Article

2007-08-01 Iraq

Archived material is restricted to Rantburg regulars and members. If you need access email fred.pruitt=at=gmail.com with your nick to be added to the members list. There is no charge to join Rantburg as a member.

Posted by 3dc 2007-08-01 01:05|| || Front Page|| [11127 views ] Top
File under: Iraqi Insurgency

#1 We might be more willing to increase arms supplies if so much that we already supplied wasn't being diverted to either black market resale or directly to the bad guys.

Posted by Glenmore">Glenmore 2007-08-01 07:43|| 2007-08-01 07:43|| Front Page Top

#2 Glenmore, news flash: Iraqi army/police are mostly bad guys.

Posted by gromgoru 2007-08-01 08:12|| 2007-08-01 08:12|| Front Page Top

#3 Guy sounds just like the head of a US teachers' union - Give us more, and we'll get someone to graduate...

Posted by M. Murcek">M. Murcek 2007-08-01 12:39|| 2007-08-01 12:39|| Front Page Top

#4 We need to tell this guy to go piss up a rope. Nour al-Maliki recently threatened General Petraeus that he would turn over American donated weapons to Shiite militants if we did not suspend our cooperation with Sunni militias. Iraq's government is nothing but a horserace between various tribal warlords vying for domination instead of some real concensus. All of them need to be dragged out and shot.

Posted by Zenster">Zenster 2007-08-01 14:07|| 2007-08-01 14:07|| Front Page Top

#5 We need to start seriously working toward having a good relationship with the Shia dictatorship that is eventually going to run Iraq, whoever it may consist of.

We've already led the horse to water and it refuses to drink.

Posted by Mike N. 2007-08-01 14:43|| 2007-08-01 14:43|| Front Page Top

#6 We need to start seriously working toward having a good relationship with the Shia dictatorship that is eventually going to run Iraq, whoever it may consist of.

An Iraqi dictatorship creates way too many unwanted variables. Even another instance of Iranian-style theocratic Islam is reason enough to avoid such an outcome. Far better that we declare Iraq a failed state and establish it as a suzerain or protectorate of America. Enforce martial law at gunpoint, extract enough oil to compensate us for our trouble and use Iraq as a forward base for continued operations against other MME (Muslim Middle East) nations. Iraq is rapidly proving itself worthy of anything more than this.

Posted by Zenster">Zenster 2007-08-01 15:13|| 2007-08-01 15:13|| Front Page Top

#7 What did you do with the Democrats, Zenster?

Posted by Bobby 2007-08-01 17:59|| 2007-08-01 17:59|| Front Page Top

#8 Zen, that option is not viable with our political climate and lacking some sort of unforeseen event will not be in any reasonable time frame. Likewise the political climate will not allow for the decades long occupation required to make a healthy transition to democracy.

There is no way to get around this, the Shia are too many and will control the country. Perhaps they will hold on to a democracy, I'm just not very positive about that. At this point, it looks like it all hinges on what the Iraqi military decides to support after America is gone.

If we can park a few dozen thousand troops there for a couple decades, Iraq has a shot, but in order to do that, Zen, we need your party to do what's in Americas best interest, for once.

Posted by Mike N. 2007-08-01 18:28|| 2007-08-01 18:28|| Front Page Top

#9 we need your party to do what's in Americas best interest, for once.

My "party"?!? I haven't voted democrat for many years and probably will never vote that way again in my lifetime.

As to the infeasibility of simply taking over Iraq: If we do not dismantle Iran first, backing out of Iraq will be a huge mistake. Whatever dislikes the Iraqis have for Iran, you can be confident that such enmity is trumped entirely by Shiite solidarity as opposed to any pan-Arab or co-religionist filiality with the Sunnis.

None of that bodes well if Iran's theocracy isn't smashed first. It will only encourage the same sort of political Islam in Baghdad that has already shown itself to be so deadly in Tehran. There is little hope that Iraq's corrupt military will exert any moderating force in that respect. Nonexistent separation of church and state represents such a fundamental bedrock of Islamic political consciousness that even a military coup would still see the installation of theocratic rule.

Theocratic Islam is the West's greatest enemy. All forms of it must be eradicated if there is to be any hope of ending global terrorism. It would be far easier to remain in Iraq as an occupying force than to return and smash yet another hostile regime in Baghdad.

Posted by Zenster">Zenster 2007-08-01 19:15|| 2007-08-01 19:15|| Front Page Top

#10 He's not a Democratic for sure Mike N, his party is one hell of a lot older and better organized.

Posted by Speash Dingle8237 2007-08-01 19:45|| 2007-08-01 19:45|| Front Page Top

#11 Fact is, Zen, the nation doesn't have the atomech to maintain the current operation in Iraq. The nature of our involvement is going to change. Unless we get a POTUS that can sell the war properly, a big draw down will happen. If it does, we had better be on good terms with whoever is going to be in charge.

All that talk about Iran is almost another issue. The issue of taking on a ME nation that isn't one of the big terror growers. Ie Iran, SA, Pakistan.

Posted by Mike N. 2007-08-01 22:22|| 2007-08-01 22:22|| Front Page Top

23:56 Zenster
23:32 Mike N.
23:23 borgboy2001
23:20 James
23:19 Mike N.
23:19 ExtremeModerate
23:16 borgboy2001
23:12 Sherry
23:04 3dc
23:01 Mike N.
22:59 James
22:59 SteveS
22:55 N Guard
22:54 crosspatch
22:54 Rich G.
22:51 Frank G
22:48 3dc
22:48 Mike N.
22:47 tu3031
22:40 3dc
22:27 Steven
22:25 Mike N.
22:25 Jonathan
22:23 Zenster