Do you think a troop pullout in Iraq would be the same as losing the war?

Answer 1

Yes

Answer 2

I absolutly believe that we are losing if we pullout. The only reason this war is so unpopular is because the media is full of anti-war liberals who just want to see Bush go down in flames. Then you have people like Hillary Clinton flipping and flopping on the issue to win favor for the election. News flash: She voted FOR the war. Now she comes in saying that if she was president at the time, this war would have never happened.

I am personnally not in the military but my brother and cousin were both marines. When you enlist in tyhe military, you should know that war could happen at any time. Most of our military are good men and women who realize this and fight for our country and for the freedom of the Iraqi people. I despise all people, especially the media for undermining the efforts of these great people who are dying so the so many can live FREE!

Sometimes I think all you liberals would be content with us reading the Que'ran and us women wearing a hijab and burqa as long as we remained PC and did not offend anyone unless they are white and made us a socialist society where the Elitist left get to tell me and my husband that even though we work harder we have to share our earnings with lazy *** welfare riders because somehow they can't work too hard because its racist to do so.

If you want to help, support those brave people who make it so you can come onto a public forum and spout your nonsense because you have as much a right for your opinion as I do mine! That is why it is important for us to stay. And when we are done, I hope those brave boys and girls pack their back packs and take out every other terrorist organization out there to threaten our way of life and kill as many of us as possible! Hey any of you Libs remember 9/11?
Oh that's right, you all forgot that they are the ones who flew our planes into our buildings and killed over 3000 american civilians. But that's ok. Its all about Hillary and Obama now. It's only a shame for them that 9/11 happened because now they casn't get the votes of all who died!!!

Ok I think I feel a little better now. I will always support the troops and so should everyone. They are dying and fighting for YOU!!

Answer 3

All those people who are begging for a withdrawal have no idea what they are asking for.

First, I'll answer the question. No. We have already won the war. We're trying to help the Iraqi Government establish security a peace.

Now...

A withdrawal, without security, will be a fight the entire time. The insurgents and militias will attack us as we withdrawal so they can show the world how "they kicked our asses" out of Iraq.

I'm sure that's not a big deal to Libs/Dems since none of them "voted for the war" but it's a big deal to the soldiers whose lives will be lost in the process.

Let us stay until this part of the mission is accomplished.

Answer 4

Those soldiers are protecting the oil companies, if there will be a pullout, those companies will lose a huge amounts of money. Bush is a shareholder of many of those companies, that is the reason to send more troops to Iraq.

Answer 5

At this time, yes.
Especially that it would not stop there. The Dems would have to prove that "the war was unwinnable" by causing the Iraqui democracy to collapse - by stopping all US assistance and making null and void any US safety guarantees (same method as was used in the case of South Vietnam).

Without such moves, the Iraquis just might make it on their own even today. Sure, it would probably mean the arrest, eviction or killing of all the Sunni minority (who are the mainstay of the terrorists) and possibly another war with Iran- but who cares? they're not real people after all. At least not to the Democrats and so called "liberals" and "peace protesters"

Answer 6

It's difficult to answer these questions without commenting on each of the factually wrong and simply unrealistic posts made on both sides of the aisle.

For the record, as I have stated many times on this board before, I am a moderate-liberal democrat who has served (and is currently serving) 17 years between the Active Army, Guard, and Army Reserve.

First of all, the question is missing a key word...the word is "now"...do you think a troop pullout NOW would be the same as losing the war...And my answer is yes and no, but for the most part, I'll just go ahead keep it simple and say "yes". Right now, it would be the same as losing the war, as our current mission is not yet met, and the region is too chaotic at this point to stand on its own.

The problem I see with this is that there is no benchmark to determine when the appropriate time is...There will be no surrender ceremony signed on the deck of a US Battleship like we had in World War II, and there will be no formal cease-fire as was determined to end the Korean Conflict. We can do our best to repress the insurgents and to hunt and kill terrorists, but we can also rest assured that the more we do this, the more recruits the insurgents and terrorists will find to fight for their cause. We're not going to scare them into submission...these organizations have a history of violence longer than our country has even existed, and the fact of the matter is that they are willing to wait years, if not decades to see their goals met. I don't care who is in charge of the USA, our National will is not capable of outlasting that kind of determination.

It's really easy for folks (especially those who are not serving) to sit back and say that we need to stay as long as it takes...the more we say that, the less incentive the actual legitimate Iraqi government has to take charge of their own security. It's obvious that in general the Iraqis do not have a strong sense of nationalism (at least in my humble observation), the government itself is torn between religious factions, and their economy, even with oil revenues is not strong enough to support a strong security force and military. Their "friends" the US, however, will pump billions of dollars and tens of thousands of Soldiers into their country, and will stay indefinately (according to current policy) as long as the Iraqis cannot do it on their own. Hmmmm...what would you do? To use the schoolyard analogy someone else brought up earlier, you've got the biggest kid in school to help you fight off the bully...are you going to let that go easily?

So, what's the answer? There isn't a good one, unfortunately, but there does need to be a strong message sent to the Iraqi government that this gravytrain will not go on forever. We need to investigate the idea of phased withdrawl (perhaps into Kuwait?) to see how the Iraqi forces stand up without our help. We need to investigate ways to stop the corruption that is funneling yours and my tax dollars spent on reconstructon into the actual projects and not to greedy contractors and corrupt Iraqi officials. We need to re-evaluate the mission, figure out what we can and cannot do (and there are definte things that we cannot do that we're wasting our time in trying to do), do what we can do, and then get the heck out.

Answer 7

Yes its the same as losing. As we all know the media runs the war. So they do with they must for ratings. Building schools, taking care of the sick etc does not get to the average person. So of course people think we are losing over there. When GI that are getting shot at are willing to go back over there for second and third trips that should say something to the people of the USA and around the world.

Answer 8

What war? This is an occupation for oil that is being fought in the form of a civil war where we are trying to manipulate the outcome without regard for the number of deaths incurred provided our Big Oil interests get their precious Oil contracts.
Losing? The minute we allowed Donald Rumsfeld to dictate our military efforts---this effort was lost. A half a million troops were required to implement the strategy of this occupation based on contemporary battle formula's developed by the Military. General Shinseki was fired because he stood firm on the actual numbers of troops necessary to implement the proposed plan.

--The fact is that Bush is the worst leader ever to hold the highest office in the land and the only moral thing to do is save our troops from the death and destruction of a failed policy.

Answer 9

That's a tough one. If we pull out, the entire world (especially terrorist organizations like Al Qaeda) will see us as weak and having no staying power. On the other hand, studies like the one performed by the Iraq Study Group are saying that we are way beyond solving the situation there with the military. Either way we lose.

Answer 10

To the poster that says 'there is no winning or losing that war'
WAKE UP!
Let me put this to you as simply as I can...
if we pull out leaving a chaotic situation that enables Syria or Iran (or both) to set up shop in Iraq, and control that oil, WE ARE DOOMED.
that, young lady, is a LOSS, Okay?
To any fool who tries to portray 'victory' as all Iraqis living in harmony and a complete end to all sectarian violence - EVERYONE with a shred of intelligence understands that can not happen.
We only need to dampen that violence enough that the Iraqis can contain it after we leave.
THAT will be winning, okay?
It is realistic, and emminently achievable.