How can people argue what to do next in Iraq. When we still don't know why we are in Iraq?

Ted S

Ok, let's go over the 3 reasons why we're supposed to be there:
1. WMD's of course now proven to be false, and if there were any there, we're the ones who supplied them when we did back in the 80's.
2. Terrorist links. Another false, since Saddam was against terrorists and would kill them on site. There are now terrorist cells present. That's true, since everyday we're hearing more and more about it. But on the flip side of it, if some foreign country was attacking us, we'd fight back right? I would, and therefore I'd probably be considered a terrorist because I want these intruders out. Most of these so-called terrorists and insurgents are just the people trying to defend their country from our onslaught.
3. Good Ol' operation: Iraqi Freedom. This is the biggest load of crap I've ever heard. Did the Iraqi people ever say "please help our country by enforcing your democracy among our people." No, you didn't. And now we're killing anyone who looks suspicious which unfortunately includes Men, Women and Children. Little did you know that they're using depleted uranium shells in their guns and has been causing more pain for the people who actually survive the onslaught. Causing deformities, cancer and more death.

I've seen the videos of our soldiers beating kids, shooting passerbyers and just plain tyranny. I guess since I don't have military experience, I'll be getting a bunch of thumbs down. But I guess you military people know that the Gulf of Tonkin incident was a staged event (it never happend, and this is declassified). Or the prior knowledge of Pearl Harbor. But I guess that's what happens when you actually think for yourselves and not letting your ranking officers to make you think the way they want you to think. Whatever, go back to sleep.

beardog4314

No- regardless of how we got there, we ARE there; and planning based on the present is more reliable than planning based on the past.

nikola s

we know why we are in Iraq...
you are the one who doesn't

Smudgeward

Some people never will know because the truth is too awful for them to accept. Like Vietnam it will not be a question of choice, however powerful America imagines itself to be it's hand will be forced by events that it's leaders didn't have the insight to foresee at the outset.
You have occupied and installed a US backed puppet regime in Iraq against the will of most of the people in order to keep the oil taps on full blast which would depress the price on the word oil market. The US won the war 3 years ago then barbarically disposed of the most reasonable leader in the most secular state in the region. The US has not been able to keep the peace and have failed now at every original goal, unless, as some say, the US wanted to add to Bin Laden's overall victory, following, and oil price increases.

TimO

Trying to figure out what to do over here is not something any of us soldiers here or civilians at home will be able to answer. It will take a collective effort from our leaders who hopefully have more open minds than they have shown to have in the past for new ideas. I think we should always look at reasons for going to war but should not let that get in the way of reality. We are here and not doing a great job of either winning this war, (whatever the definition of winning is) or rebuilding this country. Some people seem to think that everyone here hates us and is trying to kill us. Baghdad has a population of 6 million or more. We have about 150.000 troops here. If everyone in this country wanted to kill us i believe they could accomplish that. A very small percentage of people here are fighting us. The rest just want the electricity back to prewar levels, clean water and jobs so they can support their families. So far despite all the money we have spent, schools, water treatment plants, electricity grids, jobs and just about everything to make people here have a decent life are still well below pre-war levels. I believe this war was a mistake but we have to rebuild this country or we will lose what little credibility we have left with the world. Soldiers who say they should have no opinion and should just blindly follow orders and support their superiors decisions should realize that Abu Grheb and many of the incidents that have embarrassed the U.S. military here are the result of not asking questions or just going along with what someone else is doing. The soldiers i serve with do not shoot innocent civilians or cause undo damage to civilian property but i know it will happen no matter how careful we are. This is war. A clear directive from the president or congress on what is the goal here would help but i'm not sure that is possible anymore. We made a place for all the terrorists to congregate too and now we have to figure out how to close it down. In the meantime, the people who did do 9/11 are gaining strength in the Pakistan/Afghanistan border country. And as far as the U.S. not having another terrorist attack, the last attack before 9/11 on U.S. soil was in 1993 at the same site. That is 8 yrs before 9/11. With our open borders, we have been lucky.
U.S. Army Cav, 9 yrs

sudsbud9er

Time to stay the course and get the job done.

