most intelligent Democrats have answered my past questions on Iraq by saying ,?

Question

We must finish training the Iraqi forces and then pull out,
Isn't that a nother reason why a time line would be inapropriate, Exactly how long will it take for them to be able to defend them selves? as if telling the enemy how long to hide out isn't enough?

If the dem plan takes 6 years, why do they want to pull out now?

Answer 1

We are in Iraq for the long haul regardless of what Dem. politician says & they know it but wont say it out loud for fear of loosing their left wing base (they need them in 08 to win).

Answer 2

One of the major issues is the lack of initiative and effort the current Iraqi administration have taken in developing a sustainable security and defence force. They have absolutely no incentive to sort things out while we are doing the job for them.
Another is that it is evident this administration has no intent to pull out in a timely manner so not having a timelines means they will simply not do it.
Finally this nonsense about having the timeline meaning we are advertising our strategy to the enemy is so mindless it is insulting. We are not talking about broadcasting troop movements on Al Jazheera. We just want a target to have the job done. We had timelines for the invasion - letting Saddam know the dates and telling him about shock and awe didn't strengthen the Iraqi forces did it?
We need a strategy to hand over responsibility for the security of Iraq to the people it should lie with - the Iraqi government. That strategy needs to be timebound. It is not just Democrats saying so.

Answer 3

The user Superpolitics has mistaken figures at least and is a liar at worst. U.S. troops have NOT killed 600,00 innocent civilians. Saddam Hussein killed an estimated 300,000 to 600,000 innocents. The sectarian violence in Iraq is killing over 200 innocent people weekly. U.S. forces are not targeting civilians, the insurgents are hiding among, taking hostage of, and killing civilians as a matter of their policy. If the fools on the hill in Washington can't put the facts together and see what is really going on in Iraq to kill this terrorist enemy that is threatening to end our way of life, we are doomed. Iran is the driving force of the current insurgency, thay do not want another democratic government next door to them and if our "allies" France, China, and Russia would quit doing business with them, the whole country would simply dry up and blow away.

I forsee the entire mideast with a thick layer of glass covering it.

Answer 4

billy, Americans in the military get about 5 months training and then go into combat to HELP another country (Iraq) fight, We have been training Iraqis for over 5 years and they still will not fight for their country.
This is because they are loyal to tribes, not their country. We are wasting our time , money and blood. What is so hard to understand about this?

Answer 5

A lot of people--including some Democrats--are not understanding the nature of the Iraq conflict. The key is to look at this from the perspective of the Iraqi people--NOT from our own viewpoint.

For the majority of Iraqis, the US is an invader that conquered and is occupying their country. The Iraqi government is seen not as an Iraqi institution but as a proxy state created by the US for its own purposes. And--the goal--for the Iraqis--is to overthrow that proxy government and expel the invaders.

The situation is complicated by the fact that Iraq isn't a single society, but three--originally lumped together by well-meaning but careless Europeans when they were granting their colonial possesions independance--hence the civil conflict--and by the incursion of foreign elements--the terrorists ad Iranian elements.

But the core of this is that the Iraqi people want their country back--and to be rid of a government they regard as illegitimate. In that context, it is pointless to expect the Iraqi government to ever establish order or to protect itself. It will last as long as we are there to back it up. I seriously doubt it will last as long as six months after we leave--whether we stay 20 days or 20 years.

There is therefore no point in sacrificing more American lives--we are simply putting our troops in harms way in a vain effort to prevent the inevitable. Granted, the ensuing regime is not likely to be one we like--or that will do much for Iraq. But there is absolutely nothing we can do about that. The best thing we can do for the Iraqi people is get out and then be ready to help--diplomatically and economically--to help them rebuild their country on their own, to the extent they are able and willing to do so.

Answer 6

Wow it only takes between 6 weeks and 16 weeks of booth camp to train our troops. They have had 4 years. 4 years the Iraqi's should have masters in military training!! Do they need doctrines in military training??
It won't matter how much time they have they aren't even living up to the bench marks!! Then again why would they seeing as there are no consequences. Much like children if there aren't any consequences for not getting good grades etc then why bother?

Answer 7

The problem is, we're supposed to be there while the new Iraqi government establishes itself.

As their progress report shows, they're not making any progress. So, our involvement is likely to be indefinite.

At some point, we have to say we've done enough and start acting in our own best interests and the best interests of our troops. If we haven't reached that point yet, nobody has ever given me a better schedule, since the Iraq govt is clearly not doing their part.

So, I agree that it's time to say we've done enough, and start pulling troops out. Remember that process along is going to take 6+ months, after we've made the decision to leave. So, what's preventing us from starting withdrawal now, other than an arbitrary decision that we haven't done enough?

Answer 8

This is getting to be an even more sticky situation. News tonight came that the Iraqi government has met ZERO of the benchmarks set up for them. I agree with you about giving a time line. That would be one of the most stupid things we could do.

Answer 9

as of this point we do not seem to have a plan to do anything whatsoever

instead of demanding that the bush administration finish the job, you people just sit around and whine about things like "well we can't leave or that would be defeat" over and over

and a time line is perfectly acceptable

we already have some experience training Iraqi military units

this is the army, this is what they do, they provide basic training to the army, marines etc under a timeline

it should be possible to formulate one for the iraqis

Answer 10

I abhor the violence committed by both sides, but we are not the “good guys”. The prevaricators leading our nation and writing our history have portrayed Americans as wearing the white hats for far too long. Transgressions and atrocities have been committed by many nations and people throughout history, including the United States and its leaders. Consider the most recent example in Iraq. Our occupying force has killed over 600,000 innocent Iraqi civilians. This is state terrorism at its worst and it needs to end. With our resources, the United States could become a humanitarian force. Sadly, the Neocons have chosen guns over butter (using our tax dollars and a mountain of borrowed money) to a shameless degree, enraging many of us who still have a social conscience.

Answer 11

The enemy, whomever that may be, will wait as long as they need to with or without a timetable. It doesn't matter whether we leave in 6 months or 6 years, Iraq is a lost cause.