Even if it makes sense to withdraw, don't the troops' desires trump all other factors?
2006-11-16 09:17:40 · 17 answers · asked by Anonymous in Politics & Government ➔ Military
Um no, not really. They're just pawns in Bush's game. He calls the shots, they do what they're told.
2006-11-16 09:28:53 · answer #1 · answered by Aussie Chick 5 · 1⤊ 2⤋
A soldier's job is to go protect our nation in times of crisis. It is the soldier who goes overseas to foreign lands and try to maintain peace and stability as much as we can. Our orders come directly from the top of the Chain of Command. However, it is not the soldier's job to illustrate what he / she wants to do. It doesn't work that way. Yes, it SHOULD be that way, and it COULD be that way, but in that case, if we had anoter war, in which the soldiers think that it is STUPID to be over there, then the US wouldn't have any troops over there keeping peace. So hence, the soldiers are merely a scapegoat, if you can say that, because we are the people who fight for the bigger boys who cause the problems. Its our job. We don't make the decision. Big boys do
2006-11-16 17:27:31 · answer #2 · answered by Jason M 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No, we should not respect their wishes and stay. I don't know the answer of when we should leave but I do have a question. What is a victory in Iraq? There were no WMD, Saddam is gone, so why the heck are we still over there? I don't remember anyone telling the American people when we started this war that it would be up to us to stay in Iraq until they got their act together. If it was up to them they'd let us do their dirty work for another 10 years or more.
2006-11-16 17:29:12 · answer #3 · answered by Pop D 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Why? They weren't asked about going in...
Can you provide a reference to the article and the phrasing you have used? "Stay in Iraq indefinitely" seems intrinsically improbable.
Googling "troops want to stay" gives one pointer to a Washington Post article which does not say that the troops want to stay, rather that they know that their leaving would make things worse. Not quite the same thing.
(Even in this one cames the phrase "we all want to go home, but..." )
But other hits by this search point to very different polls and articles:
"Seventy two percent of U.S. troops in Iraq believe the United States should pull out within one year, a column by Nicholas Kristof in Tuesday's New York Times reveals."
URL: below.
2006-11-16 17:38:37 · answer #4 · answered by Pedestal 42 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The Confederate Army wanted to stay in the field so should we have respected their wishes? Rush, Hanitty and you don't seem to understand you cannot win the war, we were mislead and lied to about every single issue, all we are doing is making terrorist. Every child, woman or male we kill has a relative who now hates us and promises revenge. Every Middle Eastern Country hates us more and more there is no way to kill every Muslin in the world is there? There is no way to win that war ask every country that has invaded it in the last 500 years. The stupid argument if we are not fighting them there we would be fighting them here is one stupid argument.In one sense we are ready fighting them here now, but us being there in no way affect that decision. There has never been a case where the insurgency did not win over the established Government in fact ask me what Longstreet told Lee at Appomatox? You right wingers need to get in the 21st century.
God Bless You and The Southern People
2006-11-16 17:31:34 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
No one asked me that question. I have been here 16 months and I can't wait to go home.
Now as far as obligations... I think the US created this mess here and we have an obligation to keep Iraq from destabilizing and being run by terrorists.
2006-11-19 16:18:27 · answer #6 · answered by Stuck in Iraq 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, im not sure about the soldiers opinions, because they arent that important they do what they are told, and they know this, but it certaintly helps that they are realistic and want to do the job, we should listen to the military commanders on the ground.
2006-11-16 17:46:58 · answer #7 · answered by asmith1022_2006 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Gotta ask - most soldiers want to stay in Iraq INDEFINITELY?
According to whom?
Also, I didn't realize our military was a self-managed entity run by internal opinion polls.
2006-11-16 17:32:06 · answer #8 · answered by ? 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
If they want to live in Iraq indefinitely, they can return to live there after they complete their commitment to the military.
Until then, their wishes are irrelevant.
2006-11-16 17:30:07 · answer #9 · answered by kingstubborn 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I hope there is enough troops to stop the warlords who are intimidating the leader to not get serious, making it harder for our troops to finish & get out.
2006-11-16 17:31:28 · answer #10 · answered by spareo1 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
When the situation in Iraq stabilizes, when the violence is greatly reduced, when infrastructure is up and running, then we can leave.
I would listen and ask for the imput of soldiers, but I don't think they should have a FINAL say.
2006-11-16 17:20:01 · answer #11 · answered by C = JD 5 · 2⤊ 2⤋