Do the Americans now know Iraq was a terrible mistake?

Question

6.000 Iraqi men and women died in Iraq in the last two months. 20,000 American Troops shot/wounded since war began. No end in sight for the worthless war in Iraq. do I hear "Vietnam" again. ( Round Two )

Wounded In Action According to The DoD
Period Wounded
Jun-2006 442
May-2006 435
Apr-2006 429
Mar-2006 495
Feb-2006 342
Jan-2006 287
Dec-2005 412
Nov-2005 400
Oct-2005 605
Sep-2005 545
Aug-2005 541
Jul-2005 477
Jun-2005 511
May-2005 575
Apr-2005 596
Mar-2005 371
Feb-2005 415
Jan-2005 498
Dec-2004 544
Nov-2004 1425
Oct-2004 648
Sep-2004 706
Aug-2004 895
Jul-2004 552
Jun-2004 589
May-2004 758
Apr-2004 1212
Mar-2004 324
Feb-2004 150
Jan-2004 189
Dec-2003 261
Nov-2003 336
Oct-2003 413
Sep-2003 247
Aug-2003 181
Jul-2003 226
Jun-2003 147
May-2003 55
Apr-2003 340
Mar-2003 203
Total 18777

Answer 1

Yes Iraq was a mistake. It was made for the wrong reasons (they said it was WMD and terrorism when taking down Saddam would have been better and easier to defend). It was executed incompetently (150000 troops were used when the more sensible commanders said they would need 250000 or more, plus other mistakes) and the nationbuilding effort was so botched up that its a wonder that Iraq hasnt totally collapsed yet.

However to pull out now as dramatically and stupidly as the Yanks did in Vietnam would not be the answer. Why? You keep saying in some of your questions that the USA will eventually befriend the terrorists...did you ever stop to consider that these guys arent Vietnamese and the backgrounds are different. Should the terrorists win there is no guarantee that they will approach the USA and say "lets be friends"...the likelihood that they'd execute another 9/11 is far greater than that. Better that the USA undoes as much of the damage to Iraq now while it can, empower the Iraqi people and Government to take on the terrorists, and then leave...rather than just run and leave a worthless and broken-down Iraq in its dust.

IndecisiveProcrastinator...read the guy's profile...that should answer your question whether he is a troop basher...

Answer 2

Freeing the oppressed is never the wrong thing to do. While I will accept that sometimes we seem to be very selective about who would choose to free, based on perceived national interests. It is still none the less correct from a human stand point. The Iraqi people are perched on the precipice of history, and they have the ability to determine their own fate in the coming days and years. It is easy to make indictments when you only focus on the negative. Positive things are happening in Iraq everyday, but are seldom reported.

As for the American people. Poll after poll shows that while many Americans may feel that while the war has been prosecuted in the wrong manner, ultimately we must stay the course to it's conclusion. This is the part that left-wingers fail to realize. They focus on the first number without taking it in context with all the results overall, and in doing so distance themselves farther from the main stream. The vast majority of people in this country are moderate in their views, not right wing, not left wing, but right down the middle. They believe in this country, they don't respond to polls, and they allow their voices to heard by how they vote in general elections. What these people are concerned with is not whether the war is right or wrong, but rather we will be safer as a result. What doesn't go unnoticed for these people is that by keeping terrorists attention and funding tied up in Iraq, America is not experiencing terrorism on it's own soil.

I for one hope that this issue stays exactly is it is. Keep screaming about how wrong America is, and how we should pull our troops out immediately., because as long as you do, people will keep voting for security. Most average Americans consider themselves patriots, and do not like being denigrated on the world stage. This will be as evident in the next election, as it was in the last election. Candidates who run on a platform which is anti war, and choose to indict America rather than stand up for her on world stage are not going to fair well.

As to the Vietnam statement. Well that just doesn't fly anymore. Vietnam was a war based solely in politics. The average American could not see any reason why soldiers were dying in southeast asia. The same is not true of Iraq. Ask 10 people why we are in Iraq, 8 will say to fight terrorism. Well anywhere outside of New York or L.A. that is. Doesn't matter if they are right or wrong in their opinion, it just matters that they will vote based on that opinion.

Answer 3

The figures are astonishing!
The only thing missing to make this a true Vietnam, are another 5 to 6 years of participation. So what so we do now, pull out and let the war lords take over, civil war destroy whats left of Iraq? Or stay there and get are tails blown off for another 5 years and "attempt " to maintain "peace?"... If it looks like vietnam and smells like vietnam, I don't need to take a bite out of it to know it's vietnam. I feel sorry for the soldiers there, and I am sure if they had not lost their freedom of speech when they enlisted they would not suport the war either. How do you fight a suicide bomber? Bravery does not help. There is nothing Heroic in sending young men and women to die in a dessert thousands of miles from their homes to protect us from terrorists and eventually build Mc Taco Bush restaurants, more soldiers have died or been injured in this conflict than in all the terrorist attacks against america this century. like one intelligent individual said, many more people die of car accidents or murder than in war, and this is also true of terroists. The threat of terrorism is very low, you have 100 times better a chance of being murdered by another american, than a terrorist, unless, you are somewhere like Iraq. I learned at a very young age it is better to stay away from a wasps nest than to beat upon it with a stick.

People who compare this thing in Iraq to WW II are beyond ignorant. WW II was fought because the Axis powers Germany, Japan, and so on... had conquered half of europe and asia... US was next. I somehow don't see how Iraq is or was a threat, even with all those weapons of Mass Destrucion we found.

Answer 4

I think everyone is missing the bigger picture here.

Form what opinions you may of us being involved in Iraq and Afghanistan...................when was the last time you looked at a global map???? Do you know what country is between these two countries??? Hmmmm....the bigger picture is becoming a little clearer now.

Short term criticism for a safer long term global community!

This is why you and I are average people....leave the global strategies and foreign policy to the proper people. I too questioned motives recently, until I started looking at the bigger picture. Couple months ago I thought W was off his rocker....he now is looking more and more like a genius! (or someone in his future threat assessment team is)

By suggesting our involvement in Iraq is another Vietnam, are you one of the ignorant people who do not support our fighting men and women? Are you one of the troop bashers?

It's great you voice your opinion....and for that chance...go hug a soldier and thank them for their service!





Proud Veteran!



.

Answer 5

I get really annoyed with people who think they understand Vietnam and compare it to Iraq.
Soooo not the same thing. And.... Iraq WAS a terrible mistake but be are working to fix it. Did you really think that war would bring no death? that's the nature of war. It's part of the deal. People getting hurt is not an indication that a war is going badly. It's just a indication that a war is going on.

Answer 6

It is way too early to tell if it was a terrible mistake. It would be like asking in 1943 if trying to stop Hitler a bad idea. There were many more deaths there. No, you do not hear Vietnam; you hear WWII. Listen more carefully and open up your mind.

Answer 7

you sure are a full blooded american, but i am too hun, and even though i agree that this war isnt right, its what the government and president say that is going to happen, not a bunch of war protesters. But i do agree, there has been countless needles deaths over this. there are a bunch of fathers, brothers, sons, uncles, grandfathers, aunts, wives, sisters, cousins that are never comming back and i feel their lives were wasted. its a needless war and it needs to end, but it wont till someone gets their way.

Answer 8

They never learn from their mistakes and your right with the deaths but there have been 20.000 injured and a few thousands deserters

Answer 9

And the real shame is that you want the people who killed those 6,000 Iraqi civilians to rule Iraq.

Sounds like you just want to see more people die.

Answer 10

Damn Left wingers- If we dont fix the middle east's problems right now, they will never be better. Insurgents must be killed