Let's pray for success in Iraq

[Lefty48197]

The election has been held, and I pray for peace and unity. I pray that the factions in Iraq will be able to unify behind a central government that has respect for all the different sects/races/religions etc. It's a very tall order to try and unify disparate groups like the Iraqi Sunni's, Shiites, and Kurds.
Very few people have been able to pull this off. Marshall Tito managed to hold Yugoslavia together for awhile. Modern "Yugoslavia" has demonstrated that the unity is only as strong as the unifier.
For these reasons, I am not very optimistic that there will be success in Iraq. I still hope for that success. I hope for peace above all. I hope for an end to the U.S. military campaign, following the end of the insurgent campaign. I hope for a steady democratic government.
Nobody can question that all of those will be best for the Iraqi people. Whether all, or any of the wishes can come true, is surely debatable.

I'm not going to let politics get in the way of my hope.

I'm not going to hope for a civil war in Iraq so that I can point fingers at the Republicans. If peace wins in Iraq, then we all win. George W. Bush will not get the credit for a great victory. He will get credit for using the U.S. military to carry out a personal vendetta, against a very barbaric leader, when we should have been focusing our military attention toward our proven enemy, al Qaeda.

I think all of us DUers know that Iraq has a somewhat higher chance of peace and democracy today, than they did 2 years ago. I can think of about 100 other nations that could also use a dose of peace and democracy. Some far from our shores, some near. Some with valuable natural resources, others without. Some supported financially by western money, others not.

Above all, I hope for an end to the U.S. military occupation, and the start of a very overdue all out war on al Qaeda. Those guys really scare me. I'd like to put them out of the killing business. I'd also like to see us start our "Marshall Plan" to spread American goodwill throughout the Muslim world.

None of these things were political issues on September 12, 2001. I pray for a return to that sanity...

[billbuckhead]

1. Let's pray for free elections in Florida and Ohio

[murray hill farm]

2. Yes!!!

Let us pray for the return of sanity!!!

[Vincardog]

3. What Chance is there for piece and democracy in Saudi Arabia?

I think all of us DUers know that Iraq has a somewhat higher chance of peace and democracy today, than they did 2 years ago.

I do not concur with this statement. Saddam was weak and getting weaker 2 years ago. Now aWoL has united the haters against us and Democracy.

[Lefty48197]

5. Well, then I guess I stand corrected.

Clearly a lot of the Iraqi's that hate the U.S. have united. I do think that the average Iraqi is becoming war weary, and less and less tolerant of the insurgency. I also think there is a real (albeit slim) chance that the Shiites and Sunni's may be able to form a coalition government. Whether they can respect the Iraqi Christians enough is another issue. No, I don't expect a lot of success, but I sure am hoping for it.

[aquart]

6. Nothing wrong with hope.

But as long as Negroponte is in Iraq, I don't have any.

[Vincardog]

10. insurgency or Patriotic resistance? What would you be it the USA

was invaded and occupied? Don't be fooled by the semantics. We can hope for peace but Democracy will not be imposed at the point of a gun. Read the PNAC web site and see that aWoL wants eternal war. They (The NeoCons) planned to occupy Iraq before the 2000 election. Why do you think there is no exit plan? Why do you think they are building 14 Permanent Bases?

Don't get me wrong Hope is good. We all need to have hope.

But Sometimes REALITY SUCKS.

[MichiganVote]

4. Let's pray we get the hell out of there

[Acryliccalico]

7. I am all for "praying to get the hell out of there"

as soon and as fast as we can. :kick:

[Lefty48197]

9. I'd love to see that too

but the fear has always been that Iraq would erupt into civil war, if we pulled out, after eliminating their government. My hope is that there might now be a small opportunity for avoiding that civil war. I think those are the only possible scenarios in Iraq: Peace or Civil War.

[cliss]

8. I'm praying for something different,

but I read the User's Agreement before I signed up here at the DU. So I won't tell what I'm prayin for.

[teryang]

11. Hook line and sinker

The propaganda line on Iraqi elections.