After 5 Years Of Fighting What Do We Have To Show For The Blood/Treasure?

[DistressedAmerican]

As far as I can tell, the only territory we have any real claim to control over in the whole of the middle east is the city of Kabul. That control is rather tenuous. But, I'd still call it operational control. The rest of the country is bubbling with insurgents.

Iraq is a disaster. We can not claim operational control of any part of the country. We have been there for years and we are forced to move in 3,500 more troops into Baghdad to TRY and establish control? Not even the "heavily fortified green zone" (is it ever referred to any other way?) is safe from regular insurgent attacks. A large car bomb went off just 100 feet from the main entrance yesterday. The civilians that work inside of it must do so in secret as their work would get them killed. One recently requested a press pass after the guards (who many think are fully infiltrated by the insurgents) called out loudly to all around that the lady in question was a government employee.

Pakistan? Home to much of Al Qaeda and the world's leading nuke proliferator. Teetering on political revolt.

Kabul? What the hell is that? Even I thought that they could do better than that.

The United States it one of the greatest hollow empires in history. We still live under the notion that we are invincible on all military and economic fronts despite all of the evidence to the contrary. Our economy is only propped up by the country's massive borrowing. We haven't the money to repay those loans without serious pain in the future. And our military is so damaged by its overextension that we are in no practical position to do anything about the many serious threats that exist and will surely crop up in coming years.

We actually still believe that we are so self-evidently "good" that our toppling of foreign governments and occupation of their countries will be met with welcome arms by the people of the nations that we attack. How often do you hear the lie that "The people of Iran love America. It is just the leadership that hates us"? Bullshit. They hate us and I fully understand why. They would line up in the streets to kill us for any such action.

Who in the world measures that as some kind of success?

Who the hell considers this return on the investment worth it? :freak:

[Ezlivin]

1. We have "assets" in place

I'm not sure that our current policy is so much about controlling territory as it is in establishing an undeniable presence. Note that we are always in close proximity to oil and its associated infrastructure. I don't think we give a tinker's damn about the land, country or government; we only care that our military assets are staged for a quick response.

[BOSSHOG]

2. Not to be a smart ass, but

ask that question of a bush supporter and marvel at the responses. We need more death and destruction because we value life. If our kids didn't get killed over there they'd get killed in car wrecks over here. More American kids must die so that those already killed didn't get killed in vain.

The brilliance of the right wing mind will answer your question with crystal clear clarity.