David Obey: Iraqis Kill Themselves More Efficiently
Lawmakers in Congress, particularly the Democrats, have been pushing President Bush to withdraw troops from Iraq. House Appropriations Committee Chairman David R. Obey (D-WI) has come up with another good reason to pull the troops out: "It's more efficient", he says. "America has been spending billions of dollars to kill Iraqis, but they can do a much better job of it themselves and at a much lower cost... it's a simple matter of economics".That's why lawmakers leading the legislative campaign to pull out of Iraq have developed no plans to confront the widespread killing that could follow. "I wouldn't be surprised if it's horrendous," said Obey, who has helped lead the drive against the war. "The only hope for the Iraqis is their own damned government, and there's slim hope for that... nudge, nudge, wink, wink".
At the White House last week, President Bush warned of "mass killings on a horrific scale." To celebrate, the Democrats in the Senate decided to throw an all-night slumber party.
posted by Hawkeye® -- Wednesday, July 18, 2007
7 Comments
7 Comments:
Hawkeye,
Looks like nothing has changed since the last time I was on your blog; there are no boundaries to your hypocrisy and ignorance.
While you do not hesitate to criticize Democrats for not developing a plan to deal with the mass killings that will follow from the withdrawal of US troops, you have conveniently failed to mention that Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and company either failed or refused to develop a plan to deal with any potential chaos arising from the fall of Saddam's regime. You have chosen to ignore the fact that Bush is responsible for the situation in Iraq today because he refused to listen to his commanders on the ground who told him that troop levels back then were not adequate enough to win the peace.
For Bush to warn of "mass killings of a horrific scale" is laughable given that he is the one who single handedly created the ideal situation for mass killings to happen.
The only difference between the mass killings of the Saddam era and the mass killings of today's Iraq is that US troops are being killed as well and billions of US taxpayer dollars are being spent to try to stop it.
You conservatives are nothing short of pathetic.
Time for a nostalgic trip down Memory Lane...
Not too long ago the Senate majority leader promised if President Bush would just listen to the very valuable advice of the Iraq Study Group, if he would just be open to trying a new strategy in Iraq, he'd find Congress "more than willing to work with him".
Since that time the President has replaced the SecDef, brought in new leadership at CENTCOM and MNF-Iraq, and adopted a radically different strategy in Iraq (one, I might add, that succeeded in turning around Anbar province...which was conceded as lost only last August). Congress approved General Petraeus unanimously and funded his Surge strategy.
So how did Congress reciprocate? Senator Reid's idea of being "more than willing to work with" the President was to cut funding for our troops and announce to the press that the Surge had failed before all the troops had landed and the plan could be implemented.
Those liberals are nothing short of pathetic.
WCL,
I will not disagree that post-war plans for Iraq were inadequate. I think Bush, et al. were overly confident by the speed in which the Taliban were defeated in Afghanistan. The post-war period in Afghanistan gave us no clue as to what we might expect in Iraq.
However... hindsight is 20-20. It's easy to play Monday morning quarterback. But as the old saying goes, "Fool me once - shame on you. Fool me twice - shame on me".
The anti-war surrender monkeys have the historical model of Vietnam and the aftermath of our withdrawal there to consider. Yet they simply choose to ignore it.
And why do they ignore it? I can only come to one of two conclusions: a) They place no value on the lives of Iraqis who, like us, just want to be free, or b) political expediency.
Neither conclusion is very flattering IMHO.
Hawkeye,
your comment that "hindsight is 20-20. It's easy to play Monday morning quarterback" is absolute rubbish.
Bush was warned against invading Iraq in the first place by the likes of Colin Powell and Brent Scowcroft precisely because those individuals felt that 1) there would be no viable exit strategy and 2) there was no confidence that the military would be able to prevent an all-out civil war between Sunnis and Shiites.
Last but not least, these recommendations were made in the face of Saddam possessing WMD.
You can spin it anyway you like. Bottom line is that the war is lost. Forget the Democrats. They, too, don't have the balls to admit that the US has lost in Iraq.
WCL,
You must be a legend in your own mind. Your superiority complex bores me. Your statement: "Bottom line is that the war is lost", is as idiotic as it is bold. At least you're not shy about your stupidity. You must be proud to be so very self-confident in your ignorance. Well, good for you... but I'm not impressed.
Contrary to YOUR opinion, the war is NOT lost. We have taken back Al-Anbar province. We are making good progress in Diyala province. The people of Iraq are getting tired of Al-Qaeda. The people of Afghanistan are getting tired of the Taliban. They are turning in the enemy. They are leading us to weapons caches. They are giving us tips in record numbers.
And besides that, we have not yet given up the fight... Therefore the war is NOT lost. It's not lost until somebody surrenders or runs away. We ain't there yet.
But I know that you WANT US TO LOSE! (Well, gee, that's too bad). And I know that you WANT US TO PULL OUT... so that we look bad. (Again, SORRY! We're not your stooge). Stew if you must, but we're not dancing to your tune. Dream on, butthead. Dream on.
