SwiftVets.com

[flagreen]

I for one am frustrated with the way things are going in Iraq. It is obvious that the enemy (insurgents) have not been defeated. It is also obvious that the Iraqi interim government is treating the situation as if the enemy can be reasoned with - newsflash - they can't. Nor can the insurgents / islamic miltants be trusted to negotiate in good faith.

As with all wars, the killing stops when the war is over. The sooner the war ends, the sooner people stop dying. Dragging this war out in the hopes of minimizing casualties is quite likely resulting in greater casualties, civilian and soldier alike, then a brutal overwhelming offensive to bring it to an end months ago would have resulted in. I hope that the administration is not playing politics with this war and deliberately delaying such an offensive to avoid the political fallout here in the U.S. such an action might result in. On the other hand given that the Democratic party has chosen to politicise the war going as far back as last fall, the President may have had no choice but to respond by playing politics with the war himself lest the party of appeasement take the election this November. The later senario being the more ominous prospect as regards national security.

Currently the Marines once again have Fallujah surrounded. I pray that this time they are allowed to finish the job and defeat the insurgents. We owe it to all who are serving over there to do what we can to bring this war to a successful conclusion as soon as possible.

In short - Let's Roll!

[sdonions]

I also feel your frustration but with what happened in Najaf, the combination of letting our troops kick A$$ and the threats being used is doing its job of getting the non militant in the hot spot to turn on the fanatics. It also makes it a little easier for the military having the fanatics converging on the hot spots so they can take em out. That is just my opinion

[JCJR]

It might be wise to wait another two weeks to move in. A really hot Fallujah battle with possible bad reversals and tragic mistakes, could influence our election in the wrong direction.

It is in the Iraqi leaders' best interest to solve the problem as amicably as possible, even if it is not likely to be especially amicable. A generations-long blood feud won't do em much good.

Consider the USA Whiskey Rebellion of 1794-- The rebellion was put down with federal military force. The rebels could probably have been legally hanged under martial law, but all were tried and eventually freed, partly because so many citizens sympathized with the rebels. If the rebels had been hanged, it might have sparked a bigger civil war.

This ugly incident enforced the fledgling Federal system, but it also taught the Feds to be somewhat circumspect on how they treat the folks (in order to avoid further rebellions).

Perhaps this analogy doesn't even begin to hold water, but I think there may be similarities to the Fallujah situation.

[neverforget]

The purpose of the Iraqi government's negotiations is not to attempt to sway insurgents, but to separate Iraqis from the foreign terrorists to further isolate them.
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US Army Security Agency
1965-1971

[ThanksVets]

I like the current approach to Falujah, in that for once we are putting a squeeze on the place rather than rushing in and letting the main players skirt out the back door to go set up elsewhere. If indeed they are going about sealing the place off before taking them down it's a big step in the right direction.

[jimlarsen]

Well, we got a "good" battle in Fallujah so maybe now we can make progress with the insurgant terrorists. Keep in mind that when the President said that the war was "over", he effectively gave the Iraqis their country back through the interrum government. Everything we've done or not done since then has been orchestrated to train the Iraquis and provide them with as much control as possible.

During the last few weeks the Iraqui government has been negotiating with the people of Fallujah to try and get them to turn over the terrorists, but to no avail. So, now after a little pounding they want to talk. This seems to be the "Arab" way of making relationships. If we had not allowed things to happen this way we would have driven the various sects apart, taking away any chance to have a free united Iraq.

Our willingness to allow the Iraquis to do things the "Arab" way has, in my opinion, been underplayed by the press and twisted by Kerry, who has no appreciation for differences in other cultures. And, Kerry, of course, would have prefered a divided Iraq since that would make it easier for the Communists to conquer.

I firmly believe that Kerry's objection to the way Bush has lead this conflict comes from the fact that Bush didn't give the Communists a chance to take over the country. It will be a bitter defeat for Kerry on Nov. 2 when he looses because he will also loose the opportunity to show what a loyal Communist he is.
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-I'm Jim, and I approve what I write, unless it's wrong.
Speak softly and carry a BIG STICK. -T. Roosevelt
Need some WOOD? -G. Bush