Why are we having such a hard time in Iraq?

Question

What is the point of having a sophisticated technologically advanced military if a couple of dudes in an 85 Ford Escort can simply blow our guys up? Are we having this great difficulty because we are trying to fight a politically correct war, this is what I believe, or are we just that weak and inept?

I do not believe for one minute that we are weak or inept. My point is, that is how we appear. The mighty American military machine tormented relentlessly by a rag tag group of dudes in t-shirts and sandals. Come on people, we look like total btches. Why are they sacrificing our men and women!

Answer 1

When you tell the military in Iraq that you cannot shoot the enemy until you are fired upon...soldiers wil be killed.

You cannot tie the hands of those fighting nor can you limit their ingrained abilities to defend themselves.

Nevermind the fact that they don't have a "recognizable" enemy.
Most wars are against another country's military (wearing that country's uniform)
We're fighting the general population in Iraq that has decided to pick up a weapon.

Answer 2

Attacking and capturing a country is totally different from keeping it. When the coalition forces captured Baghdad and with it the whole of Iraq they had no plan regarding security, police and infrastructure. It seems some old school generals screwed up badly when the Iraqi army was completely disbanded.

Also unlike the terrorists the USA government has not till today understood the power of the media. It is useless to go and boast how many insurgents you killed in Iraq because it will only create more insurgents. The military should have on the other hand flooded the Iraqi media with reports that all Iraqis care about, such as reporting the deaths of women and children during insurgent attacks.

Maybe I'm talking bollocks but if we take a look at the media present today on the net we only find insurgent generated media which targets new recruits or useless military plane footage of how a million dollar missile destroyed a shack with a single sniper inside. Nowhere or rarely do we find a campaign aimed against the insurgent attacks which cause so many deaths among the Iraqi innocents.

I find it hard to believe that the military is not capable of producing a proper image enhancing campaign whilst at the same time away from the cameras wage an aggressive war against global terrorism.

Answer 3

We are having such a hard time for several reasons.

(1.) We are trying to fight a pretty P.C. War. We are not the death dealers that many here and abroad make us out to be. We don't actively target civilians like our adversaries regularly do. This means that we are "Playing by the rules", while they aren't.

(2.) Our Media, Hollyweird, and most of our "Progressive" friends here are invested in Our defeat in the middle east (or anywhere else for that matter), and has been bombarding any, and every media outlet with "Doom & Gloom" from day one. They are in it for political/personal power......it is sickening! :(

(3.) Our military is one that is designed to fight a more conventional type of war. Force against force. In this type of action We are the best in the world, hands down. However we also value Our fighting men and women. We therefore are not willing to unnecessarily have then do "Suicide Missions" unless it's something of EXTREME importance (Very rare)... Where the terrorists are almost exclusively operating this way. It is extremely hard to allow civilians in an area, yet keep terrorists, who give no regard for anyone, out.

We (and all of our allies) are the only ones who will fight these problems when they appear in the world, yet We are the very same ones who are "Looked down upon", because we are trying to solve what everyone else refuses to even lift a finger about.

Like or not, Negotiations have NEVER brought lasting Peace.
Only war, decisive War, has/will. Only when one side or the other has lost the ability or desire to fight, is the fight truly over.

History bears this out.... back through time immortal.....(Check it out!)

We need to fight this war.
We need to WIN this war.
We need to understand that this isn't going to be a 1 time thing.
We are fighting fanatics, who feel that it is a war of mutually exclusive ideals. To them it's an "Us >OR< Them" kind of war. It's not a "Well gee! maybe we can all sit around a campfire and drink coco and be friends someday!!" kind of war.

It's Their way.....Or Death.
Thinking that there is any kind of negotiating with extremists, is like wanting to be wrestling buddies with a wild polar bear....Sure he is happy to see you comming.... >BUT!< it's not that he is friendly.......It's that You're Dinner.

T.S.

Answer 4

We badly miscalculated the mindset of a great many of the Iraqi people.
We underestimated the hatred and blood lust between the different religious sects and we overestimated their desire to unite for the best interests of their country.
It now appears that many of them show far more allegiance to their particular groups and clans than to their country as a whole.
Add to that the desire and commitment of the terrorists to do anything and everything they can to prevent the people who want a free government from ever establishing one - and we find ourselves in the middle of a bloody conflict between terrorists, the different religious sects, interference from outside the borders which support the destruction of the free government and a general lack of support from within our own country.
And, yes, I agree with you that we are handcuffed by the people who unrealistically insist that we stay the high moral ground, treat the dirt bag murderers and thugs with kid gloves and assure that they have all of the same rights as a legitimate soldier.
We are not weak, but if we continue to fight a PC war against an enemy that takes advantage of every opportunity to use our efforts to stabilize a region to some semblance of normality to sneak into the unrestricted zones and blow up innocent people - we will indeed prove to be inept.

Answer 5

Like in any war, when we develop a strategy, the enemy changes it's response. Also, this is unlike any other war in history because this enemy doesn't care if they die. In fact they welcome it.
We are the most powerful military in the world but if the civilians here don't have the guts to see it through we are at a disadvantage. I don't think the liberals really want us to lose this war, they just don't want the conservatives in power when it is won.
Probably the best way to win in a hurry is the "shock and awe" procedure that Rumsfeld proposed. But we didn't have the guts then.
Think about that. Pull all our troops back, then our bombers could attack at an altitude that the enemy small arms couldn't reach so we would have no casualties on our part. There would be civilian casualties but guess who has been hiding the terrorists anyway. You wonder about world opinion but we have that problem already.
There's a quote " We're in so lets win"

Answer 6

Maybe it's because after five years of occupation, our president's dramatic change of strategy and direction includes throwing a few more troops in. The only "plan" I've ever heard is to go house to house flushing out bad guys with Iraqis taking point. I think Bush must have cloned A. Einstein to come up with such good strategery.

Answer 7

The boys are not allowed to operate in a "free gun" environment here. The rules of engagement are so politically controlled it is a joke. The USA will lose hundreds more soldiers before they allow one to fire into a speeding car headed for a checkpoint. Unfortunately there have been innocents killed but the bad guys here are such cowards as to use civilian vehicles to kill as many as possible. It is very hard to tell the good from the bad until they go boom.

Answer 8

weak and inept we are NOT! I personally believe all cars should not be allowed to be driven over there and people can only travel on sanctioned vehicles!

Answer 9

Because Iraqi people are just like any other people. If someone was trying to take your stuff, wouldn't you fight for it?

Answer 10

That usually happens to forces illegally occupying a country they invaded without any provocation.