I don't agree with the Vietnam scenario. We had two big problems in Vietnam- first, our use of standard (i.e. WWII) military tactics in the face of a guerilla war. Second, the Communists offered an alternative government that was very appealing to many Vietnamese.
In military terms, we are putting the wood to the enemy in Iraq. It's hard to get enemy casulaty figures, but last I cheked we were taking out the enemy at a 20:1 ratio, and that ratio is far higher if you throw in people we have captured. The enemy can't win that kind of war, and they know it, which is why they have resorted to tactics like killing journalists and other non-combatants- Iraqi and foreign alike. Ultimately, we will win in Iraq if we have the intestinal fortitude as a nation to continue the fight. I believe we have no choice because the alternative is untenable. What is amazing is the restraint the Iraqis have showed in fighting the insurgents. I wonder what might happen if we leave too early. An all-out civil war would very quickly mean the end of the Sunnis in Iraq, but I worry that it would drag Syria and Iran into the war on opposite sides, and no one wants to see a broader regional conflict. >Unfortunately to do that we need to first secure the country and we're >not doing that. Which means we're half assing the whole thing. Sound >familiar? So, as with Vietnam, we either have to send in enough >troops to accomplish that mission or pull out. > >The President needs to make a decision what he wants and, as you've >pointed out, he's not. In a nutshell he fekked up bad and now he has >to decide if he's going to make it right or walk away. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Sams Teach Yourself Regular Expressions in 10 Minutes by Ben Forta http://www.houseoffusion.com/banners/view.cfm?bannerid=40 Message: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=i:5:169488 Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/threads.cfm/5 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=s:5 Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.5 Donations & Support: http://www.houseoffusion.com/tiny.cfm/54
