It’s been almost 1700 days since fly boy stood on the deck of the Lincoln with the “Mission Accomplished” banner waving in the back ground.

No WMD’s, no immediate threat, no links to Al-Qaeda….all of the reasons to go to war were WRONG! Even if the administration believed there were, they were WRONG! There would NOT have been any support to enter into Iraq had it not been for the above reasons…and they got it WRONG! Over 3000 dead soldiers because this administration got it WRONG!

Why hasn’t anyone asked “Mr President, why did you not fire your chief advisors when you foudn out they got it WRONG!” “And when will you, Mr President, submit your resignation to the American people for your collasal mistakes that have killed THOUSANDS?”

As with Rome, we are doomed.

Evil Cornbread,

“But we’re a long, LONG way from that…”

Agreed…The recent success of the surge is reason to be optimistic but it is not a reason to become complacent or think that this war is over. The key is for us to continue the military push…continue the Petraeus strategy…continue to encourage the Sunni tribesmen to turn against Al Qaeda in Iraq…and continue to put pressure on the Iraqi national government to devise a political reconciliation among all stakeholders in Iraq. The last point is the most important. Our military and our Iraqi allies are doing a magnificent job of quelling much of the violece in Iraq and routing Al Qaeda in Iraq. But all that will be for naught unless the Iraqi government gets its act together and forms a workable coalition.

But we’re a long, LONG way from that, and it’s going to take a TON more than a monthly dip in violence to convince me that this war is anything other than a disaster for our country.

Comment by EvilCornbread — October 28, 2007 @ 4:02 pm

if by some miracle we were to “win”, whatever that means, that war would still not be worth the money and lives spent on it. it was unnecessary, foolish, venal, illegal, immoral and waged for profit. No matter what the final outcome is, years from now, it will always be a loss for America. Just like Viet Nam.

Well violence has certainly seemed to take a nice downturn, but let’s not get carried away with ourselves. Assuming while we’re at “surge” levels the violence continues to decline (a big assumption), and assuming the violence doesn’t rise in response to our pulling out (another big assumption) and assuming the Iraqi public is capable and willing to establish a peaceful long-term government (the biggest assumption of all), then maybe, just maybe, this war will be worth the mind-boggling cost in dollars and lives.

But we’re a long, LONG way from that, and it’s going to take a TON more than a monthly dip in violence to convince me that this war is anything other than a disaster for our country.

” Biddle was an adviser to Petraeus last spring but believes the general’s testimony was ”potentially misleading”

” Petraeus came up with his ”over 45 percent” decline by comparing December 2006 and this past August. The December number, in particular, stands out as questionable.”

“Col. Steven Boylan, Petraeus’s spokesman, said of December’s number: ”Do we have 100 percent confidence in it? No. But it is the best data we have available.” The number may have included some double counting…”

“A TOTAL of 1,654 Iraqi civilians were killed last month, according to a Times report that quoted an Interior Ministry official. Or the total was 1,280, according to the British group Iraq Body Count. Or 884 (Reuters), or 827 (The Washington Post, quoting the Health Ministry). ”

In the end, the numbers may be slightly down due to simply arming the Sunnis and allowing them to “cleanse” Anbar of Shia. Who knows. But the numbers are up since all of 2004. That is certain.

If you wish to check my source, it is current (Oct. 7th 2007) and it is reputable (New York Times).

The Good Generals numbers for Dec. are misleading.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B00EFDD1638F934A35753C1A9619C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=print

Actually, Shayne given the vapidity and lack of substance of your postings, it is quite clear you, like Zooey, do not read much of anything.

I will give you the same advice I gave Zooey — If you want to become an effective advocate, I suggest you starting reading newspapers, news magazines, books, and other materials that you can cite to lend weight to your assertions.

Note that my posts cite sources such as Reuters, Associated Press, Times of London, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs – Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN), etc.

That’s called ’supporting one’s argument.’ Try it sometime.

Violence in Iraq drops sharply: Ministry
Mon Oct 22, 2007 1:01pm EDT

BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Violence in Iraq has dropped by 70 percent since the end of June, when U.S. forces completed their build-up of 30,000 extra troops to stabilize the war-torn country, the Interior Ministry said on Monday.

Washington began dispatching reinforcements to Iraq in February to try to buy Iraq’s feuding political leaders time to reach a political accommodation to end violence between majority Shi’ites and minority Sunni Arabs that has killed tens of thousands and forced millions from their homes.

While the leaders have failed to agree on key laws aimed at reconciling the country’s warring sects, the troop buildup has succeeded in quelling violence.

Under the plan, U.S. troops left their large bases and set up combat outposts in neighborhoods while launching a series of summer offensives against Sunni Islamist al Qaeda, other Sunni Arab militants and Shi’ite militias in the Baghdad beltway.

Interior Ministry spokesman Major-General Abdul-Karim Khalaf told reporters that there had been a 70 percent decrease in violence countrywide in the three months from July to September over the previous quarter…

In Anbar, a former insurgent hotbed where Sunni Arab tribes have joined U.S. forces against al Qaeda, there has been an 82 percent drop in violent deaths.

This is not worth my valuable time, so you can stay here and try to grind me into the ground as long as you like. You’ll only be talking to yourself.

I pity you.

Again, here are the numbers (Hopefully your time in the Math Lab studying algebra will help you grasp these better):

No American soldier was killed in Anbar last week and none killed thee by an IED since September 10; car bombs are down by 65 percent; fatalities due to car combs have decreased by 81 percent; casualties due to enemy attacks are down by 77 percent; and the violence during this last Ramadan period was the lowest in three years.

You might also want to read the information from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs – Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN): “Iraq: Violence-related deaths drop ‘remarkably’, say authorities and UN”
(See posting #66)

Hopefully, Zooey, as you move ahead with your education, you will become a more effective debater and conversationalist. You never support any of your arguments with facts, articles, or links. You simply engage in childish taunts and name-calling.

If you want to become an effective advocate, I suggest you starting reading newspapers, news magazines, books, and other materials thay you can cite to lend weight to your assertions.

I was not talking about Iraq in my comment in #3, and you know it. The statement above, your statement, disgusted me. I called you out on it, and you attempted to turn it around on me. It didn’t work. It will never work. We know what you’re about here.

People here also know what I’M about, and will never fall for your games. Except for O Bigass, but he’s one of you anyway, and who gives a shit?

Once again, you can never be wrong. I understand that it’s one of your character flaws, but it can be overcome, if you ever decide to grow up and stop trying to manipulate people.

Get a life, and try to understand that this country isn’t the only country on the planet, nor are we better or more valuable than anyone else.

You are disgusting.

no American soldier was killed in Anbar last week and none killed thee by an IED since September 10; car bombs are down by 65 percent; fatalities due to car combs have decreased by 81 percent; casualties due to enemy attacks are down by 77 percent; and the violence during this last Ramadan period was the lowest in three years.

Now I know these facts upset you because it shows that you are wrong about what is going on in Iraq.

My advice to you: Stop digging.

Comment by Exley — October 28, 2007 @ 3:08 am

Describing your lies perfectly. Pathetic. And your parsing of the destruction of your points; pathetic. and your support for the failures of your leadership: pathetic. And your general lowering of the discourse through lies and propaganda: pathetic. It’s the perfect word to apply to you, Exley, and you wear it well, with your never-ending whining and schoolyard denial. You are pathetic, indeed. and your running away from the conversation when you were getting your ass handed to you is the culmination of your cowardice and chickenhawk behavior. Pathetic.