Helen Thomas: Iraq war becoming a quagmire

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

By HELEN THOMAS
HEARST NEWSPAPERS

WASHINGTON -- It was supposed to be a cakewalk for the American troops invading Iraq. The Iraqis were to throw flowers as the conquerors marched in and took over their country.

That was the fantasy of President Bush's advisers and they sold it to him. Those advisers were listening to the Iraqi exiles, who had an agenda that meshed with the hawks in the administration.

Now we know that while U.S. leaders may consider themselves "liberators," many Iraqis see them as invaders.

Reality is setting in. And the tragic events of recent days indicate we are going to be in Iraq for a long time and with a much larger presence than American officials had first planned for.

-more-

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/167778_thomas06.html

[librechik]

1. It was always a quagmire.

It just took this long for the jackals to hear our cries of distress.

[goclark]

2. Bless You Helen!

May you always get to ask the first question when Kerry is in the WH.:loveya:

[TexasBushwhacker]

5. May she live to be 100

As a middle aged crazy (47) I find myself thinking more about how long I'll work, how long I'll live, how long I WANT to live, etc. The longevity predictors on the life insurance site have me living to be 87 to 92 and I think YIKES - I don't want to live that long. But Helen Thomas is in her early 80's now, and you know what, I hope that she lives to be 100. She is amazing.

[drhilarius]

3. How do you win the "hearts and minds" of the people...

when you keep blowing the hearts and minds of the people out of their bodies?

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

4. Rummy on hearts and minds

[Demeter]

6. Iraq is so much WORSE than Vietnam

The issues in Vietnam were all paranoid fantasies of the Cold Warriors and the greed of oil speculators. The Warriors thought that the Domino Effect was real: lose Vietnam and lose the whole of Asia to the Red Menace. It didn't happen, and even if it had, the Red Menace couldn't handle it anyway. The loss of oil drilling rights served the oil companies right. They got over it.

But in Iraq, there is real oil access going down the tubes, not just from Iraqi supplies, but from the entire Middle East. Then there is the whole of Islam rising up against the world. I don't know how many of the Faithful there are, but the Infidels are asking for Eternal Jihad, and it looks like we've got it, in spades. The Holy Causes of Democratization, Christianization, and Modernization are lost, not that they were ever much of a possibility in the first place, and the blacklash is wiping out all those "improvements" here at home.

Another fine mess you've gotten us into, GOP!

[IndianaGreen]

8. Iraq = Vietnam + Algeria + Lebanon

Iraq has components of the conflicts in Vietnam, Algeria, and Lebanon, all of which ended badly for the US, France, and Israel respectively.

[cornfedyank]

7. here are some mideast cartoons

i watched the first 2
at the bottom of this page
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/E4D19123-9DD3-11D1-B44E-006097071264.htm

[donhakman]

9. evil doer