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Originally Posted by highsider  One thing I've never understood about you Doc - its guys like you that I worried about getting killed over there. Call me a pansy, but I dont like people dying. I just dont think we ever had a good reason to bust into Iraq, all by ourselves, and lose our soldiers for that crappy country and its shithead leader. I think the Iraqis will greatly benefit from our actions, but that goal could have been achieved with a lot less blood if our leaders had acted differently. I know you're in the military, and ready to do whatever is necessary, but I hate hearing about guys getting whacked by fuckhead insurgents in a war that was started on such shaky, and clearly erroenous, evidence. And I'd like to see our Commander in Chief finally brought to task for that error in judgment. |
I am going to try to answer this. Maybe the next time I see you we should chat. Then again I like to think that I am a different person in real life (I don't usually talk politics)
I, unlike you, think we did have a good reason to go to Iraq, maybe I am brainwashed (I like to think I make my own decisions), maybe I see things a little differently. Maybe soldiers are made to believe that our cause is just and good. Maybe some people are a little more in tune with our military way of thinking. I know that the soldiers I talk to don't understand how the American public doesn't see it the way we do.
I can remember back to Libya and Kadafi and knowing the US was going to do something to stabalize the region.
I remember a change in how we trained in the early 90's from the Soviet type doctrine to urban warfare.
I am familiar with the saying keep your friends close and your enemies closer.
I remember being asked on 9/11 "Who could have done this?" and answering "Osama Bin Laden" (Honestly I didn't know Al Quida) and the people saying "Who?".
I am not some new coming of Nostradamus. I just have a different view of the world and the region than some of my friends. That is what I try to bring to our discussions.
I see that our government isn't perfect. (I see it every election). I see that Bush (my Commander in Chief by the way) is not the brightest bulb in the box. I see that money makes the world go around, that the middle east has been a hotbed for thosands of years and it will continue to be for quite some time. I see Iraq in a civil war. I see that the Iraqis are sorry that Americans have to die but they don't want us to leave (yet). I see the good we are doing and need to continue doing there. I see how we need to better handle our international policies. I also see how you can't tell all the people all the truth all the time.
I see the need for a planned withdrawl but I also don't see the need to broadcast it to the world. I see the need for our continued presence in the region.
I am ranting...
Let's say we pull out (be it orderly or just drop everything and leave). What next? What will happen in the region? What about the price of oil then? Who is gonna swoop in and pick up the pieces we left behind? Iran? Pakistan? Kuwait?
Oh and on the 1st gulf war topic... I don't see people saying we shouldn't have went in there. Kuwait and the UAE ASKED us to help we got approval from the people and went over and bitch slapped Saddam. Then we were told "Hold up, we don't need to invade Iraq just yet"
I don't see people saying we shouldn't have helped Europe in the 40's.
I am going to end my rant... hopefully you can gain new insight on MY way of thinking.