Now its your turn

#2
#2
I think that a good start would be trying to divide Iraq up into 3 regions for the Kurds, Shiites and Sunnis while establishing a central government that oversees all of the group's common interests such as oil revenue..

I'm not one of the Democrats that thinks we should withdraw from Iraq immediately. In fact, I think that the U.S. should send more troops over there to try and get things under control and prevent a civil war from esculating even more than it has already. Then and only then can they start a slow, safe and responsible withdraw from Iraq.

After the U.S. leaves Iraq, replace it with International peacekeepers. It shouldn't be as hard to keep the peace if each group has their own regions, but the groups have to have somekind of incentive to be peaceful, this is where the oil comes in..

I think that Iraq will settle down once the U.S. leaves, but it has to show some signs of stability and independece before we can leave and the government has to not just be there, but be effective.

I know this post lacks a lot of specifics, but it's late. At least I tried..:hi:
 
#3
#3
phased withdrawal, with a respect for the Iraqi lives that have been forever altered by this conflict and our presence there...but yes, the goal must be phased withdrawal...the democrats need not worry primarily about any perception of having been defeated...it was not our mistake. Yet, the Democrats have inherited the mess made by this Republican-led government and thus must endeavor to undo it responsibly. Yes, many democrats voted for war in Iraq at a time when emotions and anger ran high in the post 9/11 atmosphere, and more key, when the stated reasons and justifications for going to war were tainted by faulty if not fabricated intelligence - even I myself supported it in the beginning. But it has become clear that the war in Iraq was based on misrepresentations, whether deliberate or as a result of incompetence. Worse, it has become the debacle of a generation!

Either way, I believe the most responsible beginning for this shifted Congress, will be a mix of agenda and accountability. The Congress must hold accountable those who have displayed, at a minimum, gross incompetence in their duties within this administration over the past 5 years especially - however, we may discover that incompetence is a rosy assessment of the job this administration has done. More likely, it will be uncovered that the actions that led to their downfall, were deliberate and performed for reasons that few will forgive in the end. Ouch!
 
#4
#4
OWB said:
I think that a good start would be trying to divide Iraq up into 3 regions for the Kurds, Shiites and Sunnis while establishing a central government that oversees all of the group's common interests such as oil revenue..

I'm not one of the Democrats that thinks we should withdraw from Iraq immediately. In fact, I think that the U.S. should send more troops over there to try and get things under control and prevent a civil war from esculating even more than it has already. Then and only then can they start a slow, safe and responsible withdraw from Iraq.

After the U.S. leaves Iraq, replace it with International peacekeepers. It shouldn't be as hard to keep the peace if each group has their own regions, but the groups have to have somekind of incentive to be peaceful, this is where the oil comes in..

I think that Iraq will settle down once the U.S. leaves, but it has to show some signs of stability and independece before we can leave and the government has to not just be there, but be effective.

I know this post lacks a lot of specifics, but it's late. At least I tried..:hi:
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Heck, OWB! You still up? Glad to see I'm not the only zombie at VN! :salute:
 
#5
#5
How is it the Democrats' turn? Last time I checked the Constitution, the Executive is in charge of running the military and typically the voice of foreign policy. The Dems can spout a plan all day but since Bush is the one with the keys and in the driver's seat, no Dem plan would matter.

Bush now realizes that our foreign policy is ultimately determined by the people and their perception. If you cannot guarantee and execute a successful plan in a fast pace, forget it. We live in the information age that will not allow lingering.
 
#6
#6
CSpindizzy said:
How is it the Democrats' turn? Last time I checked the Constitution, the Executive is in charge of running the military and typically the voice of foreign policy. The Dems can spout a plan all day but since Bush is the one with the keys and in the driver's seat, no Dem plan would matter.

Bush now realizes that our foreign policy is ultimately determined by the people and their perception. If you cannot guarantee and execute a successful plan in a fast pace, forget it. We live in the information age that will not allow lingering.
Click to expand...

True story. The eyes have been opened and despite the Executive running the military, the change in Congress will no doubt send a strong signal to the chief and cause him and his cabinet to shift tactics in Iraq...it won't be admitted and may be masked at first, but it will happen.
 
#7
#7
One question about dividing the country into 3 parts. Isn't that Iraq's choice?
 
#9
#9
But it is those who are saying Iraq should handle their own problems that advocate splitting the country up. Seems a wee bit contradictory to me.
 
#10
#10
In an interview just now, Dick Durbin offered very specific ideas for the problem in Iraq (his words not mine).

He suggested that Iraq should take on more of the responsibility to handle security in the country :blink:

Brilliant - apparently Durbin is confusing goals with strategeries.
 
#11
#11
volinbham said:
But it is those who are saying Iraq should handle their own problems that advocate splitting the country up. Seems a wee bit contradictory to me.
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I would agree with that. That's the lesson of Iraq. If you stay out of places you have no business going, you don't find yourself taking contradictory positions.
 
#12
#12
I thought that Turkey was vehemently agaisnt allowing the Kurds to have home rule over a geographic area. Is it possible that Turkey will take admission into the EU in exchange for Kurdish self government?
 
#14
#14
hatvol96 said:
I would agree with that. That's the lesson of Iraq. If you stay out of places you have no business going, you don't find yourself taking contradictory positions.
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kinda like Bosnia, eh? have we ever figgered out what was accomplished there, other than the Chinese embassy getting bombed?
 
#16
#16
MG1968 said:
kinda like Bosnia, eh? have we ever figgered out what was accomplished there, other than the Chinese embassy getting bombed?
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Must have been the same intel report showing WMD's in Iraq. Last I checked people aren't wiping each other out over there. I'd say mission was accomplished...at least much more than Bush's little field trip to Iraq.
 
#18
#18
That silly Bush. Must be too dumb to find out anything for himself. Always relying on others...or just blaming others. Somehow Iraq is all blamed on Clinton. I bet he stashed the WMD's at the Clinton Library.
 
#19
#19
lol...yeah, they're under the tattered astro turf bubba kept in the back of his el camino.
 
#20
#20
MG1968 said:
lol...yeah, they're under the tattered astro turf bubba kept in the back of his el camino.
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God, if Clinton is driving an el camino, I'd hate to see what Bush is driving (that is, if they let him off of the short bus)
 
#22
#22
yeah, well your boy Clinton has a hard time navigating staircases. at least there's some level of skill involved in riding a bike.
 
#23
#23
Funny how you say he's MY boy. I'm not sure where you got that from but here's a free pass to start over. Next time try not to assume.
 
#24
#24
you seem to go out of your way to avoid criticizing Clinton. I'm new here, so maybe I missed it when you were as active in your criticism of bubba as you are of W.

there's also a misconception that the Clinton administration doesn't bear some responsibility for where we are now. Clinton's failure when it comes to North Korea comes to mind.
 
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