Continued US Presence in Iraq

we need to stay in iraq because we need the oil because we have very high oil prices right now and the lives we lose are worth it because we have accomplished so much

Why don't we just set up an Olive Garden and Toys R' Us over there while were at it.

Ask anyone in the Bush administration why they're still in Iraq after there were no WMD's, and they'll bumble around for an hour trying to formulate a thought. Europe hates and, and as for Blair, bah...

UPDATED 09/28/2007:  We all want this brave allied force to return back to their families and normality return, but the fact is whether we like it or not this could take some time which is not good but invertible. What we should do is keep the dream alive for the brave men and women out there: That being support for them, a genuine gratitude for their service and lastly peace in that region!!!!Whether you like it or not, it would be criminal to just up and leave!! Just ask anyone that has served for his or her country over there!!! It would be just superb if it could happen but lets get back to reality!!! The Allied forces started a ball rolling and the only way to stop it is to follow it through to the end!!! Unless you have been in and around the Arab states you will never understand the way things are done over there!! When you look at the Middle East there is only one thing that is stable there, which of course is the oil industry!!! The people have a completely different outlook t... Read more

We will leave Iraq soon enough, after we win, don't let the Democrats give you fear and lie to your face, we are doing better in Iraq than we where a year ago.

Why should we begin an immediate phased withdrawal from Iraq? Thomas L. Friedman, a NY Times columnist and author of the best-selling nonfiction book The World Is Flat, stated in his 9/13/07 column (read the full column here): "We simply can't go on betting so many American soldiers and resources that Iraqis will one day learn to live together on their own - without either having to be bludgeoned by Saddam or baby-sat by us.So either we get help or get out. That is, if President Bush believes staying in Iraq can still make a difference, then he needs to muster some allies because the American people are not going to sustain alone - nor should they - a long-shot bet that something decent can still be built in Baghdad.If the president can't get help, then he has to initiate a phased withdrawal: now. Because the opportunity cost this war is exacting on our country and its ability to focus on anything else is out of all proportion to what might still be achieved in Iraq by our staying,... Read more

This is definitely a very important issue, and there needs to be a fast resolution before we lose any more lives.  Defending the U.S.  is fine, but as I have said before, we are in the wrong country.  I hear people say all the time that Iraq attacked us first.  Iraq had nothing to do with the attacks on 9-11.  It was Bin Laden and his crew. And by the way, that's in Afghanistan, for those who don't know.

This shall be the growing political issue until we admit our mistake and pull out. In good old Roman fashion, we should decimate the genius types who got us into this in the first place.

We should get out of Iraq and I know its a bad idea but staying there is a worse idea we are doing nothing there except making people angrier and angrier. There is no end to there soldiers. The middle east hates us so much that new enemys join to fight the U.S. every day.

I am proud to say that I am one of the few who distrusted Bushco when we declared war on Iraq in 2003. Put it this way, wasn't it suspicious when all of a sudden--within the space of 3-4 months--that Chimpy and his gang decided they were going to put his old friend Osama on the backburner and go after Saddam? Wasn't it suspicious when Rumsfeld more or less dismissed Powell and Shinseki for contending that there should be more troops?  Wasn't there was something just a tad odd that they wouldn't accept the recommendations for more troops in order to counter the supposed indeterminate numbers of "weapons of mass destruction"? Fast forward to 2004. Didn't it appear suspicious that Bushco and his spin machine refused to acknowledge all of those who died in the war? And refused to acknowledge that the armies were substantially underequipped?  And they called this "supporting the troops."  My political smoke detector was on. Was yours? (Rhetorical question: the vast majority of Americans had... Read more

While there is some objectivity to the review by somolicat, we once again see the double standard exuded by the oh-so "tolerent" left. I have little use for Bush and I have stated before that Iraq is one of the biggest tangles of poor planning and miscalculation is US foreign policy history. But..."Bushco"? "Chimpy"? His "gang"? "Third George always an idiot..." On it goes, because name calling and slander are okay- so long as they are against Bush/ Republicans or coming from the left. To the point, we are where we are now, regardless of who may or may not like it. Pulling up stakes and coming home tomorrow would be far more disastrous than the messes we have already encountered. Hatred for George Bush is not an answer to a foreign policy challenge.

