Quote:
Originally Posted by "uffah!!"
We wouldn't be in this position, if the job was completed in 1991 when we had 580,000 troops there. But the Dems were crying about the 10 or 15 troops we lost then, and its the same Dems that want us out now.
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Back then practically everyone from #^&#^&#^&#^& Cheney to Scrowcroft to George Sr, Powell, Schwarzkopf, The Saudis, The French, The entire coallition agreed that going to Baghdad would have been a mistake, and far more costly then where they had gone to at that point (and it was 200 something troops lost by the end of the ground war). Up until the end of the ground war the Coallition forces were able to practice deception and mobile warfare across mostly unpolulated desert, maximizing their firepower and minimizing - usualy - that of the Iraqi forces. Much like in GW2, the road to Bagdhad was easier than feared but GW1 had the luxury of not needing to go door to door.
Had the US Forces decided to chase and get Sadamm other member countries of the coallition
may have stopped fighting or god knows what....
This current situation is absolutely horrendous. If the options are to stay and fight the bad guys over there (many that we created) or to "Redploy" as some call it, we're in deep sheit. Due to the gawd awfull planning (or lack of planning) and execution by this administration our prospects for changing things over there in a possitve matter at the expense of our young men & women is rapidly diminishing.
The prospects of leaving there are almost as bad or could be worse. The region could go up in smoke. But hey, maybe of they are all fighting each other over there, instead of us over there, things might be better?
Who knows - if we leave a vaccuum then maybe the Saudis and Syrians will prop up the Sunnis, Iran backing the Shiites - Arab on Persian Crime writ large. Shoot - might take the pressure a little off Isreal if GW3 happens between all of them.
I know hindsight is 20 / 20 but this was a colossally STUPID thing to do. Errors were then compounded by mistakes and then compounded by lack of reality.
Nobody knows, and certainly the Limbaughs and Hannity's of the world know jack on this too (I woun't pick on O'Riley becuase he isn't bright enough zip his fly the same way twice).
I was too young to remember what life was like for those of us in the land of the Big PX during Vietnam. But I honestly felt that our country and government had learned for those harsh lessons and wouldn't eff things up badly again. I assumed that how the military took a real hard look at itself and learned from it's lessons that the same could be said true for the politicians - boy was I naive.
The American soldier, grunt, airman, and squid are now paying, yet again, the highest price for poor leadership. This time around - much like the last time around, our military, our good people bust their asses in all sorts of conditions that would make most of us here (that didn't do it) really grow up. They and their families are paying for bad decisions and bad policy.
I want leadership. I want a long term plan. I want incopentent Government people out on their ass - especially Bush and Rummy (still can't happen soon enough).
Do you think this would have been effed up by the numbers so badly had McCain (or any other more competent leader) been in there 6 years ago? We probably would not have gone into Iraq in the first place. IF 9/11 had still happend (and almost assuredly it would have regardless of who was at the helm) Afghanistan would likely be over now and perhaps a more effective War on Terror would have happened with more buy in from around the globe....
Sorry - Rant Off