What do you think is the biggest issue facing America right now?
To me, it’s the war in Iraq. If we end that war in any way that construed as a retreat, I don’t see how we can recover. Vietnam is already an albatross hanging on the neck of any military operation, but there were over 58,000 Americans dead before we pulled out of there. We give up in Iraq, and all our enemies know that bar is lowered (and will continue lowering) on how much we can be hurt before we give up, and that will only encourage them to hurt us all the more. Our enemies know weakness, and what would it take to teach them we mean business if we give up on Iraq? Probably a nuke, and no one wants to go there.
Anyway, at this rate, for the next conflict we won’t have the will for any deaths at all, and then we might as well just isolate ourselves. And then the problems will just fester until they’re knocking at our door.
Yeah, I couldn’t care less about the minimum wage and other domestic crap the Democrats want the federal government to handle. Whatever happens in the election, I pray we have the will to keep fighting.
You hit the big issue, and it’s an issue that’s larger than most realize. We absolutely cannot relinquish our military presence in the Middle East, in both Iraq and Afghanistan (the war nobody remembers). I would be all right with the troops being pulled behind the wire to take up a strong defensive position, with much less patrolling for the sake of patrolling.
Too many people fell for that pathetic line of crap that Iraq was a distraction from the GWOT. It is a legitimate front in the war, like Afghanistan, and we have a great hammer and anvil scenario to smite Iran with, when it happens.
I’m with you, Frank. There are other things that I care about, but national security trumps everything else. The war against Islamofascism is the most important aspect of national security, and Iraq is where we’re fighting that war most aggressively now.
PaleoMedic,
I didn’t mention Afghanistan because no one talks about retreating from there.
Perhaps it’s better being forgotten by the Democrats.
It’s good to see that you have teh Funny, but are also able to present important points in a clear and common-sense fashion.
Domestic considerations really don’t matter if we succumb to the democrat definition of “victory” (lose). I really believe that Americans do have the will, it is the democrats who don’t. Democrats are liberals first, American second. It is humorous to consider that they would place the saftey of this country agaisnt terrorism with the U.N., which is their answer for all that ails the world. I sadly believe there will be a global war between the Islamofascists and the rest of the world, and the woeld better win.
As a conservative, I’m frustrated with this exercise in “nation building” in Iraq! Our military should be used to go in and kick the bad guys ass and then withdrawn when they have done their jobs. To keep them exposed to sniper attacks and this situation in Iraq with no defined “Victory” is NOT what our military is for! When do we win? Who defines victory and what does it look like? Does this EVER end? If the Iraqi people don’t want to fight these pricks why should we? I don’t want to lose either but am very weary of our brave troops being killed over there!
True dat, Frank,
Afgh. has gone pretty well, although there has been a sharp increase in combat activity since midsummer. That it is ignored while Iraq is trumpeted as some kind of failure is probably the single best indicator that the leftards couldn’t care less about the military.
ussjimmy,
I think that is part of the cloud of dust meant to distract us from the larger picture. “Nation Building” became the battle cry after WMDs became much less a real threat than believed (and I don’t buy that there were none; I wonder where the hell they went while the UN meandered around for months and months). Iraq, and Afhganistan have always been about building a presence that can both intimidate Iran and respond to Iran shoudl they act anyway. Antion building was a way to sell the war to the public, and I mean that in the least cynical way possible way. War is a tough sell, but that doesn’t automatically make it wrong.
PaleoMedic spoke well. (Frank J., excellent post. Thank you.)
The situation in Iraq is complicated indeed, but we cannot leave unless there is stability. By “stability” I mean a functioning government that can secure its own safety and internal tranquility. Whether this is through democracy or a strong government is irrelevant. Having said that, it cannot be denied that there will be no stability until the three major demographic groups (Arab Sunnis, Arab Shiites, and Kurdish Sunnis) can coexist. How and why is also irrelevant.
If we leave before there is stability, terrorist entities will continue to fester and grow among the Arab Sunnis, becoming the new headquarters of terrorists (much like pre-9/11 Afghanistan); Arab Shiites will function as a sattelite for an unreliable Iran; Kurds will resist all attempts by Arabs to exert control and influence (which they will as some of the primary oil sites are in the Kurdish region). Perhaps the only solution is a confederation – three separate regions that are basically autonomous – with some sort of common military, domestic defense forces, foreign policy, and financial infrastructure, and making sure none of the three regions leans on foreign powers (Syria for Arab Sunnis, Iran for Arab Shiites, Turkish Kurds for Kurdish Sunnis).
