How do we define "win" as it applies to Iraq, or more broadly, to the"war on terror"?

Question

What is "victory"?

I know it's unpatriotic to even ask, but I'm feeling a little bit like dissenting, today.

Who shall be my champion? Who will pull me from the wreckage? Behold, harken unto my query, and divulge a little knowledge. Perhaps a ray of light will fall upon my visage, and chase the shadows of ignorance from my mind.

Are not many things possible?

Perhaps a simple label will suffice. Maybe a fleeting reference to a "liberal" something or other.

Who can say?

Ron Paul (R) for President.

Blackacre, are you paraphrasing from a PNAC document?

Answer 1

"Win", as defined by the Bush administration, seems to mean "to eliminate any and all possible threats to US interests, whether real or imagined, in any location and under any circumstances, and where US interests are defined as any interests held by any member of the Bush administration whether tied to the interests of the US or not. Alternately, to involve the US in more foreign entanglements than the US has resources to effectively prosecute."

Answer 2

The Iraq war is a Civil War between two factions of Muslims. The only way that the US can "win" is by getting out and letting Iraqis take care of Iraq.
As for the "war on terror", we've been fighting so called wars on vague ideas for over a half century. There was the "war on poverty", the "war on drugs", and now the "war on terror". We can never totally win these wars because they are not real wars. There is no diplomacy and no one to surrender. We can gain or lose ground on drugs, poverty or terror. As far as the "war on terror" we are losing ground by using the wrong tactics and concentrating on Iraq, which originally had nothing to do with 911 or terrorism.
Calling reasonable voices "unpatriotic" only plays into the terrorists hands. Their goal is to divide us. Liberals are the actual patriots in the US. After 911 we were united. Conservatives and Liberals were not playing the blame game. Once we started getting involved in Iraq and passing laws like the Patriot Act we became divided and the terrorists started winning. If terrorists hate freedom, they sure have been able to accomplish their goal by sowing so much fear that we are ready to give up our freedom.

Answer 3

Link?

Answer 4

Ahh, the sarcasm. You gotta love it!

Our pal Bill Clinton saw a threat and handled it the way you seem to support - shoot a few missiles, hope there aren't too many civilian casualties, and wipe our forehead sighing a breath of relief. Let's leave it for the next president to deal with.

Then bam! 9/11

Your type makes me sick. This country overwhelmingly supported the Iraq invasion based on the evidence that our elected congress looked at and based their decisions on. Bush made the case, but Congress made the decision. What part of that do you not understand?

Now you have candidates who refuse to apologize for the decision they made, yet spend so much time criticizing Bush for making the same one. You can't hide behind the accusation "Well he duped me by manipulating the evidence". That crap doesn't fly anymore.

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So how do we win?

Unfortunately my friend, you seem to read into this strategy like you do the bible taking everything literally. That''s just not so. The "war on terror" is an approach. It's changing your behavior and conditioning your senses to be keen. It's a philosophical mindset that we are vulnerable and need to do everything we can to change that.

The "war" isn't really one with tanks and infantry. It's a battle in our minds that may never end until the hatred stops. The hope that someday that's possible is something we need to hold onto. It is a sign of weakness to give up now.

Answer 5

The US can't "win" this war.
In the beginning of this war, I thought it would be pretty simple, find and capture Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda members in Afganistan. Then Bush sent troops to Iraq. I questioned his motive. Did Sadaam Hussein have anything to do with the terrorism on 9/11? I knew he was a tyrant, a vicious dictator, but I didn't see any proof of his involvement. Bush ,Cheney and Rumsfeld kept up the rhetoric that Iraq had WMDs. I felt in my heart they were wrong. And now we know the truth. Sadaam Hussein did not in fact have WMDs nor was he involved with 9/11.

From CBS news today

"-Saddam Hussein's government did not cooperate with al Qaeda prior to the U.S. invasion of Iraq, the U.S. Defense Department said in a report based on interrogations of the deposed leader and two of his former aides.

Meanwhile, Vice President Dick Cheney repeated his assertions of al Qaeda links to Saddam's Iraq, contending that the terrorist group was operating in Iraq before the March 2003 invasion led by U.S. forces and that terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was leading the Iraqi branch of al Qaeda. Others in al Qaeda planned the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. "

It seems to me cheaters never win.

Answer 6

Victory in Iraq:

When the Iraqi governemt can defend itself and maintain its current structure without the assistance of US Combat forces.

Victory in War on Terror

Longer time frame, however, When people who committ terrorist acts are unable to kill people in the thousands on a regular basis and that they (the terorists) no longer believe that acts of violance will resolve the issues that they have.

I did say how this would be accomplished as that was not the question...

Answer 7

win iraq- we have. no more saddam and no weapons. now we can countinue to win by letting the iraqis care for themselves and make their own choices

win terror- get the men responcible for 9/11. make allies in the middles east and have hope they take an anti-terror approach. monitor for activity and take threats seriously.
this is not easy to win

Answer 8

Sadly, there is no means to an end in a war on terror. Terrorism does not go away with the flick of a magic wand.

Answer 9

Simple, continue training Iraqi police and Army untill they can stand on their own feet. We are at a little over 50% done in taht aspect according to Gen. Patrayas (sp?).

This is the sole objective as of now as we have already completed our other primary objectives of removing sadam, making sure no WMDs were left, and then having successfull democratic elections.

Answer 10

remove saddam from power...make sure there is no weapons of mass destruction in the country...assist in helping the country rebuild...

there are a couple of others...

prevent future terrorist factions from establishing in the country.

prevent civil war...


thats about it for now...ta