"STAY THE COURSE" should we?

Answer 1

Yes. Never leave a job unfinished

Answer 2

Not when the course is either fatal or counter-productive.

Some people argue that we never should have gone over to Iraq in the first place. But let's get past the first place.

We went over there. Can't change that now. We deposed Saddam. Few argue that was a bad thing. We toppled the old government. Done. The question is, what are we still doing there years after "Misison Accomplished".

The loudest (but weakest) argument is that "we're fighting terrorists over there, so we don't have to fight them over here." Firs,t there isn't a lot of proof (either way) that what we're doing has any significant impact on what terrorists outside Iraq are doing. Or for that matter, on what terrorists inside Iraq are doing.

It's sheer speculation (might be true, might now) that the insurgents fighting against US forces in Iraq would suddenly start attacking US cities if the US left. More likely, they'd continue their own civil war without interference from us. And those terrorists who are planning on hitting the US or Europe probably aren't spending their days planting IEDs along Iraqi highways. They're already overseas planning their attacks.

So, it's highly debatable whether our presence in Iraq is having any effect toward stopping other terrorist attacks outside Iraq.

The other arguments all center around nation-building, helping Iraq establish a new government, bring democracy to the region etc. But even if those might be valid goals (and that too is debatable), the methods we're using are hideously inefficient, and apparently ineffective.

Let's look at it from a cost-benefit perspective. How much money (tens of millions) and how many lives (dozens) did it cost for the US to invade Iraq and topple Saddam's government . How much money (tens of billions) and how many lives (thousands) has it cost for the US to remain in Iraq and try to force them to set up a new government. Which, by the way, is nowhere close to being ready to take over their country.

What we should have done is pull out after "Mission Accomplished" and allow Iraq to set up whatever government it wanted. If we didn't like the results, we go in, topple it, and tell them to try again. We could have done that 10 times and still spent only 1% of the money and lost 1% of the lives that we have so far under the current plan.

So, regardless of the goals, the means we're using to accomplish them are highly wasteful of both resources and American lives. And from any perspective, stupid means are not a good way to achieve any goals.

Answer 3

What course? We're just flailing in the wind over there. I would have fully been behind an all-out effort to go after Bin Laden in Afghanistan, but NOOOOO - we attack a country that had absolutely NOTHING to do with 9/11 and create a whole new bunch of enemies while the guy who attacked us is as free as a bird. Meanwhile our greedy, smarmy "president" palls around with his old oiul buddies from Saudi Arabia WHERE ALL THE TERRORISTS CAME FROM like nothing ever happened.

Stay the course my sweet a ss!

Answer 4

You have to understand "Stay the course" means "Stay the course until January 20, 2009". Bush flat out said as much yesterday. He's dumping Iraq on the next President. I think he threw up his hands a long time ago.

Answer 5

In 1912, the Captain of the HMS Titanic stayed the course!!!

Doc

Answer 6

Should we stay the course? Of course not, but the GOP government will never let us leave. Bush said initially, that we would be greeted as LIBERATORS & that IRAQ's oil would pay for everything!

Answer 7

well... the real question is... is the current "course" the best way to "finish the job"... since the current "course" doesn't seem to be working very well...

perhaps we need a new course to get the job done quickly...

quiting is not the only option if you "change course"

Answer 8

No, occupation is not working, the current Iraq government and Iraqi army will never stand up; they'll be slaughtered whenever we leave. At least we can save many of our guys if we bring them home now.

Answer 9

Yes. A success in Iraq will spread peace throughout the region. We also must not repeat our tendency to make promises and not honor them. Imagine a stable Iraq being held up by the states. We are talking, potentially, the richest country in the middle east.

Answer 10

That's up to the Iraqi people. If we learned anything in Viet Nam, it is this: We can give a country all of the aid (both military and economic) that our resources can muster, but if the people of that country aren't willing to stand up and fight for their own rights and freedom, it is inevitable that our policy will fail.

Answer 11

I somehow am afraid this quagmire is just going to spread and intensify until we're in an all out nuclear world war 3.