We already know that?

ggates1982

the agenda was to topple the hussein dynasty which we did. now we are over there helping out a brand new democracy. the next thing we need to do is scale back our roles and let the iraqis pull a little more wieght and in that way pull our people home slowly.

B.Kevorkian

We're in Iraq because Bush said, "hey, let's attack Iraq" and Congress said "OK, go for it" by 296-133 House, and 77-23 Senate.

More recently, we're /still/ in Iraq because Congress has continued to fund it.

But, you're right, we do need to ask what we hope to accomplish there, and how it might be successfully carried out.

okay matt you might not know what our soldiers are doing overseas...but guess what..don't worry about that...our soldiers do...and thats really all that matter....my husband has already been overseas twice and he knows what he is doing day in and day out when he was away from his family for a year at a time....

Richard

YOU don't know......WE DO!!!
And leaving there now would be the biggest mistake we could possibly make!

Ahcho N

And of course you have all of this knowledge from your vast experience in the military I guess? Sorry, when you get a little more experience in life then come back but until then, you need to get your facts straight kid.

xjmox14x

Who's this "we" you speak of? Have you ever been in the military? I didn't think so. Bush's agenda could've sent the troops there to find all the pretty Iraqi ladies and bring them home for all we care. As a soldier, you do what your ranking officer tells you to do, without question. How about you let THEM worry about why THEY'RE there, and you're sitting at home on your computer.

Cleetus C

We went there because of faulty intelligence. But we did rid the world of scum like Sadaam and his two sadistic sons. Also we now have a foothold there, should Iran became a problem.

We are there, and the President is doing a great job since 9-11, after all we have not been attacked again.

JACK H

WE ARE THERE SO NO MORE 9/11'S HAPPEN AND TO INSURE THAT THE WORLD WILL KNOW THAT YOU CAN'T KICK THIS DOG WITHOUT GETTING BIT.
PERSON;Y I WOULD HAVE NUKE THE WHOLE AREA AND STOP THE BS IN 15 MINUTES TOLD THE U N TO GO @%^7 THEM SELVES AND INVITED ONLY A FEW CLOSE FRIENDS TO COME OVER FOR THE BBQ AFTER WARDS. WE ARE THERE BECAUSE THEY HAD WEAPONS OF MAS DESTRUCTION , BUT THEY ARE IN IRAN NOW AND THEY WILL SOON BE USED AGAINST US IF WE DO NOT ACT WITH TOTAL COMMITMENT
THOSE PEOPLE OVER THEIR HATE YOU AND WHAT YOU HAVE . THEY WANT TO TAKE AWAY ,INTIMATE YOU , SCREW UP YOUR DAY . IF YOU WANT, ASK ANY VET COMING BACK FOR THEIR BELIEF, SOME WILL SAY " IT WAS A MISTAKE " THE REST WILL TELL YOU ABOUT HOW THEY MADE A DIFFERENCE

Just because you took a philosophy class in college doesn't make you a philosopher. So stop posing like you are one.
I know I am here so little rich boys like you have the freedom to sit in college and complain.

deuce's

Jay

The agenda and the reasons for being in I raq are clear, what isn't clear is when we will get out of there. There are too many retarded neo-cons in Washington who still believe that success is possible over there regardless of tons of evidence from EXPERTS saying that success is close to impossible. The people of Iraq are not capable of running a successful democracy like we have in America because of various cultural aspects that aren't present in the US. We ended up there because of a lie and we are still there even after that lie has been exposed. In short we are there for there oil and that is the REAL current agenda of why we are there.

s0_st4ng_s3xy_2_r3scu3

NO!!! They have wasted enough time, money, and people on who what when where and whys! They need to come up with a plan to get the flip outta there. Nothing we can do about why we're there. But there's things we can do to get the boys/girls home asap.. if people would quit wasting time on 5 1/2 yrs ago crap.. We are in the NOW Not the Then!!!!

em87

No I think we need to get past that. Whats done is done, yes Bush and Cheney need to be held accountable, but we need to start thinking about our withdrawal. Just placing blame is childish at this point because when we do pull out, we could be making a mistake just as Bush did by not discussing options enough. I would like to see real options not just Bush is an ***, we already know that, and talks of censure and impeachment are starting, but I want to know 3 possibilities of how we can get out.

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