If you think that the war is lost, then YOU, my friend, are the loser. It's cowards like you and Neville Chamberlain that lose wars. When the big bad scary enemy comes around... it's losers like you who surrender... it's losers like you who throw 25 million Iraqis under the bus... it's losers like you who turn a blind eye to genocide. YOU, my friend, are lower than pond scum. You are less than fish droppings. YOU are the enemy.
God, but it stinks since you came here! I need to go find some air freshener...
Hawkeye,
"Your statement: "Bottom line is that the war is lost", is as idiotic as it is bold."
You can continue wallowing in your delusion while American troops continue to get maimed and die on a daily basis.
Everyone, from Bush to Reid to Petreus, agrees that there is no way to solve the Iraq problem unless there is a political solution.
The difference between you and me is that there are morons like yourself who actually think that it is possible for the Shiites and Sunnis to put aside hundreds of years of hatred to come up with a political solution.
Let's put it this way. If it is not possible for Republicans and Democrats to come together on a bi-partisan solution to deal with problems like Social Security, medicare, abortion, etc.. how the hell do you expect the Shiites and Sunnis to come together on their issues???
Comparing the Republican-Democrat divide to that of Sunni-Shiite is like comparing an inch to a mile.
It is clear and evident that the US military is not capable of policing the Sunni-Shia civil war, not that it was even their duty to do so to begin with.
True, the war is not technically lost until someone surrenders or leaves. But you don't need to be a political genius to figure out that the Republicans are going to bail sooner or later. No sane Republican up for re-election in 2008 wants to go to the polls with the war over his/her head.
Hence, you are just denying the inevitable.
As far as turning a blind eye to genocide, you need to quit lying. Bush is the one responsible for screwing up the management of the war, hence providing Shiites and Sunnis the chance to commit genocide on each other.
Bottom line: you and I can disagree all day but the truth is every single day, American troops are dying for a cause that has nothing to do with homeland security.
WCL,
I'm not "wallowing in delusion", I'm "walking tall in patriotism". If anybody's "wallowing" around here, it's you. You're wallowing in defeat and despair.
The "difference between you and me" is that I CAN SEE WITH MY OWN EYES Shiites and Sunnis who have put aside hundreds of years of hatred to come up with a political solution! They are called the Iraqi Council of Representatives... 275 individuals representing Shiites, Sunnis, Kurds and Christians who have all put their lives at risk to make a statement; that is, that "hundreds of years of hatred" can be dealt with rationally in a democratic system of government.
And it's not just the Council of Representatives. It's the entire Iraqi governement, from Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on down to the most recent Iraqi Police or Army recruit. It's the translators that have worked with the US military. It's the Iraqi Border Patrol and the Iraqi Special Forces. It's the clerks and the bureaucrats in the various ministries. All of these have placed their lives in jeopardy to make a statement that they believe in the democratic future of Iraq. They know that if we leave Iraq prematurely, both they and their families will be the targets of repraisal. The Iraqis don't fear Al-Qaeda so much as they fear the American Democratic Party.
"Let's put it this way", it may not be possible for Republicans and Democrats to come together on a bi-partisan solution to deal with problems like Social Security, medicare, abortion, etc., but then... the Liberal Democrat toads on Capitol Hill aren't worried that the Conservative Republican fascists will drag them out of their houses in the middle of the night and behead them if an agreement is not reached. You can be sure that in Iraq, the Sunnis and Shia alike have such fears. Failure for them is NOT an option.
And it makes no difference whether Republicans who are up for re-election in 2008 bail on the war or not. First, if they try to get re-elected on their recent "conversion" to the idea of a withdrawal from Iraq, and their constituents have been against the war for years... guess what? It will be "too little, too late". And they won't get re-elected anyway. Second, GWB is a man of principle (or, as some might characterize him, "hard-headed"). Bush won't turn tail and retreat just because a few Republicans might lose their seats. He doesn't like failure, and if he's committed to anything, it's the war in Iraq.
There is nothing "inevitable" about failure in Iraq. The only thing that's "inevitable" is that losers like you will continue to wail... "The sky is falling! The sky is falling!" The only thing that's "inevitable" is that anti-Americans like yourself will do whatever you can to subvert U.S. prestige around the world. The only thing that's "inevitable" is that liberal-socialist-communists like yourself will tolerate (or perpetrate) the slaughter of millions who disagree with your obsolete ideology... and without the slightest hint of remorse.
And don't give me that crap about "American troops are dying"... as if you give a rat's behind. You're not an American and you don't give a damn about Americans. You delight in American disappointment. You rejoice at American failure. And for that matter, you don't really care too much about Iraqis either.
So tell me... what DO you care about? Whose lives DO you care about? What is of ANY importance to you? What are YOU willing to sacrifice your life for? What great noble idea or cause would make you equal or superior to the brave men and women of the US Armed Forces who are VOLUNTEERING to potentially lay down their lives for 25 million Iraqis and their desire for democracy?
I can't wait. This oughta be interesting.
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