Eric, you wrote “What an idiotic statement by Bluedog (#23). So your logic states that as soon as people start dying, we need to cut and run?”

Evidently, I need to spell this out for you: the various comparisons conservatives make to WWII are almost always completely without merit. You can’t compare the occupation of Germany, with a population that wanted U.S. presence to counter the ambitions of Stalin, to the occupation of Iraq, with a population that wants us out of there and demonstrates it every day with new killings of American soldiers. What is the point? The point of the German occupation, whether or not you agreed, was to keep Stalin from annexing all of Germany. There was no civil war and no insurgency. American soldiers knew exactly why they were there. They knew who the enemy was. They could tell by the uniforms. As usual, Bush has distorted history for current political advantage. Too bad for him that nobody but his cult-members believe anything he says anymore.

I hear what you’re saying, and there’s a lot of truth to it.

Still, I guess I’m more of an Eleanor Roosevelt type.

You know, Bluedog, I could have started my response with, “Since you seem to be in favor of allowing the Kurds to be massacred…,” but I didn’t, because that’s a really lousy way to argue. It’s how the neocons operate, and our side should be above that. At least with each other.

You’re right makes no sense. Bring all the troops home and let the rest of the world have at it. As I have posted here before, if the US engages in a military action finish the job and get out. Ever since FDR approved of and Truman dropped the nuclear bombs on Japan, every President has pissed down his leg when it comes to committing troops. Go in get the job done and get out!

OK. If you don’t think we should have troops defending South Korea or Kosovo, then it doesn’t make sense to have them in Kurdistan or Darfur, either. I respectfully disagree.

Bluedog,

Anyway, there was never majority support for an American presence in South Vietnam among the people there. Like Arab Iraq, the crony government wanted us there to keep them in power, but the public opposed our presence. As polls demonstrate, however – the ones that also show 90%+ of Iraqi Arabs wanting us to leave – the Kurdish public supports our presence by a large margin. That’s why the overall figures for the country hover around 80%.

“In Korea, the American military has been there to deter the threat from North Korea, so of course the vast majority of Koreans agree. In Kosovo, we halted the genocide of Bosnian muslims, so they too are happy with our presence.” And in Kurdistan, we halted Saddam’s attempt to put down their rebellion after Gulf War 1, the same way he put down the rebellion in the south. Like Kosovo, the public is happy with our presence.

“First, one of our most important allies in the area, Turkey, doesn’t want us occupying Kurdistan. ” Screw them. They’ve been massacring Kurds for centuries.

“Second, there have been many terrorist attacks in Kurdistan.” Yes there have, since this war started and we allowed al Qaeda to flood into Iraq. Thanks, Bushie, you’re doing a heckuva job! I expect this to abate once we are no longer occupying the Sunni Arab areas, and the locals no longer have a reason to ally with the foreign jihadists.

I’d like to see TP’s top 5 suggestions to fix the Iraq problem.

#1 Get all you chicken hawks to sign up for the military. If you people are still too chicken to fight your own war, reinstate the draft.

And Iraq’s big oil contracts go to …
Companies from China, India and other Asian nations are seen getting the first contracts. But don’t write off Big Oil just yet.

If you read the whole article, you will find that only crumbs are being passed out at present.

Hmmm. Where have I heard that argument before. Oh, I know. LBJ and McNamara said the same thing about the Republic of Vietnam.

You’re comparing Kurdistan with Korea and Kosovo-Bosnia. In Korea, the American military has been there to deter the threat from North Korea, so of course the vast majority of Koreans agree. In Kosovo, we halted the genocide of Bosnian muslims, so they too are happy with our presence. Kurdistan is another story. First, one of our most important allies in the area, Turkey, doesn’t want us occupying Kurdistan. Second, there have been many terrorist attacks in Kurdistan. Many Americans have already been killed in Kurdistan and many more will be if we try to occupy the area.

Will you idiots ever stop with the canard about stealing Iraq’s oil?

http://money.cnn.com/ 2007/ 04/ 05/ news/ international/ iraq_oil/ index.htm

Comment by Ringo — May 30, 2007 @ 2:08 pm

Will you idiots stop with the canard about the republican party doing anything in the best interest of America?

“Joe, since you seem to be in favor of our soldiers dying for the purpose of occupying Kurdistan,”

It’s not occupying if they invite you in, which they have.

There might be casualties if the military does this mission, but then again, there might not be. There have been zero casualties among our personnel in Kosovo and Bosnia. I can’t recall the last time an American was killed in Korea. There difference between occupying a hostile country whose population supports your enemies (ie, what we’re doing in Baghdad) and defending a country whose population supports your presence (ie, what we should be doing in Kurdistan, and what we’re doing in South Korea) shouldn’t be swept aside.

“…I’m guessing you didn’t see the recent video of our wonderful Kurdish allies stoning and beating a young teenage girl to death.” Sure I have. That sort of thing has become more common since Bush’s war. I also saw what happened to James Byrd. I also saw the video of what happened at Florence and Normandy. You shouldn’t condemn entire races or ethnicities because you saw some people doing something bad on teevee.

Slap!!!!
Comment by Spudge_Boy

Not one troll has the balls to admit it. Nor a memory long enuf to remember it, heh

http://money.cnn.com/2007/04/05/news/international/iraq_oil/index.htm

If Iran gets nuclear weapons they will use them to blackmail Europe and eventually to attack Israel.

If we do not destroy their nuclear facilities, then Israel will have no choice but to do so.