(Sen.) Stabenow fears Iraq will become another Vietnam

[Barrett808]

U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow said Monday that the latest bloody attacks in Iraq raise new concerns that the U.S. military presence there could become a quagmire reminiscent of the Vietnam war.

"The last thing we need is for this to turn into another Vietnam. We have got to make sure that there is a responsible plan ... an exit strategy," said the Lansing Democrat. "Those of us who lived through Vietnam have great concerns about foreign policies that don't have specific goals or targets."

The senator voted against the war resolution passed by Congress last year and she also opposed the $87 billion allocation for post-war reconstruction, urging $5 billion be diverted for domestic spending on health care and education.

Stabenow's Vietnam comparisons came hours after a series of coordinated bombings rocked Baghdad, killing about 40 people and injuring more than 200 at the Red Cross headquarters and at three police stations. Eight Iraqi police officers were killed and more than 60 were among the injured.

(more)

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=10420460&BRD=988&PAG=461&dept_id=141265&rfi=6

[joeybee12]

1. Glad to hear she voted against the resolution last year

[Cha]

4. Yes, Debbie was one of the smart ones who voted

against the Iraqi War Resolution!

[dreissig]

2. Non-Western Societies

Iraq and Vietnam are both non-Western societies and neither is overly impressed by American notions of decisive victory. Nixon's search for the North Vietnamese "breaking point" led him to a massive bombardment of civilians in populated areas. Bush seems to have the same idea that at some point the Iraqis will have taken enough punishment and they will become docile. This didn't happen in Vietnam; it is not happening in Iraq.

There's something essentially incorrect about the way we view non-Western societies. It's obvious that we don't understand them as well as we thought we did. When we couldn't pound the Vietnamese into submission, it should have occurred to us that the same strategy might not work with the Iraqis, either.

The policy in Vietnam wasn't "aimless" - it was simply a failure. Nixon even considered atomic warfare, but the Vietnamese weren't intimidated. He gave up the idea when he realized that even a nuclear attack wouldn't make those people surrender.

[tokenlib]

3. Whoa! I thought Levin and Stabenow voted FOR the 87 billion..

They were not on the list of those who voted against it that I saw.
If I had time--I'd go check the rollcall on the vote to make sure--but I've got to run.

[dbt]

5. "Will become?"

Oh, it already is. It's only a question of how long we stay this time.

:freak:
dbt