Is Our Military Getting Sucked Into A Terrible Trap?

[Solomon]

Before the invasion, many of us said that an attack against Iraq would be a mistake.

We predicted that the Iraqis would boobytrap the cities, let the army into the center, and then fight a guerilla war from the suburbs and beyond.

Is that starting to happen now?

I keep hearing this constant drone beneath the surface, on the wings, that the military is planning some big push in Iraq. I'm sure others have been keeping up with this more than I have. With all that's going on, right now, it sort of lurks on the side.

Today I hear there's to be a big "crackdown on insurgents."

Deep down we know what this really means. I really feel for the civilians.

I notice however, that Bush didn't want to take the chance at making this "push" before the elections. They've been bringing it up for days now, but they have yet to do it.

Obviously even they can't find out ("officially") what happened to all those explosives. Otherwise, we wouldn't be getting every excuse that comes along and this "investigation" business.

Seems kind of silly right now to concentrate your forces in the center, when you don't know what kinds of explosives may be lurking about.

They didn't crack the insurgency in its infancy. Why? Because they didn't have enough troops there. Smashing a few neighborhoods now is not going to quell the rebellion. It just makes it worse. And on it goes.

So much for spreading freedom and democracy.

We should be ashamed of ourselves after we sat here and watched the Soviet Union bankrupt itself over Afghanistan.

Are we not now doing the exact same thing in Iraq. Yesterday Peggy Noonan was whining about "people have to understand", "this is not a few years kind of war", "this will take at least 40 years".

It only took ten years to bankrupt the soviets.

[knowbody0]

1. let's do the math

25 million iraqis. all the arab nations. the world.
135,000 overextended,misdirected,underfed kids.

[maxsolomon]

2. GETTING sucked in?

its SUCKED.

there's no way to save the village without destroying it, and we're not willing to do that. the insurgents know it.

to pacify iraq, we must demonstrate brutal resolve equal to Saddam. and Col. Kurtz laid out what type of soldiers & strategies must be employed. merciless, medieval, imperial repression.

[DuctapeFatwa]

3. Raytheon reports strong 3rd quarter

http://www.kansas.com/mld/eagle/10041825.htm


"terrible" is a very subjective term, and completely dependent on perpsective

[Solomon]

6. You get straight to the point, don't you?

Nice link.

[LiberalAndProud]

4. The trrops are preparing to invade Fallujah. Bush is standing down until

after the election. Anther battle for Fallujah will ensue on Nov. 3.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

5. They're still trying to treat the symptom instead of the disease.

The "problem" isn't a handful of insurgents in Iraq. It's the entire middle east and, for that matter, the disparity between the rich minority and the starving majority.

As they vainly try to "crush the insurgency" in Iraq by killing and brute force, it only spawns new enemies who watch our hapless flailings there and realize that the mighty U.S. military can be defeated.

We're swatting a swarm of mosquitoes with a sledgehammer, wearing ourselves out in futile gestures, rather than acknowledging the obvious fact that we can't prey on the world without resistance.

[Karenina]

8. BINGO!!!

No. 'murrikans do not get to suck the entire ROTW dry to maintain their cheap gas, strip malls, game shows and FAUX NEWS. SORRY. So far the citizens of Ami-land have been spared harsh judgement. Allow the *cabal another 4 years and ALL BETS ARE OFF. I shudder to think of the chaos *they will create between Nov. 3rd and Jan. 20 EVEN IF THEY ARE EVISCERATED!!!

[nostamj]

7. the 'insurgents' ARE civilians

40 years? unthinkable.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

9. kick