can someone explain to me how a 19 year old English speaking GI..

[LSK]

..can someone bring a political settlement between Shiites and Sunnis so they can form a government that they both can agree to?

Can 100 GIs accomplish this? Can 1000? Can 140,000 in 4 years accomplish this? They have not yet so far. Why should anyone believe they can in the next month? Or the next 6 months? Or the next 10 years?

If Sunnis and Shiites have decided they cannot live together, American soldiers armed to the teeth are not going to convince them otherwise.

The solution to Iraq is not a military solution. It is a political solution.

[mediaman007]

1. We suffer from an ego that says the United States is the chosen

country and we can solve all problems. After this nighmare, we might be able to see the rest of the World on even terms.

[ContraBass Black]

2. Interestingly, they did live together, and often intermarry, before

The United States knocked over the government.

[Joe for Clark]

3. It is more than that.

I hear that thrown around a lot - Sunnis vs Shias - man it is a lot worse than that.

Much more complicated. There are arab and non arab groups going at each other. Within communites they go after each other.

If it was truly a two way fight, we might have a chance. But it is more like a 16 way fight, probably more.

All that said - I'll tell you, I trust those GI boys more than I will ever trust that officer corp to come up with a solution, if there was one.

Joe

[Monkeyman]

4. They kids in Iraq can never bring peace

Political solution is the only way. It just might have to be us to do that. By Us I mean Democrats

[TahitiNut]

5. The Chimperor's 'plan' makes exactly the same amount of sense ...

... as just bringing the troops back home and shooting 4 of them through the head every day until Iraqis stop fighting. Just hand the pistol to one of Cheney's crony corporatists and, after he's done shooting, hand him $50 million as he walks away. Next?

... and somebody should tell the asshole that very thing. In public.

[CrazyOrangeCat]

6. As you say . . .

. . . it was always a political solution.

Saddam was only able to hold those two factions together by the means of a huge, brutal secret police.

The neocons have now destroyed that country, utterly . . . and left the entire populace to suffer permanent poverty and PTSD.

Progress there will be measured in generations, now. And more surges will only mean more death.

[tbyg52]

7. They can't, of course

Only their leaders, or they and their leaders put together, can.

Hmmmm.... Who are the leaders at the moment....?

Yep, you're right.

[Kelly Rupert]

8. And a political solution will never occur

as long as Baghdad is embroiled in civil war.

[knowbody0]

9. I love logic

There are 25 million Iraqis. Until our military outnumbers them, there will always be an insurgency against foreign occupiers and any puppet regime they install. Period.