Comments on: “Victory in Iraq” — What Does that Mean? http://austringer.net/wp/index.php/2008/09/05/victory-in-iraq-what-does-that-mean/ Wesley R. Elsberry's personal weblog, talking about falconry, science, antievolution, computation, and the broken body he lives in. Wed, 23 May 2012 03:12:10 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: QrazyQat http://austringer.net/wp/index.php/2008/09/05/victory-in-iraq-what-does-that-mean/comment-page-1/#comment-239085 QrazyQat Wed, 10 Sep 2008 17:43:55 +0000 http://austringer.net/wp/?p=959#comment-239085 The GOP strategy has been to not just talk in generalities, but to adopt a "Magic Christian" approach where they say nothing of substance, and the hearer fills in what they want to hear. The antidote to this approach is to look at facts, but the media has long abdicated their responsibility to do this and this requires citizens to do their own digging for facts. This is somewhat easier now with the internet but still is time consuming at best and many people just aren't good at it. The GOP strategy has been to not just talk in generalities, but to adopt a “Magic Christian” approach where they say nothing of substance, and the hearer fills in what they want to hear. The antidote to this approach is to look at facts, but the media has long abdicated their responsibility to do this and this requires citizens to do their own digging for facts. This is somewhat easier now with the internet but still is time consuming at best and many people just aren’t good at it.

]]> By: Oldfart http://austringer.net/wp/index.php/2008/09/05/victory-in-iraq-what-does-that-mean/comment-page-1/#comment-238486 Oldfart Mon, 08 Sep 2008 12:17:52 +0000 http://austringer.net/wp/?p=959#comment-238486 The "surge" worked only insofar as insurgents "allowed" it to work. In the sense that insurgents decided on their own and without any "forcing" by the added US troops that Al-Qaeda in Iraq was more dangerous to them than US troops were. If anything, the added US troops helped enforce a decision made by the insurgents. Another thing the "surge" has done is make it almost impossible for the US to transfer more troops to the "real" war in Afghanistan - one we had almost won but let slip away due to lack of interest by the administration. The “surge” worked only insofar as insurgents “allowed” it to work. In the sense that insurgents decided on their own and without any “forcing” by the added US troops that Al-Qaeda in Iraq was more dangerous to them than US troops were. If anything, the added US troops helped enforce a decision made by the insurgents. Another thing the “surge” has done is make it almost impossible for the US to transfer more troops to the “real” war in Afghanistan – one we had almost won but let slip away due to lack of interest by the administration.

]]> By: Austringer http://austringer.net/wp/index.php/2008/09/05/victory-in-iraq-what-does-that-mean/comment-page-1/#comment-237870 Austringer Sun, 07 Sep 2008 01:02:10 +0000 http://austringer.net/wp/?p=959#comment-237870 Thanks, Michael, for confirming that the operative connotation of "victory" is simply "not an absolute defeat". You've done a good job of sounding like you disagreed with me while confirming everything I said. Thanks, Michael, for confirming that the operative connotation of “victory” is simply “not an absolute defeat”. You’ve done a good job of sounding like you disagreed with me while confirming everything I said.

]]> By: Michael http://austringer.net/wp/index.php/2008/09/05/victory-in-iraq-what-does-that-mean/comment-page-1/#comment-237864 Michael Sun, 07 Sep 2008 00:39:38 +0000 http://austringer.net/wp/?p=959#comment-237864 Both governments (US and Iraqi) has already agreed to a major pullout by 2011. 8,000 most likely will be recommended and carried out to come home by the end of this year. This is a dying issue which started very popular with John Kerry. It takes awhile when you start from scratch to build up security forces. No doubt the US cannot solve all the disputes among the different factions but it's certainly not a defeat if they can't... What was deemed as a civil war in 2006 is no more. And even though liberals fought the surge and continue to do so, declared it a loss or bad policy, a full blown civil war, and it's current argument, Iraq will never be able to take care of themselves, are dying issues. Because each day things are getting better, and eventually the objective to bring all the troops home with Iraq to take care of itself and be responsible for solving it's own internal problems will happen... And years from now liberals will still be arguing about it... Both governments (US and Iraqi) has already agreed to a major pullout by 2011. 8,000 most likely will be recommended and carried out to come home by the end of this year.

This is a dying issue which started very popular with John Kerry. It takes awhile when you start from scratch to build up security forces. No doubt the US cannot solve all the disputes among the different factions but it’s certainly not a defeat if they can’t…

What was deemed as a civil war in 2006 is no more. And even though liberals fought the surge and continue to do so, declared it a loss or bad policy, a full blown civil war, and it’s current argument, Iraq will never be able to take care of themselves, are dying issues. Because each day things are getting better, and eventually the objective to bring all the troops home with Iraq to take care of itself and be responsible for solving it’s own internal problems will happen…

And years from now liberals will still be arguing about it…

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