Although the situation is becoming a bit more complicated in Afghanistan, what with FATA in Pakistan and a resurgent Taliban in Afghanistan therefrom, the situation is much more complicated in Iraq.
The only thing we can do is be patient and preserve our will to persevere. If we give up, we might as well kill ourselves: our subjugation to foreign forces and influences would be a matter of time.
The primary difference between the Left and the Right is National Defense.
Lefties refuse to recognize that if our National Defense fails, it does not matter how many “feel good” programs you have in place, they are then defunct.
the Right recognizes that National Defense is the keystone of our government, and as such is absolutely necessary.
Frank says, To me, it’s the war in Iraq. If we end that war in any way that construed as a retreat, I don’t see how we can recover. Vietnam is already an albatross hanging on the neck of any military operation, but there were over 58,000 Americans dead before we pulled out of there. We give up in Iraq, and all our enemies know that bar is lowered (and will continue lowering) on how much we can be hurt before we give up, and that will only encourage them to hurt us all the more.
Wow. Great point Frank. We should wait until at least 58,001 Americans die in Iraq before we leave. That will show our enemies how clever we are.
PaleoPoo says, Too many people fell for that pathetic line of crap that Iraq was a distraction from the GWOT. It is a legitimate front in the war, like Afghanistan, and we have a great hammer and anvil scenario to smite Iran with, when it happens.
It was a distraction and we left too few forces in Afghanistan. That’s why Afghanistan is now going south and the terrorists have a multi-billion annual poppy harvest to finance their battles against us. And Iran is happy with the Iraq War. They love the new Shia president and he loves them and Hezbollah. They love the new Shia power that Bush has created for them in Iraq. Our occupation removed their enemy from power — the Sunnis. Don’t kid yourself that Iran is frightened of the new Iraq — it actually works to their advantage. It gives them power.
Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld have been some of the most incompetent f***heads at War the world has ever seen. They ignored the research that said there would be a civil war and went in anyway. Then they screwed up the post-war plan so bad that Iraq is now bordering on civil war and yet they refuse to make changes. Doing the same old thing and following Rumsfeld’s stupid strategies just keeps making things worse in Iran and Afghanistan. They must have opposition so hopefully they will fire Rumsfeld and make some other changes. Not “cut and run” but actually consider new options instead of the “stay the course” BS this administration arrogantly continues. We are probably stuck in Iraq for a while now because thanks to Bush’s stupid invasion of the country and botched war there is now a very strong Al Qaeda presence in that country.
You’re suggesting that the bar be raised then, Frank J? How high do you think the death toll needs to rise to in order… “to teach them we mean business”?
I assume by your strong convictions for the cause, and your blasé attitude towards American deaths, that you have already served your tour of duty in Iraq? If not, when will you be signing up?… Or are you happy to see the casualties rise, just so long as you’re not amongst them?
Vietnam was a catastrophe for America, why, in the name of God, do you think it a good idea to repeat the mistake?
to sarcasm man and arthur dent, gGrow up. As a vet who ate my share of middle east dust I speak as a vet and proud american. How many lives do you think it would cost us if we left? You don’t have to be a woman to speak on the evils of abortion, a doctor to speak on health care, why do you two morons feel you have to be a vet to support out military winning. Go sit in a corner with Jon Carry and keep your yaps shut until you get a grown up education. Go to http://www.ejectejecteject.com/archives/000136.html and read the entire post. Then come back and speak. Otherwise, have a nice hot cup of shut the hell up.
I’m glad the cut and run crowd is here. Their ilk lost the will to win in vietnam, yet communism was eventually contained. “Was that war executed properly?” is a legitimate subject for debate. What is not legitimate is a comparison between Iraq and Vietnam. The world has moved on, please try to keep up. If you’re saying America “can’t” win, don’t worry. You’re right to say that is being protected by better men than yourself. If your saying we shouldn’t win, your part of the problem.
Frank,
The most important issue facing Americans today is smiling. I note that cheese eating surrender monkeys don’t smile. Neither do genocidal maniac dictators about to hang or British people with bad teeth. By smiling we make the point that … well it’s pretty much ok to be us and it sucks to be you.
So all non-smiling people in America should plan to move to Canada, where smiling is regulated and the beer tastes like moose urine. (Not that I would know or anything, just going on what people said and stuff like that.)
allthatsright – If you, like me, have “ate your share of Middle East dust” (as you put it, in such heroic John Waynesque style) then perhaps you’ve witnessed the reality of your friends and allies being cruelly snatched from around you. Maybe you didn’t lose a brother though. You may also have been enlightened as to the reality of the situation and the true nature of the task in hand. You will have, undoubtedly, discussed whether it is an achievable objective to fashion democracy in Iraq. That being the case, I am sure your opinions are well considered and I respect your right to hold them, even though I can’t agree with them.