I can't believe some of the stuff I've read on this thread! "Much of the Middle East will not westernize until we force it upon them." Huh? Hey, why doesn't the United States easternize? "We don't go in, overthrow the government and then leave the country in utter confusion. We usually don't try to screw people over like that and I personally agree with this theory. But hey, that's just good ole compassionate me." Thank God you are compassionate. I'd hate to see you mean spirited side. But what about not overthrowing governments in the first place?

It's good for the future of Irak.Look at Japan , Germany or South Korea.The US military presence is positive for Irak.It will be the first Muslim-Arabic country who will become modern and democratic .

We need to get out of there and admit that we failed miserably. We should never have gone over there in the first place. UPDATE: Didn't Bush as much admitted that he had lied or was mistaken about Iraq having nuclear weapons? His excuse was "Oh, well, Saddam Hussein was a bad guy, anyway". It's wise to be aware of possible threats, but it's stupid and reckless to run in and tear up a country when no tangible threat exists. I don't think a pre-emptive policy towards Iraq justifies the deaths of hundreds of young people fighting over there.

Never should have gone to war. This is Bushes invasion of another contry to conquer it for money. Bush has destablized whatever peace was left in the world. He's pushed the button. For those of you who say you can't be against the war and support the troops, apparently YOU can't do that. The rest of us can.

I've about freaking had it with Iraq. It's clear that the politicians who got us into this mess either aren't willing or capable to do what needs to be done to win the damn thing so lets stop wasting our time, money and most importantly, blood. It's about time the Iraqi people start taking advantage of the opportunity we've given them. If they don't recognize it as an opportunity then ef em. If they only recognize thier new-found freedom as an opportunity to attack us, and then each other in turn, then they don't deserve said freedom. People get the government they deserve. Since about this time two years ago I began to realize that the Iraqi's deserved Saddam Hussein. I say we leave. My motivation is based on the reality that we can't change human nature overnight. That said, if there's anything I despise more than an ignorant, lying, hypocritical politican who claims to care about the soldiers who's lives he squanders and takes for granted, it's an ignorant, lying, hypocrite... Read more

Pro or con, this is obviously a huge issue. The Iraqi's getting close to having a Constitution is the first real step toward Iraq taking complete control and the U.S. beginning to pull out. Anybody that thinks this is all taking to long needs to look back at American history and see the problems the United States had in winning total indepedence. It was seven years from the time the U.S. declared independence and the time the Constitution was accepted. Another six years, and we had a president.

I can't believe this isn't #1. Our soldiers are dying.........of course this is the most important issue. And should be until soldiers stop dying.....Period. I wonder what those brave men and women would think about being ranked #10 or whatever it is? If I was them, and had some internet time, I'd see this and think, You mean Bush is getting my buddies killed for #10?

Very important. We need to be there. Much of the Middle East will not westernize until we force it upon them. We should iron out the wrinkles in Afghanistan and Iraq and then go to work on our friends headquartered in Tehran.

Update 07-25-05**After reading over this rant I wanted to revise it a little. The US (administration) isnt just there for oil. There is also enormous money to be made in overpriced contracts to feed people, rebuild all the buildings that were blown up and make the country more up-to-date. Forget the fact that over 22,000 civilians, 1782 US troops (and counting) and 250plus contractors are dead. Not to mention the wounded: Officially 13,438 and climbing, but, estimated at up to 42,000! So, is it important to GET OUT OF IRAQ, damn right it is.**** Ive never read such utter nonsense!! What planet are you people living on?? The US is NOT in Iraq to help a god**mn person, save the US way of life. Only uninformed, totally blind people can think that the US is there to help those poor people. The US is there to set up shop and start governing the distribution of oil, PERIOD. The Middle East: Saudi Arabia (262 billion barrels), Iraq (114), Kuwait (98), Iran (95), and United Arab Emirates (80) ... Read more

Again, this is something that we don't need any more. Get out, stop getting Americans kllled. Iraq had NOTHING to do with 9/11, and they weren't the center for terrorism UNTIL we invaded.

