Unifying Iraq politically is our ace in the hole. We'll spring it on the insurgents when they least expect it!
It's been clear from the beginning that the surest way to create an Iraqi democracy is for Iraq to become democratic.
By bringing the Iraqi political parties together to form a unifying government
We will surmount the peak oil problem through cold fusion.
This kind of response from Rumsfeld is kind of why I wonder if we should stay. It's so out of touch with reality that I don't trust the implicit claim that Iraq's problems will stay in Iraq once we abandon it.
It's pretty bad when Rumsfeld is getting his advice from Stephen Colbert:
Last week, tensions boiled over between Sunni and Shiite Muslims in Iraq with the destruction of the Shiite Golden Mosque, an action that could well foment a civil war — if we're lucky. Because if there's truly a civil war in Iraq, by definition we can't be part of it. That's called an exit strategy, folks.
It's so out of touch with reality that I don't trust the implicit claim that Iraq's problems will stay in Iraq once we abandon it.
I can't see that as an argument for staying -- more an argument that, whatever the known knowns and unknown unknowns, any conceivable situation is better with Rummy out of the mix.
6: Amen. Not least so we'll be spared his disappointed grandpa "goodness, no" routine.
Wow. In the original penguins-at-the-end-of-Madagascar-ese, I'm pretty sure what he said was "Just smile and wave,boys, just smile and wave." Or am I the only one in whose home that's become the ultimate fallback for fuckups?
Strategic air bases are reason enough (for some) to stay. Even if the whole eastern 2/3s of Iraq ignites in bloody war, western Iraq has at least three airbases worth keeping, and that is easy to do as compared to "keeping the peace" in all of Iraq.
Unity as a rule for peace and democracy seems dubious to me. Even recent history is full of counter examples. Partition is bloody, sometimes very much so. But come-on, isn't sooner sometimes better than later or never?
that is easy to do as compared to "keeping the peace" in all of Iraq.
Seriously? This is something where I really haven't the background knowledge to have an informed opinion, but is it likely that air bases in a hostile failed state which is what it looks as though we're headed for, are going to be viable or useful? (I should say that I think this is unlikely -- that we'll end up walking away from the bases we're building, but I'm aware that I haven't a good basis for knowing what's workable.)