thrust the reins of power into the hands of anti-American Shi’a fundamentalists who for the last two decades have been supported and given shelter by Iran and Syria which the Bush admin considers a threat to the US.

Here’s the math:

9/11 = 3000 murders + tens of billions of dollars in damage

Iraq = hundreds of thousands maimed and murdered + $600 million

9/11 + Iraq = Islamistan in Iraq

WTF?

You’re doin a heckuva job Bushies!!

How do you define “success” and “winning”? What is your goal in supporting the U.S. military presence in Iraq? How would you like to see it play out? How long would it take? Is it achievable and at what cost? Would it be worth it? Any why are you not signing up for military service?

A few simple questions.

It is pretty simple. There are many both Democrats and Republicans that no longer support this venture and believe that it is not worth it. Prove to us it is worth it by answer the above questions? The problem is that Bush has never made a strong case as to why the U.S. public should support this war. The reason is is because there is no strong case! I have heard many cases why the war is a terrible waste of time, money and human lives. I have heard almost no cases as to why this war makes sense (maybe oil). Tell us MataHarley…. Make your case….

During the twenty (plus) years prior to the US’ deposing of Saddam Hussein, Al-Maliki, Al-Hakim, Bayan Jabr, Hamid Al Bayati, et al fought to transform Iraq into an Islamic state with the help of Iran and Syria who gave them refuge and financial assistance.

Thanks to the GOP and its supporters, the decades old dream of Al-Maliki, Al-Hakim, Bayan Jabr, et al (who are pro-extremist Iranian, pro-Hizbollah, anti-US, anti-Israel, etc) has been realized.

How is their success, which was brought about by your fervent support of Bush, a success for the GOP and conservatives?

How is Iraq being a vassal state of Iran a success?

Thanks to you MataHarley, hundreds of thousands of people in total have been maimed, crippled, raped, hanged, drowned, burned, shot, beheaded, tortured, killed, etc for the sake of a small group of men that will never, as evidenced by their history prior to the deposing, be a true friend to the USA.

WTF?

Thanks to you MataHarley, about $500 billion will be spent for the sake of a small group of men that will never, as evidenced by their history prior to the deposing, be a true friend to the USA.

WTF?

And that would *also* include know it all Congressional members - doing their infrequent weekender trips to Baghdad. This would be the same who, after a brief fly thru, came to their own, opposite conclusions and persist in prematurely prounouncing the surge efforts a failure, and a free and self-sustainable Iraq as an unwinnable objective.

When the cry of defeat by nae-sayers becomes indignantly louder in the face of the slightest bit of good news in a doom and gloom media, it becomes clear that all this posturing has little do with the lives of our military and a desired goal to win, and everything to do with losing a progressive jewel issue in a 2008 election. Quite frankly, Iraqi success = progressive defeat.