At this point, would you support yet another troop surge in the Iraq War?

Question

It is uncertain as to whether or not the "troop surge" that was decided on a few months ago is working. Actually, that surge may only be starting to take effect as those added troops have only just arrived.

But if the commanders of our forces should need more troops after that, would you support a decision to send more?

My thinking is that we should either make a real effort to achieve victory in Iraq or don't bother at all. There is no sense in just applying band-aids to this hemmoraging situation. So if we need 50,000 more troops for a victory that is actually possible, then why not go for it?

I say we either do that, or just get out altogether.

We do not want the greatest foreign policy blunder in American history to be a war that we lose. And we do not want the consequences of abandoning this war to be left to be genocide, or an ongoing war for others to fight and endure.

Your thoughts?

Answer 1

The American people won't have it.

The elections are next year and to back the president is political suicide.

In a democracy it is the will of the people that matters. If our representatives don't represent us, we will either vote them out of office or recall them and take back that power.

It's over, no more surges or waste of lives and resources.

Answer 2

Your opinions, I'm afraid, may get hit hard from the liberal view points. It's very difficult to debate anyone who has already thrown in the towel and accepted defeat as a viable option.
I personally agree with you, I think we should either fight this war or get the hell out (with the real possibility of only having to return later to confront a better organized, emboldened and better equipped enemy). I would not be opposed to sending not 50,000 troops, but rather 500,000 troops - and at that point, I'm quite sure the Islamic radicals would get the message. Given the terrorists' history, I cannot help but think that if they achieve any kind of perceived victory in Iraq, they will continue their tactics on their march to further their ideology of hatred and domination. There is no reason what so ever to think that they will abandon their tactics of terror and indiscriminate murder if they are successful.
I believe we have but two options: defeat these terrorists or accept their demands. Given the history of trying diplomacy and its dismal record of success and the recent example of the Pakistani failure to negotiate a peaceful conclusion to the the Mosque takeover by Islamic militants - I really don't want to hear anymore about how we should be talking to these demented psychos.

Answer 3

You know...this is a toughie.

I'm not even really sure why we're really in Iraq.

I wish the Bush Administration would tell us their goals....Is it to make Iraq into a Democracy like us? Is it to change the Iraqi values/beliefs into Western thoughts and ideas like ours?

Its hard for me to think that we should stay in this war if I'm not sure what we're fighting for....

On the other hand, I think it rather irresponsible to go in there, start this huge war, then walk out when we get sick of it. It almost appears to be a no-win situation right now.

It would be nice if a politician would say why we're really doing something....of course they never do because if their plan fails then their plan is published and there's a lot of back peddling.

Politicians have never done a great job of rallying people for an unpopular war. The Bush Administration needs to do a little more promoting than they have.

Answer 4

Absolutely. What people forget is the troops were requested six months ago, after all the non-binding garbage and hold up on funds the first troops did not arrive until two weeks ago.. Things are turning around,look at Anbar province , the Kurds are thriving in their new democratic state and Sunni tribal chiefs have decided they've had it with al Qaeda in Iraq and they have been fighting, effectively, against them.People need to listen to the briefings that come out of Baghdad before they fall into this gloom and doom. Its sad that one Political party rates success by accomplishments and the other on body counts.

Answer 5

Oh am I going to get boos for this. I think we are there, We need to tell the media one thing, and then do another. We need to now not back down, but kick some butt and get out. The media is telling everything to everyone around the world. You can't win a war when the is nothing hiding to the enemy. I say we tell the media we are going to the right and have our force on guard while we are building a school. We then within minutes take our troops to the left and bomb the hell out of the enemy.

Answer 6

What exactly would "victory" look like?
Right now, the only real accomplishment of the "surge" has been a general increase in casualties. The "surge" has not even secured the Green Zone, for heaven's sake, or don't you read the papers? Shelling the heart of the supposed safe zone. All this goes to prove is that the surge is NOT working as promised (pacifying the region). It is NOT even showing signs of beginning to work as promised.
I guess you could say that, being sane, I would not propose sending more troops into the meat grinder.

Answer 7

No I would not. This is not a war against a set military establishment. A victory over forces present today can become a stalemate over those arriving tomorrow. In addition to this we are working with a badly splintered government which only appears to be representing a portion of the nation of Iraq. No surge is going to provide true stability. Stability of the type needed can only come from within.

Answer 8

A troop surge won't work if we continue to allow the politicians to run this Police Action. You give the Military a free hand and it will end quickly!! USMC 60-68

Answer 9

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Answer 10

Heck, no.

No one can say the "surge" is working. Deaths are on the increase - they are killing Iraqi's a hundred at a time. More and more of our young soldiers are being killed and severly wounded. They were able, for the first time, to drop mortar shells into the sacred Green Zone, killing three.

What we need is an orderly withdrawl....orderly being protecting our soldiers backsides while they leave. And, we need to start NOW.

Answer 11

Keep the surge going and then start to replace American troops with Iraq troops.