Subject: Re: [Homestead] Iraq..was Ralph Nader enters presidential race
Date: Wed, 27 Feb 2008 01:25:41 -0500
paxamicus AT earthlink.net wrote:
It was McCain who agreed he'd keep us in Iraq for the next thousand
years.
It's realistic. No matter how much we would like to say we would leave
100%, lock, stock, and barrel, it just wouldn't happen, regardless of
who is sitting in the Oval Office. Exclude Iraq and look back at US
history. By almost all accounts, we lost the Vietnam war, but more
importantly, we gave the appearance of losing by retreating 100%. We
retreated from Lebanon, and this too, was seen as a defeat. Whether we
actually win or lose, I personally think it is more important how the
action is perceived in the Islamic world. In every other war or conflict
that we've 'participated' in, we have left a permanent presence. We are
still in Korea 50 years later. We are still in Germany, we are still in
the Philippines, Guantanamo, etc.
Like it or not, I think McCain was just injecting a dose of reality into
the minds of simpletons who think we could just pull out and consider
the whole thing a bad dream. I'm pretty sure that Obama and Clinton
realize that we would be leaving a presence- a base there, too. I think
Clinton may have even mentioned it in one the the debates, IIRC.
Aside from all of that, I agree that we should keep a base or two in
Iraq. You can look at it as the lesser of two evils...It would show a
presence, maintain a course of support for the new government(so they
can't say later we abandoned them) and give the 'insurgents' something
else to focus on. It would also keep friendly neighbors like Turkey
from invading and going after the Kurds. It would be an increasing
opportunity for better relations between our cultures. You can't find
tolerance and understanding if you are not in close living quarters.
The most important reason(not to me, but to our government I think),
however, is to provide a platform for a war against Iran and or China
and Russia. It will happen eventually you know. I hate to think about
it as it scares me, but it is definitely going to happen, and probably a
lot sooner than most people think. When the Bourse starts, if the bombs
don't fall, down goes the economy, transportation and all. :) And of
course, it only takes one bomb in Iran to start WWIII. This time, it
truly will begin as a fight over oil, but will evolve into a fight over
ideologies. I might even go so far as to say that I believe that
invading Iraq was more motivated by those who are preparing for war with
Iran and China, than those who were looking for oil or Osama or just
didn't like Hussein. That's the real perjury and crime.
Bev
--
BevanRon of EarthNSky Farm NW Georgia USDA Zone 7
34.498N 85.076W Bev is Earth, Ron is Sky
Re: [Homestead] Ralph Nader enters presidential race
, (continued)