If you were Commander in Chief, what would you do in Iraq?

Question

I would love to see a dialogue going with some really good ideas!

Answer 1

First, I am a Viet Nam vet. Our "Rules of Engagement" tied our hands in a bad way.

The same thing is happening in Iraq now. The Iraqi government is tying our hands as to where we can go, etc. For instance: We had a man kidnapped. When we went to look for him, the PM of Iraq told to stop investigating....we did. Until our recent "surge", we had been barred from going in to a certain area, where the main Imam was hiding, he is one of the major leaders of the insurgents, (can't spell his name so that will have to suffice).

The main reason for war is to kill people and break things, may be harsh but still true.

The first thing I would do is change the rules of engagement. If they are aggressive, shoot. If the act suspiciously, shoot or detain, whichever is easier. Our people are smart and are trained for combat so let them use the training we spent the money on.

These sanitized wars we fight now days are unwinnable. Look at what our fathers did in WWII: Whatever necessary to win!

If we don't go to war to win, then STAY HOME!

By the way, we went into Iraq to topple Saddam and take Baghdad. As the banner on the carrier stated, "Mission Accomplished", it was. We did what we sat out to do.

More after more responses

Answer 2

Honestly, I wouldn't want his job for anything...

BUT, since you asked...

I agree with the surge. However, the surge can't do it alone. I would open the rules fo engagement for the soldiers so that they have full ability to go after the bad guys. We DO know who they are, BTW...

I would let Al-Maliki know that if he doesn't clean up his ties to Iran who is targetting our soldiers, he will be replaced by the next CPA until the government cleans up it's act. The American people have invested too much of it's treasure to let some knuckle head screw it up from the inside. I would also set out to capture, kill or detain, Muqtada Al-Sadr and his band of merry men and send the survivors to GITMO.

I would have the 21,500 soldier back home within 6 months if possible. I would let the BCT commanders on the ground let me know when they are finished, not Congress.

On the non-kinetic side, I would encourage NGO's to come to Iraq and help in the rebuilding. Have one organization to route the projects through and the ministries in the government to manage the infrastructure.

I don't care if other countries come to help the fight, but I do think other countries should step up to help the people of Iraq.

EDIT:

Bo-Dean: You are ABSOLUTELY RIGHT! One of the key issues here is the ability to raid a mosque with Coalition Forces. We know that there are weapons and explosives being stored in many mosques and we know there are bad guys using them for cover. Currently, we don't have the permission from the Iraqi Government to enter a mosque. it must be done by the ISF. Of course, they're not going to do the right thing so it is critical that CF be allowed to enter and clear mosques by surprise, no warning. Good point!

Answer 3

I would stop babysitting adults. The president of Iraq would be given a time frame to have his soldiers in place.I would authorize the soldiers to kill ALL insurgents. I would get more interpreters in there since the language is a barrier. I would train some soldiers in the basic language skills of Arabic. I would require the politicians to at least know the differences in the Sunnis and Shiites. I would require the politicians to know why both sides hate each other so bad. That would be their homework assignment. Maybe then we could all move forward to resolve this thing.

Answer 4

A. Pull American soldiers out of Iraq. Give the Iraqis their country back with a blessing. Have them to handle this conflict as they see fit. Most Iraqi's are nowhere near suicide bombers. Have their country since I an American in America and this war does NOT affect me or the future they're simply dying for NOTHING !!! I am still going to to all the same things that they think they are preserving and fighting for in a country regardless if the soldiers are alive or dead. And that's how wars and facts of matters in war are now. Since the many years politics have been established. The defending of own front door makes more difference and running own business in own country shows support for that country and affects change their not military. Politics are installed and no-one has kings to pledge allegiance to & round up an army to save them from some " Barbarian" hoard. Nothings like that anymore so no need to overreact.

B. Give all the money their pouring over their to save the rainforests. Forests give us Oxygen so we should support them 101% and nothing else. Build greenhouses for Iraq.

C. Teach meditation to people.

D. Buy each American a veggie oil engined car.

E. Grant home schoolers big sums of money rather than public schools.

Answer 5

no longer in common words may it have unfavorable outcomes over there, even though it may have unfavorable outcomes right here. Hitlery may make the different international locations seem down on us even extra... If that is a possibility. it may truly convey about extra assaults -- who may take a woman president heavily? a lot less, a woman Clinton? Yeah, yeah.. i learn about the lady leaders interior of different international locations that ran with their husbands preferable from the shadows... do not you imagine bill may do this, too?

Answer 6

I would slowly pull our troops out. Save some of the $245 billion that he wants to send them. Help out this country. We could use the money for other things like katrina, central florida, homeless people, medicare. And a big thing in my book Social Security. I'm in my late 40's and by the time I retire, let alone the future of our kids, there isn't going to be social security.Then what? The future looks bleak for this country.

Answer 7

>I would concentrate our troops in trouble areas like Baghdad, Najaf, Haditha and Ramadi and give them the Fallujah treatment like we did in Nov. of '04. Fallujah has been very quiet since.
>I would partition the country into seperate autonomous regions, with Baghdad as the seat of central goverment.
>I would create special task forces to deal with foreign influences and make the penalty for interfering in Iraq very severe.
>I would also create a covert program to turn captured insurgents into double-agents like Britain did with the IRA.
>Finally, I would take the gloves off when dealing with mosques and let everyone know that it's open season on any mosque used to launch attacks, stockpile weapons and give shelter to terrorists.

But hey, that's just me.

Answer 8

Send them our drill sergeants. We're supposed to be there to train the Iraqi forces, right? How long does it take to train a soldier? Boot camp is about six weeks, isn't it? Then let's send our DIs to Iraq, wrap this thing up in two months, then they can all finally come home. Unless, of course, there's another reason for us to be there....

Answer 9

"I would take the gloves off when dealing with mosques and let everyone know that it's open season on any mosque used to launch attacks, stockpile weapons and give shelter to terrorists. "
Bo-Dean
Yeah, great idea! Because people really lie down and take it when their religious institutions are attacked, especially when they are very pious to begin with and have little to live for apart from their faith!

Frankly I like Joe Biden's idea of partitioning the country off into sections according to creed. The problem is... who do you pursuade to move first?

Answer 10

I would cut all programs in the U.S., not take care of anyone, let the uninsured fend for themselves, the heck with street people, cut all school aid, not more student loan programs, cut taxes to the rich, but raise taxes a whooping lot for the middle class, lower class, and also tax those that are exempt now, if you make any income even $100. a year, tax it, every tax there is now double it to pay for war war war, no more help for medicare and medicaid, cut any help to any kind of health care, hospitals and so on...encourage smoking so it can raise more tax for war, ....start the draft this year and let in those at the age of 15....oh...I don't need to do that...the idiot in the white house is doing it any way...bravo..