I could not believe the amount of quality material on this site. The site is extremely eyecatching and pulls the reader straight it, the articles are great quality and are very professionally written. I have seen too many of these sites where it looks…

Found your blog on yahoo – thanks for the article but i still don’t get it.

We have to start somewhere, Exley. We have to make it as right as we’ll ever be able to make it.

Iraq has been a failed state for decades.

“The munitions at Al Qaqaa were at most around 0.06 percent of the total.”

“David Kay, the former chief US weapons inspector said that looting was so bad during the fall of 2003 that Iraqis were going in at night individually and in trucks. “There were just not enough boots on the ground, and the military didn’t give it a high enough priority to stop the looting. Tens of thousands of tons of ammunition were being looted, and that is what is fueling the insurgency.”7

“The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) confirmed Kay’s account and in a 9 November 2003 DIA report, noted the vast majority of explosives and ordnance used in anti- coalition improvised explosive devices have come from pilfered Iraqi ammunition stockpiles and prewar established caches.”

“US military commanders in autumn 2003 estimated that Iraqi military sites contained 650,000 to one 1,000,000 tons of various types of munitions and that Al Qaqaa was one of 130 known weapon and ammunition storage sites in Iraq.”

http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pdffiles/ksil72.pdf

“What if the Al Qaeda members infiltrated across the borders of Iraq the way they are in Afghanistan? Then the question wouldn’t be, Is Saddam Hussein going to share these weapons with the terrorist group? The terrorist groups would have an enhanced ability to just walk in there and get them.”

— VP Al Gore, September 2002

http://www.commonwealthclub.org/archive/02/02-09gore-speech.html

The ‘blame Iraqi gov’t’ LIE is OK for politics. But with 130,000 mercenaries in country, with a total legal waiver, there are in fact SIX major factions in Iraq: Sunni, Shia, Kurd, CENTCOM, Al Qaeda, and mercs.

The last two are completely uncontrolled by law. BOTH have been deployed to Iraq by George Bush.

As far as declaring the end of involvement, the declaration is important. Whether we intend to not use any military force? That’s why we retreated to Kuwait and are rotating out, not going home altogether. If we need to build permanent bases, do it in Kuwait.

The Triad-Iraq Government deal basically separates out the money from the thieves, and any expense requires the three to play nice. The can’t exercise any control unless they’re unanimous, and all the bad behavior is based on punishing someone at the table (sunni, shia, kurd). I think it would work. Maybe it wouldn’t. But it gets us off the hook, and puts the problem in the hands of her neighbors.

Yeah, but any type of Marshall Plan-type reconstruction NOW wouldn’t work…American-led or financed reconstruction projects would be (and are) a constant target of insurgents and Al Qaeda. The rebuilding can only happen after the violence ends.

I don’t 100% disagree with you there, Zooey. In fact, there is not much one can disagree with there. The question is now is how do we go about making the situation better?
Comment by Exley — May 17, 2007 @ 12:15 pm

By apologizing, getting the f*ck out of there, and by setting up a “Marshall Plan” to repair the damage we’ve done. That’s a good start.

No, I didn’t, Zooey….See posting #81 at 12:15 pm.

Yeah, I’m whelmed by his indignation. *yawn*

You like how he completely skipped over my comment to him at #75?

- Redeploy all military personnel to Kuwait. Continue troop rotations in Kuwait, but do not enter Iraq.
Most estimates I’ve read say this would take 8-10 months. That’s how long it would take for an”immediate withdrawal” of more than 250,000 military personnel and contractors and all the vehicles and equipment. It’s not political, it’s a physical reality.

- Transfer the oversight role of the Iraqi government to a Triad composed of representatives from Turkey, Iran, and Saudi Arabia. Pay the balance of all contracts forward to a UN fund to distribute reconstruction money only on unanimous request from the Triad.

This would put the future of Iraq in the hands of the two countries that are fighting a proxy war with each other through Shia and Sunnis in Iraq, plus a third party that would really like to take care of its Kurdish problem. I think that might not be such a good idea. I agree that all three of these countries – and Syria – need to be at the table in determining the future of Iraq, but they should not be the controllers of the country.

- Declare US involvement in Iraq at an end. Apologize for improperly addressing all of the conflicts in Iraq, in favor of focusing on the largest perceived danger. Recommit the US to working to create peace in Iraq – through the UN. Make substantial donations to any internationally recognized organization that is actively working to improve the living conditions of Iraqi citizens.

With you on the apologies and the increased UN involvement, but I don’t think US involvement should end entirely. This is not a problem we can throw money at. It needs to be a truly multinational effort, with a lot of involvement by Iraq’s neighbors. The root of most problems is political, and the US still has an important role as a neutral facilitator. We – and more importantly the Iraqi leaders – need to be talking to the Jaysh el-Mahdi and the other organizations and keeping them involved as legitimate political movements.

A power vacuum is not a gift.

You can lead the proverbial horse to water, but you cannot make it drink.

Funny you should mention water – we’re still having problems leading more than one-fourth of the proverbial Iraqis to water. If I was them, I wouldn’t want to drink it either, what with only 49 out of 136 water and sanitation projects having been completed.

Yeah, That is great for our troops. But what about the innocent Iraqis over there who will be left behind to deal with the sectarian violence? Do we just desert them? When we left SE Asia in the early 1970s, it was wonderful for our troops, but those left behind had to deal with the horror of the communists in Vietnam and the Khmer Rogue in Cambodia. Millions were killed. That can’t be allowed to happen in Iraq.

Comment by Exley — May 17, 2007 @ 12:24 pm

I agree that many people will suffer when we pull our troops out of Iraq. But given that for the 4 years we have been there the situation has not improved, how will pulling out now be any different than pulling out in another 4 years or however long we wait? People are going to die and it will be terrible and it will be completely our fault. All we are currently doing is postponing the inevitable.

What? That thousands die? Already happening. Your troops are not making any difference.

Yeah, That is great for our troops. But what about the innocent Iraqis over there who will be left behind to deal with the sectarian violence? Do we just desert them? When we left SE Asia in the early 1970s, it was wonderful for our troops, but those left behind had to deal with the horror of the communists in Vietnam and the Khmer Rogue in Cambodia. Millions were killed. That can’t be allowed to happen in Iraq.

Do you mean “cut and run”, as in your post?
If not, please explain, in detail, why it is not an option, or are you just spouting to be heard (seen)?

I have a solution for the Iraqi crisis that our dear leaders have us so involved. Required Taxation!
That’s right, 10% on taxable income from everyone.
Not only would the soldiers get the equipment and safety they so desperately need, but it would also drastically decrease our record deficit.
(Point to ponder: Why is the military not required to have United States made products? Is the military outsourcing, also?)

Of course, the rightwing chickenhawks would have a complete hissy fit regarding taxation, and would vote “no”, and thus pave the way for our soldiers to come home, preventing any more children growing up fatherless (or motherless) due to this poorly planned, hastily lead “confrontation….occupation”

See, it’s a win/win situation for all.