Question

[buddy]

Read the front page article at MSNBC.com earlier today and in part it said Bush will ride Rummy to Armaggaedon rather than admit Iraq was a botched effort.

Do you agree Iraq is still a single-minded focus or do you think Iran's current notoriety forces a change of action?

 

[AR182]

buddy...

imo we have to stay the course because if we do anything else these thugs will see it as a sign of weakness & believe it or not it will get worse...

 

[IntenseOperator]

buddy...

imo we have to stay the course because if we do anything else these thugs will see it as a sign of weakness & believe it or not it will get worse...

:iagree:

 

[djv]

No choice now. However yup a however. If this gets to be another two or three years were out because the public will demand it. As for Iran we can keep watch from Kuwait and Afgan.

 

[smurphy]

Not much else can be done it seems. The best strategy at this point I think is a massive increase in troops - but the early planning and Bush bullshlt got us stuck on this course. No way the public would allow an increased effort at this point.

I agree with DJV that the public will demand withdrawl (or at least scaling down of most troops) within a few years. That date will basically be the next presidential election. Whoever wins will probably have to promise withdrawl to get elected.

 

[buddy]

What're the odds of Iran doing something foolish before the next U.S. Presidential election?

 

[smurphy]

Harrahs has Iran folly within 3 years at 5-6, but Stardust is still 7-5. I'm probably going to middle.

 

[djv]

Problem with Iran is China. China gets 12% of there oil from Iran.
To put that in numbers for us to understand. We get 7% from Saudi. China will play hard ball against us doing a thing. There trump card is Taiwan. To get Russia and China to play tough on Iran will cost us a cave in some place else. I wonder how many understand how close to World War III we can get. Some our own fault wanting to be policeman of the world. For sure with the bunch we have in D C right now. Lets hope nothing goes down before 08 election. Cowboys have been know to draw to fast at times. Iraq comes to mind.

 

[dawgball]

I think it's odd how the border has become the hottest topic in the nation over the last 6-12 months. This has been one of my highest priorities for a long time, and now I am actually tired of hearing about it.

I am a Bush supporter (not saying he is perfect by any means), but I think they have done a magnificent job of diverting national attention from the Iraq war to the border problem. I feel that the border stance is going to be the decider on who wins next election rather than the war. I would not have agreed with this statement 6 months ago, though.

 

[Marco]

Just got finished reading AR182's thread about the war costs approaching $10 billion a month...

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Just a few excerpts from that article:

48 billion in 2003
81 billion in 2005
Anticipated 94 billion in 2006

House passed a bill last week for 68 billion in war funding

They want 72.4 billion next week.

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Iraq will be there forever, something that cannot be said for the spending going into Iraq

Religion is absolute trump and king there, above organized government and other grandiose ideas the US government has for there.

Easy to see: the money runs out, we run out, and Iraq is still a lawless religious $hithole awaiting the next muslim John Gotti.

Nothing new to the history books.