Newark Execution Murders

[kandrathe]

The only thing that the Dems have stated about the whole terrorist/war issue regarding Republicans is your 3rd point about being stuck in Iraq. I haven't seen anything about your first 2 points being used by the Democrats. You can say a lot about both parties but one thing is certain: The Republicans are tougher on the whole terror issue than the Democrats. They take it more seriously or whatever else you want to call it. Call it using the terror card or whatever else but the fact remains that they are tougher. To deny that is just dishonest. So, while your first post *was* good, as was already pointed out above, I think it was simply wrong.

It struck me while reading this, that perhaps our military is really rather brilliant. The USSR went to Afghanistan and because it became a radicalizing lightening rod for Islam, thousands of Jihadist around the muslim world went there every year to become muhajadin warriors. Had the US done the same, what would have been different? So, could it be possible that the Iraq war was done intentionally to draw this same effect away from the bleak mountains and undefendable terrain of Afghanistan, into an area more able to be defended from endless insurgency. So, perhaps a strategy in taking on pan-Islamic jihadism is to attack them across the broadest front possible, thus preventing them to organize and mass their muhajadins in one place. Drawing it to Iraq also resolved the Saddam problem, and if things get out of control the failed state of Iraq is bounded by the strong military states of Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Turkey which would intervene to preserve their own national interests. Two of which are mostly with the US when it comes to military.

I agree with Munk on this one. All sides are fear mongering. Most of the current dems leadership are doves, and always were doves even though in the face of political pressure they voted for the Iraq war. For the dems that were hawks, and for the dems that are doves (as well as the liberal press), as soon as the peace became difficult to secure they turned on the opposition President. This has been true since the Aircraft Carrier "Mission Accomplished" press fiasco, where the intent of the victory message was for the crew of the carrier, not for the world. What has happened since the new presidential race began is that more Republicans are trying to distance themselves from Bush, and also use the Iraq war as a political tool. Worse than the Democrat turncoats that have worked hard to search for a scapegoat to explain their support of the war, are the increasing number of Republican turncoats that have done so for fear of political survival. Yeah, yeah, everyone decries the lack of WMDs in Iraq, and the zealousness of the Tenents CIA to support a war. But, it was Congress' job to also review the evidence and come to their own conclusions. Congress and the President were given bad data equally, and they all jumped quickly into a war. Everyone is equally culpable for that, except the few who voted against it. I've used this analogy here before, but Iraq under Saddam was like a crack house which didn't happen to have any evidence in it at the time we kicked down the door. Do we regret kicking down the door, seizing the house, and trying to rehabilitate it?

So, what kind of fear are they mongering? Quagmire? Another Vietnam? Pan-Islamic Jihad? Nuclear terrorism? Losing the war? Or, as I've decried from day one, the parade of death. Any success is ignored, and it is so much more delicious to the press to have story after story on the latest victims of IEDs or suicide car bombs driven into crowded markets. Does anyone think that pulling out would be a good idea?

This supports one of my major libertarian tenets, in that wherever possible with any endeavor, government takes your money and makes a mess. The US military is doing a great job considering the asymmetric difficulties they face, and they will win in Iraq and Afghanistan if the politicians will get out of their way and allow them to win. But, with a one sided story always pointing out the bleakest, worst, and darkest, it tends to sap everyones courage and morale, or worse, give rise to anger and radical retaliation to those attempting to do the right thing. The right thing in this case is the fend off a civil war, and external insurgency forces in Iraq long enough for them to create a central government powerful enough to defend themselves.