However, it does not deter me from asking the question why Frank J does not offer himself to defend a cause he feels so passionately for. He is a young, healthy man (or so his videos suggest)with a truly patriotic heart (or so his writings suggest), why is it wrong to ask what level of commitment he is willing to make in order to support such strongly held beliefs?
Arthur Dent,
I’m not in the military because you’re retarded. Yes, I know the question of the validity of fighting in Iraq rests entirely on whether I personally am in the military, but I just wasn’t able to join the military after I read your comment and saw what a ‘tard you are.
So the question you have to ask yourself is: “If Frank J. didn’t join the military because I’m a ‘tard, is the Iraq war right or wrong?”
It’s not an easy question.
Sarcasm Man, Other Guy, and subsequent numbnuts: people like Frank J. aren’t in the military because while those of us who are fight evil abroad, we need people to stand against the horde of cockbites back here. So, as I think he already pointed out — Frank J. isn’t in the military because of you. If it weren’t for people like you, he could join his brother in killing for’ners, but alas.
And no, we don’t stay or go based on casualties. We stay or go based on victory. If we fail in that it becomes a numbers game to our enemies and they figure they’ve only got to kill a few thousand before we retreat. Does the situation in Iraq suck? Yeah. Did it suck in WWI when thousand died in every battle over a few miles trench, or freezing in the forests in WWII to siege a small town? A fack of a lot worse. And the battlefield might be different and the enemies changed, but one fact remains the same: we’re fighting against evil. Fine, call it rhetoric, call them hollow words that fail to realize the simple truth on the ground, but if you don’t understand the fact of us fighting evil, then reality is lost on you.
…And that last post was me.
Sarcasm Man and Arthur Dent,
You are both deliberately ignoring my comment. Why is it that no Leftie will ever argue this point with me, and explain why I am wrong.
Could it be because I have written the simple Truth that no amount of Leftie Spin can refute? Are you unable to coherently discuss my point?
Keep feeding us the party line, but incapable of actual debate over what I see as the key issue?
Is it because your group only wants to select “chickenhawks” as you call them, because you would have to be a Veteran to honestly refute one? Perhaps if you cannot refute my argument, then it is time for you to enlist-if you actually have the testicles.
Writer, they’re gorilla warriors: they strike out of nowhere, get on whatever nerves they can and then flee at any showing of superior intellect/valid argument.
You guys crack me up, you really do.
Frank J – A predictably crass retort; why should I have expected anything less? I guess it’s too hard to admit that being an armchair pundit in the comfort of snugglybug land, shouting your mouth off about how your future safety justifies the deaths of thousands of good Americans, is far more preferable to actually enlisting and supporting them in the nation’s hour of need. Another commenter suggested that your brother has done just that? I suppose there can only be so much spine in one family, eh?
BTret – What a gem you are. Whilst other war supporters are condemning lefties for comparing the current situation to Vietnam, you have the infinite wisdom to compare it to World Wars I & II! Those wars had tangible enemies and achievable outcomes. This one does not. I agree that Islamic Fundamentalists are evil beyond contempt, and if I thought that staying in Iraq would eradicate them, I would fully support the action. However, it won’t. Our presence there is aggravating the problem and leading to more Islamics turning to fundamentalism every day. Whilst we’re tied up in a no-win situation in Iraq, Al-Qaeda training camps have moved from Afghanistan and are now fully operational in Somalia, busily producing the next generation of Jihadist terrorists and suicide bombers from and endless supply of new recruits. Our troops are going to find themselves far too thinly stretched to competently fight the War on Terror if we stay in Iraq too long and, therefore, I believe it’s time to regroup and reconsider before we throw too many more of our young men to the lions.
Writer – Sorry about ignoring your comment; I didn’t realize it was your blog. However, I tend to agree with you that national security is the cornerstone of a happy, healthy nation. I just don’t agree that the mindless spilling of blood in Iraq will produce that result. Sorry. Furthermore, why should I respond to someone who obviously doesn’t read other peoples contributions. I have served in Iraq and I watched my brother die there. That being the case, it’s difficult for me to refrain from being a little subjective in my opinions. That, I understand. However, I try hard to not let it cloud my judgement too much and my views on the situation are formed from a great deal of soul searching and, as far as possible, objective consideration.
Bye the way – I’m not a Liberal.