Why must we feel the need to inflict our belief system on the world. I am a proud American. I live here instead of Iran, Italy, New Zealand or Paraguay because I believe in democracy. But I don't think we need to push it into countries that simply don't want anything to do with it. This has got Vietnam all over it. There is no proof of WMDs. We still can't find Bin Laden. Meanwhile our troops are getting killed. The number is nearly 1700. And for what? People who are gung-ho to get over there and kick their a-- have seen Rambo too many times. And the draft will be reinstated. That will be this admin's downfall.

We will stay until the job is done. That is what the United States does. We don't go in, overthrow the government and then leave the country in utter confusion. We usually don't try to screw people over like that and I personally agree with this theory. But hey, that's just good ole compassionate me. We need to stay until a security force and a stable government are in place and then slowly, United States forces can withdraw. I certainly wish to withdraw and leave the Iraqis alone as soon as possible, don't get me wrong. I just don't really believe in screwing people over. It's just not very nice.

Had enough or are you thirsty for more? The last time a U.S. military occupation (of this magnitude) ended well was Japan. . .which was the only time it really ended well. To you Bushies that elected him again - do you really believe that this will end well and we won't be there for years? Do you also believe that the rest of the Middle East is going to roll over and beg us to give them Democracy? We will either live in a tolerant fashion accepting other ways of life or the world will eventually remind us (one way or the other) that the U.S. isn't the only nation or culture on the planet.

There is going to be no way to get out with a good world opinion and we are on our own. It was a mistake similar to an illigitimate child, but now we must come together and raise Iraq up from the situation we have caused. I find it good to do the right thing and I do not know if we can pay for the pain we have caused the world.

Its of major importance! What America has here is a huge opportunity to change the middle east, for the better. If the Iraqis can fend off the terrorists and regain social stability, then word of democracies triumph will foster revolution in to east and west of Iraq, Syria and Iran in particular, and will eventually will woo our Jordanian and Saudi allies into moderating their governments at least. The antiwar never mentions the positive things going on in Iraq, and selectively chooses negative stories to create the impression that all the Iraqis hate us (some do, but hardly a majority) and Americas forces are powerless. No they are not. Talk to your nearest Iraq war veteran.

i suppose this is important to some. but not me. they can stay there forever. i dont care. would be 100,000 less high school dropout date rapists in America

Especially since our Corporations are running rampant there.I doubt Iraqis are pleased at being forced to buy our genetically engineered seeds that do not reproduce so they have to buy them over and over for every crop! How about the unemployed Iraqi construction workers watching others rebuild their country (which WE bombed-supposedly for their good) while their children go hungry and without medical care? Our Troops,we were told long ago- would be welcomed with flowers and only there for a month or two...Now they are over-extended,ill-equipped and tired.They went there with good intentions,but they and the Iraqis have been exploited for the benefit of greedy CEOs-who don't CARE how long we're there as long as they can pile up profits while innocent people die in droves.

I have a son who is currently serving in the military. I wish that the troops could come home today. Unfortunately it's not that easy. I'm for training Iraq to support and defend themselves, but that takes time. The media doesn't tell the whole story when it comes to how the military are treated by the people of Iraq. For the most part they want us there to help them. I hope the troops can come home soon; I appreciate what they are doing there and feel that by being there we are safer here.

Get out

We are in Iraq and we are in for the long haul. If we leave now we may very well hae to go back. The problem is how do you get out and the answer is you don't. There will need to be a force in Iraq for many years to come, there is no longer any need for American bases in Europe, some bases should be moved to Iraq on a permanent basis. Training a new army and developing a democracy is not going to happen over night.

Numbah is right - this has got to be sorted out now that we're in the country. It also has to be shown that we went in there for the real benefit of Iraqis. Just to remind EO again: Iraq was not a home for the terrorists before invasion - it is now though! Why wasn't pressure put on the other suspects in the 'war against terrorism' Syria and Iran in the first instance?...Iraq was not the target we needed to go for. The other two countries may indeed now be supplying 'fighters' over the Iraqi border, Of course, we have to premeditate a course of action, but pre-emptive attack is definitely not it. Invading either country is not recommended or you WILL have long term unrest and a poss WW3 scenario to look forward to. Honestly, I've never heard such dangerous thinking nor of a man so scared of his own shadow. I understand why he feels the battle should be 'there' and not in the US, but they probably feel the same way. This sort of behaviour is what engenders hatreds that last forever. Y... Read more

No doubt we shouldn't have been there to begin with, but there is no choice but to make the best of it now that we are there. If we leave, the kind of civil war and chaos that would break out would be even more nightmarish than the present situation.

