How Do We Get Out?

[Roland99]

http://www.amconmag.com/2004_10_25/buchanan.html

“Today, we lack metrics to know if we are winning or losing,” wrote Rumsfeld a year ago. “Is our current situation such that ‘the harder we work, the behinder we get’?” We now have metrics to work with. A year ago, Gen. John Abizaid estimated there were 5,000 enemy fighters. After capturing and killing thousands, officials now estimate there are 20,000 enemy. A year ago, there were two dozen attacks every day on coalition forces. According to Kroll Security International, the number is now 70 a day. A year ago, U.S. troops had the run of the country and the press could travel almost anywhere. Now there are “no-go” zones in the Sunni Triangle, and Sadr City is a scene of daily carnage. Outside the Kurdish north, few provinces are free of daily attacks.

With kidnappings and beheadings of humanitarian workers and foreign labor, many have fled the country. The press is now largely confined to the Green Zone, which has itself been subject to mortar and car-bomb attacks. American dead and wounded in July and August were higher than in the invasion months of March and April 2003.

<...>

Support for Bush’s decision to invade was overwhelming a year ago. Today, a majority of Americans believe the cost of ridding Iraq of Saddam was too high. Kerry now says Bush made a mistake going in and, if he wins, we will be out in four years. But, Senator, how do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake?

Robert Novak cites Bush insiders as saying we may have to move to a rapid exit in 2005. Even Rumsfeld is saying we need not pacify Iraq before drawing down U.S. forces. But why then are we building those permanent bases?

[whistle]

1. We get out by following the Kerry plan......

...and for that to be implemented we need John Kerry elected as president on Nov 2

[IndianaGreen]

5. We get out by getting out and not trying to win the unwinnable

We lost the war and all that is left is to be done is to bring all the troops home immediately and unconditionally.

[chieftain]

2. Kerry cannot make this war his . He needs

to be prepared to allow Iraq to be partitioned among Turkey , Iran and Syria . Although this will be hard to swallow , the U.S. and the world cannot be confronted with a failed state in such a dangerous geopolitical spot .

[Bush was AWOL]

3. No win situation

If we stay and try to impose democracy, Iraqi citizens and American soldiers will continue to die on a daily basis. As hard as it is to believe for war supporters, the foreign fighters and Insurgents are not going to quit. They'll die fighting. It is an enemey WE CAN NOT defeat.

But, if you leave, you risk a civil war.

This is the reason these idiots should be fired. They put us in a no win situation. We're screwed.

[enki23]

4. we aren't going to leave iraq.

but even if we were, they'd still build the permanent bases. we shelled out $120 billion already, and are working on $200. they had to give their buddies (and contributors, lest we forget) *something* to do with that money, something with more potential for profitibility than training iraqi peasant militias.

[sangh0]

6. We sure are seeing a lot of Disruptive Wedge Issues today

two weeks before an election