Is the surge working?

[hedgehog]

If I understand correctly, McCain was criticizing Obama today for not supporting the Surge.


So, is the Surge working?

[The Wielding Truth]

1. Define surge and working.

[Egnever]

2. I think we do ourselves a disfavor

when we allow this thing to be couched in those terms. This thing is far from black and white.

[hedgehog]

3. So that would be a "define working", right?

[Egnever]

18. It would be a ... redefine the argument.

[Eyes_wide_ open]

12. I could not agree more

Define surge ... and working

[DailyGrind51]

4. And, do we now need a "surge protector"?

[hedgehog]

7. AS an example of unfunny satire, I'd say we need a lot of surge protectors in Iraq!

Halliburton KBR improperly installed electrical wiring or failed to fix known electrical hazards at U.S. bases in Iraq that resulted in the deaths of 11 service members and two civilians, family members and former employees of the contracting giant testified at a Congressional hearing.

Electrical hazards in showers, swimming pools and work spaces have killed 10 soldiers, one Marine and two civilian contractors since 2003.



http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/07/army_electrocution_071108w/

[HughMoran]

5. Yep, Iraq just told us to get the fuck out

:D

[Ron Green]

6. I got yer surge, right here.

[babylonsister]

8. Per LT GEN GARD, That's a NO, Sir! - - >

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=6502674

[hedgehog]

9. Thanks for documenting this. I only bat about a .300 with the Google!

[GreenPartyVoter]

10. I just saw a Nedra Pickler AP article stating Obama's site has taken down its criticism of the surge

[cboy4]

11. Define working.....Sure, U.S. troops deaths are down, but

what else are we accomplishing other than staying alive?

Nothing of course.

We could accomplish the same thing by withdrawing and taking all of our troops out of harm's way.

That's a good reason not to support the surge.

[truthisfreedom]

13. The surge is irrelevant. The point is, we're stuck in Iraq and they don't want us there anymore.

Our presence is not going to bring "peace." We'll be using force to get what we want there until the end of time. Let them work it out for themselves. We've destroyed the whole country... Let them fix it, let others step up to the plate. We can get our troops home, get them the medical care they need, get their lives and families put back together, and repair our military.

[daa]

14. There are more troops now in Iraq than before the

surge so how can that be a succes? If they put more cops on the interstate don't they get more speeders?

[hedgehog]

15. Exactly!

[grantcart]

16. Civilian deaths are down primarily because 'ethnic cleansing' is

working.

Or to give another example "attacks on Christian Iraqis are very rare and there are no more attacks on Christian Churches'


Both are true.

90% of Christian Iraqis are sitting in Syria and Jordan

and

25 of the Iraqi congregations in Baghdad have closed and the last one meets in private.

[anonymous171]

17. If its goal was to stabilize Iraq for an eventual US withdrawal, then NO.

[rzemanfl]

19. The least skilled and most suicidal Iraqis in the opposition

and amongst the "foreign fighters" have been killed off as have the Iraqis who were careless about their personal safety or couldn't make themselves safe. The ones who want to live to fight another day, the careful, the planners, the patient, they are still there biding their time, probing for weaknesses, watching and planning. The survivors who just want to stay alive have either left or learned survival skills in the hellhole Bush made of their country. The surge probably had little to do with it.