The Next Question: How Do We Withdraw?

[unhappycamper]

The Next Question: How Do We Withdraw?
by Cenk Uygur | Jul 9 2007 - 8:34am


Finally, after two long years (the point at which I thought it became abundantly clear), people have come around to the obvious conclusion that we have lost in Iraq. It takes a long time for a proud country to admit a mistake.

Our original goals were nonexistent, nonsensical lies in the first place. There were no weapons of mass destruction. There were no ties to Al Qaeda. Going on the offense against people who did not attack us is technically a war crime and was bound to be counterproductive.

Our intermediary goals - keeping the country together, bringing democracy to Iraq, and leaving a stable, friendly Iraq behind - proved to be illusory fairly quickly. As I explained nearly two years ago, there never was an Iraq. It was all a mirage.

Finally, several years later, the New York Times agrees with me and a clear majority of the American population. They have finally advocated a withdrawal because our goals in Iraq are not achievable. Welcome aboard. We've lost so much American treasure and blood in the meanwhile, but at long last the pundits have finally come around to the reality-based world.

~snip~

We cannot just leave the country and wish them good luck on the way out. We need to do all we can to organize neighbors and internal sects and tribes to come together to figure out a way to minimize the bloodshed that will occur as we leave.

Unfortunately, this is mainly a diplomatic job and our president is the least capable diplomat in the history of mankind. So, someone else has to pick up the slack. The old guard should be brought back in. Let me explain.


more

[Jim__]

1. That's an extremely difficult question.

We need more than the best American minds on this. We need the regional powers to reach agreement on how they will behave after we leave. I think Iraq is going to go through a few more years of bloodshed. That's tragic, but at this point, it may be unavoidable. However, what happens in Iraq will effect Iraq's neighbors. They need to reach some sort of agreement about how they will react to events. The tragedy of Iraq is already a fact. Maybe we can avoid a wider spread tragedy.

[doni_georgia]

2. Will require global solution

We screwed the pooch on this one, and we have to suck it up and admit it and ask the world for help. But I don't see this happening with our current state in DC. Unfortunately the tragedy in Iraq grows daily. We can discuss how to withdraw from Iraq until we are blue in the face, but the first step has to be DECIDING to withdraw from Iraq. I personally don't see it happening during this administration. Our newly elected Democratic congresscritters talked the talk really well during election season, but they've backed down every time King George has wanted them to. It's a mess, and looks like it will be for a while to come. (Please prove me wrong!!!)

[InkAddict]

3. First, Nancy needs to start setting the table and stop stalling the necessary!

"The problem is all inside your head", she said to me
The answer is easy if you take it logically
I'd like to help you in your struggle to be free
There must be fifty ways to ....

She said it's really not my habit to intrude
Furthermore, I hope my meaning won't be lost or misconstrued
But I'll repeat myself at the risk of being crude
There must be fifty ways to ...

She said it grieves me so to see you in such pain
I wish there was something I could do to make you smile again
I said I appreciate that and would you please explain
About the fifty ways...

She said why don't we both just sleep on it tonight
And I believe in the morning you'll begin to see the light
And then she kissed me and I realized she probably was right
There must be fifty ways...