Iraq becomes the next pissed off ,abandoned country with total anarchy, human rights abuses, and a really big axe to grind it we don't do our job here. GOOD CALL: Yes, taking the fight to them also keeps them away from soft targets.

Politics aside for a second, we have to see this thing through. If we abandon Iraq, the whole region could implode and things could be worse off then when Saddam was there. Unfortunately, the way things stand today, I can't see elections going through in December, and if they do, they certainly won't be legit. With large portions of the country too unstable to conduct elections, and the threat of death hanging over every single potential voter, an election at the present time has no chance of being perceived as legitimate. Things have to be defused first somehow. How to defuse the situation? I have no idea. I think that a) we need to stay on indefinitely training security forces, providing security ourselves, providing equipment, etc. b) i think we need to change the perception that this is an American initiative. We need to involve Arab nations in the process. We need to involve more European nations and forces. We need to change the perception that this is America imposing... Read more

UPDATE: Daccory, it might not be possible to show that we went in for the real benefit of the Iraqis, since we didn't. The importance of this issue is conducting destructive military operations against terrorists in Iraq instead of in San Francisco or Miami (or New York, again). ORIGINAL COMMENT (7/25/04): Americans should try to keep in mind what is at stake in Iraq today. Tikrit and Baghdad have become the equivalent of Little Big Horn for the terrorists in their minds. There was a huge influx of terrorists into Iraq during and just after the combat operation, and they thought that they could break the will, not of the Iraqi people, but of the American people. Their example was the American pullout from Vietnam. The primary difference is the memory of the September 11 attack/tragedy. In Vietnam, the threat of creeping Communist domination was over-ridden by the argument that this country (Vietnam) isn't fighting for itself, so why fight for them in a self-perpetuating strugg... Read more

Only thing that may pass Iraq in the minds of some voters is the sad state of the US economy. Both situations are bad and evil thanks to Dubya, for lying his ass off to get us into the war, then not having a plan to get out of it once we were neck-deep, and finally for ignoring trouble at home in his blind warmongering abroad. How many jobs have leached overseas, and how many more have been stolen by illegals locally? While getting a tax break has helped my budget somewhat, the vast majority of tax relief went to Big Business and fat cats. Now we have huge deficits, big job losses, an open fence on both borders for terrorists, illegal immigrants, and drug smugglers, over 1000 dead in Iraq with no end in sight, lies and fiction about it all being spread by Dubya's cronies, and the rich getting richer with war profits, oil profits, and unfair tax breaks and other political spoils.

What good does it do for anyone to whine and say we never should hve been there in the first place?. It seems to me that the liberal/left just loves to bitch and waste time. I would like to know if any of them have any useful ideas on what to do now. It so easy to say you shouldnt have.....whatever! The strong ones amongst us will deal with the situation and pray for quick resolve. Im a veteren and I am so glad I am not having to fight while these people curse there efforts by all there dissent. It makes me sad. The fact the the WMD were not found is there only really viable stance and they have flat worn it out. I believe we need to quit riding the fence and get the support we need from those in Nato who will stand with us and go more on the offensive. If we did learn something from Viet nam it is the fact that you should not fight a war in any way but to go in and win. If I had it my way I would do away with the politicians and let the Generals do what they needed to to do ... Read more

Seems that a myth needs to be dispelled. France, Germany, Russia and Kofi Annan veimently opposed the U.S. restarting a war with Iraq. It has been exposed that at least France and Russia were making big dollars from Saddam and so was the U.N.in the oil for food program. This is a complete outrage but I don't hear the liberal voices shouting about it. This important point always seems to glossed over. Regardless of whether Saddam has WMD in country is irrelevant. Given enough time he would have gotten them and they would have found their way to Isreal or here. This doesn't excuse the fact that the Bush administration went to war on false pretenses. However, make no mistake about it, it was high time to take action towards Iraq who was bribing the U.N. The muslims in the Middle East hate us. They teach their children to hate us. There are muslims acting as suicide bombers across the world. How bad do things have to get before you admit that there is a problem and do something about it? B... Read more

