Ok, is there some way to know what our mission is, and when its accomplished? I'm really serious here. Unless we figure out how to know if we are winning, losing, or staying the same - are we just like a dog chasing its tail? I hear sometimes that we would win when Iraq is a stable democracy - but what the heck is that? If the insurgents take a 3 month vacation, do we declare victory and not care when the terrorists come back all ready for more? I worry sometimes. In the cold war, we had the military-industrial complex. Companies made $$ by making sure our military was supplied with better weapons than the russians. We called them defense contractors. Nowadays - these aeronautics companies are having hard times. The big winner is Halliburton. How do they make money? Well, when the US military goes somewhere and blows stuff up, they make their money on rebuilding, security, catering, etc. Does this suggest that we're in for decades of contractors with a vested interest in the USA blowing stuff up and causing trouble/violence? Cuz if so, we ain't gonna win in Iraq or anywhere else anytime soon.
Iraq opens its first Pizza-Hut...the locals go crazy for that stuffed-crust...sales go through the roof...Other companies see this and start a major invest in Iraq....Club-med opens up a resort...and it turns out to be the top vacation spot for the mid-east. 'mission accomplished' ~worm~
I would be tempted to reply that "mission accomplished" means when the War on Terror is complete; but lately it is becoming increasingly obvious that "mission accomplished" means when the liberals finally accept the truth! That date seems far off, based on current assessments.
Bummer, I guess we'll be in Iraq until there are no terrorists left in the world. It's a good thing we didn't establish a timetable on that one.
More comedy magic! Can someone please restart the 'Senate vote on lynching' thread so ITN can work some more magic by once again taking up the pro-lynching side?
We won Saddam's and there regime is over and they are not comming back regime is over. There is a new government in place. They don't have the power as of yet to protect themselves and put this uprising down. Their army is being trained to do that. It should be done in less then 2 years maybe a yr and a half. They want us out, but they also want to stop any outsiders and sunnis from taking over there governement. I am sure just enough US will remain to call in air strikes for them so we can kill them in bunches. Then when they rule themselves we will see many more iraqi die then are dying now. Because they do not care how many innocent victims die and the insugents don't car either. So the iraqi themselves will put down the insugents and the sunnis and will kill many more thousand of innocents while doing it. All's well that's ends well.
Pizza huts? I didn't know about that. No it is not nearly over if they are happy eating that crap pizza.
Thanks. That's the most well-thought out response so far. Shame it has to end with Saddam-lite (new face! less killing!) in charge.
DJ, what "mission" do you think Bush was refering to at the time he said it, and do you think it's the same "mission" his political opponents tirelessly prescribe? IMO, it was very obvious when he said it that "mission accomplished" refered to toppling the Hussein regime. You should know me better than to think I'm defending the invasion, but this is just partisan crap.
I'm not ITN but I can help you out. The truth is that liberals are the enemy of normal people. Nattering nabobs of negativism. An effete corps of impudent snobs who call themselves intellectuals. When you see those truths to be self-evident, you'll be on the road to recovery.
Sorry for any confusion - I'm not referring to the aircraft carrier stunt. Saddam toppled, yes, jolly good. I'm talking about our current mission. Whatever it is. Bring democracy? Fight terror? Establish a viable, democratic, friendly state in Iraq? All or none of the above? That's what I'm getting at. I apologize for any earlier confusion. I want to know what we're doing now (besides giving promotions to soldiers who couldn't even find one lousy little WMD) - and when we can say we are done.
saw this conservative(?) perspective in the WSJ. Is this our mission? http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/mhelprin/?id=110006198