How quick do you think the war would end?

Question

I bet if George Bush had any sons and daughters over there in Iraq, the war would probably be over by now.

Answer 1

Wish he would send my son home.

Answer 2

There is no way that a meaningful military victory can be won in Iraq. Most soldiers have known that for a long time. The only way to end the occupation is to find a means of pulling out with some semblance of honor - something that gets harder with every passing day. When Bush says how well things are going - and we hear about more deaths in Iraq on the following news broadcast - there is a fundamental disconnect. We're being lied to. Anyone with the ability to read a news paper can figure that out. Now lets get out and start looking after our economy, while there's still something to look after.

Answer 3

Throughout history, it has been the norm for leaders to put themselves and their families in command of military forces and participate in conflict; not the other way around. Any number of kings and princes have earned their spurs in battle. Ramses II had innumerable stelae commemorating personal victories. Napoleon had a number of his relatives take the field with him. The only remaning vestige of this trend is in monarchies; King Abdullah of Jordan, for instance, headed a Commando force. The various Princes of Great Britain have almost always done their term of military service. The expectation of aristocracy fighting wars is an old one.

But not in the United States.

The United States fancies itself a republic, and as such, there is not supposed to be nepotism. A President with children in the armed forces raises more issues than it settles. Patton, for instance, launched a disastrous raid into enemy territory in an attempt to free his son-in-law. What would happen if the leadership of this country was faced with, say, a hostage situation involving a child as a POW? What guarantee would, say, a unit with that child as a member would not be show preferential treatment? There isn't. If a great general can lose his composure and order a badly conceived rescue mission, then how can a President be expected not to show favortism to a child? Anyone who says they would be above such concerns needs to run for office post haste.

The general withdrawal of the rich and educated from military service is a trend that's a century old. In the First World War, 1 out of 20 Artillery officers were from Yale; today, less than a dozen serve throughout all the service branches. Military (or civil) service has taken a back seat to the prestige of the corporate boardroom for decades now. The expectation that the privileged take the field is old, but it does not mean that expectation has any place in a democracy.

It is an all-volunteer force. No one is drafted, no one is coerced. Having "everyone" serve as in the manner of a Greek city-state is ruinous. Not everyone has the stomach to handle war. Taking all the able-bodied out of the economy and society destroys both. Expecting all the wealthy and powerful to take the field disbalances the military. It raises the bar on those who start from the bottom when you have a disproportionate number of "ring-knockers" of all stripes take command positions.

And regardless, wars have been fought whether children of the privileged were at risk or not. Edward "The Black Prince" earned his spurs in battle against the French in front of his father. I would rather that an incumbent President not have children serve and possibly endanger other servicemembers, than have an incumbent President start a war so a son of his can harvest medals. Think on that alternative for a moment and be glad we're not living in the Dark Ages.

Answer 4

My mom's son is a volunteer in the Army and she supports the war. Nobody forced me to join the Army. I do it because I believe in the cause. It is OK if you do not. If you do not like the war then don't join the military. If President Bush had sons in Iraq, I think the war would continue until it is over and we win.

Answer 5

Frankly, if he had any sons or daughters over there, the U.S. wouldn't be there. The war was started for any reason except that Iraq was a direct threat to the United States.

All the arguments - WMD, fighting terrorists there so we don't have to fight them here, to free the Iraqi people of a dictator - are all falsehoods.

It's idiocy for the U.S. to think it can remain the world's hyperpower and control the world for our own benefit. We don't have enough people, enough money and it's not at all ethical to start an offensive war.

Answer 6

The war is going to be over in early to mid 2007. That's next year. Regardless of what you hear in the media, everything on the ground is moving toward a mid 2007 defeat of AQ in Iraq.
By defeat, I mean the success of the arab world's first true democratic government. Al Qaeda in Iraq has failed to force an Islamic Caliphate onto Iraq because American forces stopped them from doing so. They've had three years to do it. They failed. Iraq's future is in the hands of its own people. And they have chosen democracy over Islamic fundamentalism.
The majority of Iraqis are appreciative of the sacrifices that Americans have paid in blood and lives lost, in order to free them of tyranny.
The media and pro Saddam groups will tell you that most Iraqis hate Americans. Then to prove their point, they qoute someone like Zarqawi from AQ in Iraq. What they always leave out is that Zarqawi and most of the other people they qoute to support their position, are not even Iraqis. They're arabs but not Iraqis.
How soon American forces leave Iraq, is up to the Iraqi people. And the Iraqis I had a chance to talk to, don't want America to leave yet.

Answer 7

The war with Iraq is over. The war with the terrorist in Iraq is still going on. If they did not want us there, they would stop their violence and we would have no excuse to stay. We would leave.

Answer 8

My Senator Bisbee AR republican has a son who is a fighter pilot who is over there right now!
He is pro war.
how many democrat politicians children are there?
We are still in Germany and we won that one in the 40s, in the 50s 60s 70s and when I was stationed there in the 80s they still perpetrated attacks on us (the U.S. soldiers)

Answer 9

The war is over it was over a month after it started.

Answer 10

How many members of the Senate or the House have children serving in the US military ???? get the answer and u will have an answer to your question.

Answer 11

Why do you think he hasn't instilled the draft?! The occupaton of Iraq would be over by Christmas. Remember Vietnam?