Excellent Reading On Iraq v. Viet Nam
If you need an excellent comparison of Iraq to Viet Nam, you can't find a better on that Dennis Byrne wrote in the Chicago Tribune, in fact, one paragraph pretty well sums up the comparison:
That is what our legacy to Viet Nam is, the question is do we have enough national fortitude to NOT subject the millions in Iraq to the same thing?
Charles Krauthammer also has an excellent take on the situation in Iraq, and the true problem facing the country.
As Charles pointed out, there are plenty of mistakes in Iraq, but the biggest really had nothing to do with troop levels or conduct of the conflict. The biggest issues are the government in charge, and how we've dealt with it, and allowed it to deal with us.
Add the two editorials together, and what you find out is that our political solution at home is probably the wrong answer for 25 million folks half way around the world; and our military solution there has more to do with their politics than our Army.
Fixing Iraq isn't a simple problem, and as much as many people here just want to sweep it under the rug and make it go away, that's the wrong solution. Staying in Iraq for our own national esteem and world standing would be the wrong reason, staying to "finish what we started" would be the wrong reason. Staying in Iraq because it's the right thing to do for 25 million people is why we shouldn't pull out.
Technorati Tags: Charles Krauthammer, Dennis Byrne, Iraq, Viet Nam
We abandoned millions of people to be stripped of their freedoms, imprisoned for their beliefs or slaughtered by a monstrous, tyrannical regime. It was one of the most shameful days in American history. It was our own day of infamy.
That is what our legacy to Viet Nam is, the question is do we have enough national fortitude to NOT subject the millions in Iraq to the same thing?
Charles Krauthammer also has an excellent take on the situation in Iraq, and the true problem facing the country.
The problem is not, as we endlessly argue about, the number of American troops. Or of Iraqi troops. The problem is the allegiance of the Iraqi troops. Some serve the abstraction called Iraq, but many swear fealty to political parties, religious sects or militia leaders.
As Charles pointed out, there are plenty of mistakes in Iraq, but the biggest really had nothing to do with troop levels or conduct of the conflict. The biggest issues are the government in charge, and how we've dealt with it, and allowed it to deal with us.
Add the two editorials together, and what you find out is that our political solution at home is probably the wrong answer for 25 million folks half way around the world; and our military solution there has more to do with their politics than our Army.
Fixing Iraq isn't a simple problem, and as much as many people here just want to sweep it under the rug and make it go away, that's the wrong solution. Staying in Iraq for our own national esteem and world standing would be the wrong reason, staying to "finish what we started" would be the wrong reason. Staying in Iraq because it's the right thing to do for 25 million people is why we shouldn't pull out.
Technorati Tags: Charles Krauthammer, Dennis Byrne, Iraq, Viet Nam
posted by Crazy Politico at 5:12 PM
2Comments:
Over the Last 6 years Kosovo has been an astounding success. Kosovo was ridiculed and maligned by Republicans from the start. Republicans accused the Kosovo Campaign of being a potential "vietnam". Now looking back 6 years later we all can see Kosovo wasen't what the gainsayers claimed.
The Iraq war has been a huge strategetic blunder for the USA. The surprising dismissal of Donald Rumsfeld has only proven corrupt Republican dealings in congress, the electoral college and the judiciary. Republicans have used the power given to them by the people to commit terrible abuses against humanity.
In the last few weeks it has become very apparent Republicans are not as moral as they claimed. The problem with electing people on outward claims of morality is that we have found out they were white washed tombs full of dead men's bones. I
The Iraq campaign has been a big lie and terrible injustice against humanity. The problem with the west is that people don't understand that Muslims don't want to live in a democracy. When Muslims do have a democracy, such as palestine, it changes nothing.
America has made a terrible strategetic blunder in Iraq. By giving Iraqis over $20,000,000 to rebuild Iraq infrastructure America is actually getting more money into the hands of potential terrorist and terrorist. Many terrorist operate businesses, such as construction, trades, and service industrys. The money America is using to beef up the Iraqi econonmy is making it more possible for terrorist to come to America. Now instead of terrorist having to ride in cargo container with beans and rice they can fly first class with caviar.
Iraq has been a terrible failure, a war we all will be better off to soon forget. Kosovo on the other hand has been a success with little acknowledgement by the American press. We should be very thankful for our success in Kosovo and learn that America can succeed in police actions if done in coperation with many other nations. We can't cut and run from NATO and the U.N.
Our only real mistake in Iraq, and it was a BIGGIE, was failing to anticipate the degree that would-be tyrants would go to to gain and maintain control over the populace. It was not disposing of and replacing Saddam that was the mistake, but failing to also attack the other would-be tyrants that this tyrant was keeping in check. It may be that Muslims are incapable of ruling themselves in a civilized manner which may complicate things considerably.
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