Internationally one of the biggest political issues of the decade (perhaps the early 21st century). Defeating Saddam was never in doubt. However, what was far more important was how are you going to deal with the political vacuum this would cause. The best comparison I can think of is the former Yugoslavia. Located in Central Europe, Yugoslavia came into being after the collapse of the Hapsburg Empire after the first world war. Just like Iraq was formed form the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. After the Second World War Yugoslavia came under the control of communist dictator Marshall Tito. Religiously and ethnically Yugoslavia was a patchwork of peoples and beliefs. Under Tito, nationalistic movements were suppressed. After Tito's death in the 1980s these racial and religious differences remained simmering under the surface until they erupted 10 years later resulting in civil war and what is now referred to as 'ethnic cleansing'. Under Saddam Iraq's cultural and racial differences we... Read more

It really is interesting what the news doesn't show about Operation Iraqi Freedom (f.k.a. Operation Infinite Justice!). Considerable progress has been made with the healthcare systems in Iraq, the education systems and more. Soldiers speak of traveling to the market and eating in Iraq daily. They also talk about being greeted and welcomed and even cheered on by the now-free Iraqi citizens. However, all the elite media can cover is the latest attack by a ragtag group of uncreative terrorists. We have liberated a nation ruled by a maniacial dictator who was equally evil as Adolph Hitler and Fidel Castro. The Iraqis have embraced democracy and we must now show them the right way to do it!

Only those unfamiliar with the horrors of war would be so quick to start one. FOOLS rush in where angels fear to tread. Bush and Cheney did all they could to duck Vietnam, now they so willingly send our youth to their demise. I'm not saying Saddam was not evil, but there is evil all over the world. Some of our allies (Saudi) have some of the same processess (Theocracy, cutting of heads & limbs as punishment) that the govt. uses as agruements for the war. Couldn't that money have been better spent at home? NOW, we ask for the U.N.'s help after arrogantly going to war w/o approval. They'll help...hang bush out to dry... Bush is an idiot!

To see this endeavor through to victory means that the Iraqi people are free, including women, and a peaceful democracy is instituted. 10 years from now this will be true. Some # of troops should remain because we brilliantly vacated Saudi Arabia and now we still must offer protection and stabilization to the Mid East. The Islamic states only feel threatened because of their reflexive hatred of Jews and the feel the US has prevented the destruction of them. We will be there until the Islamists change and understand what tolerance, freedom and democracy is all about.

Due to the Bush Administration's greed, the U. S. is now stuck in a hole it can't get out of.

No one but the U.S.A. has the will, power, and ability to nation build; so, let's go do it!

At its current state, the Iraqi government cannot function on its own. There is still the trouble of radicals who still blindly believe in the doctorates of the Saddam regieme. They are not the only constant threat to the peaceful citizens that exist there though. Several middle eastern countries and religious fanatic groups would love nothing more then to take over Iraq and impose...ahem....force they form of government and lifestyle. Iraq does not have to means to defend themselves against these threats. They have not even officially formed a new government yet. They're right for the picking for anyone who would mean true ill will against them. Very few countries besides the U.S. have shown that they are willing to defend and keep the peace in Iraq. If the U.S. goes, Iraq and the strike will be a lost cause.

We got him! Well it required 9 months, nearly 500 dead Americans, 4,000 US men and women maimed for life and 150 billion (and counting) to find an old man hiding in a hole. Gee I feel much safer. No WMD, no 911 connection, no bid contracts galore, Taliban back in Afganistan....so tell me again...what are we so happy about?

Guess what evervbody! We've got Saddam! And all the anti war losers thought we couldn't pullit off, but we did. Now I think we aught to start listening to the president. We stayed in Iraq for a good reason, and if W says that we still need to be there then lets trust him. He hasn't lied to us yet.

?Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. The world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children.... This is not a way of life at all, in any true sense. Under the cloud of threatening war, it is humanity hanging from an iron cross. - President Eisenhower

A 16-page memo has established the pre-911 links between Hussein's Fascist regime and the Al-Queda terrorists beyond a reasonable doubt. We need to stay there - get Saddam, and stabilize Iraq and thereby the Middle East. It's THE RIGHT THING TO DO!!!! God Bless George W. Bush - the first president since Reagan with enough integrity, character and unwavering vision of principled leadership to address the MESS that the Democrats have the left the world in!!! Pray for our Troops!!