Bush has opted for the obvious

[JackSwift]

badly executed and with side trips to places that contain only oil and old pre-terrorist scores to settle.

Bush promised a good economy to justify multiple tax cuts, and Bin Ladin's head on a pike. He also promised Hussein's head on a pike, not that Hussein did anything approaching making war on us. We have an economy in the shitter that will remain in the shitter because we are in an open ended war on terror that cannot be wrapped up because its "end" will be a disaster for Bush's popularity. We are in a war against terror where we have seen fit to insult our strongest allies to the point that they feel that humiliating Bush is more important than rounding up terrorists. We are stuck in the daily 120 degree heat of Iraq fighting a war under pretenses that at best turned out not to be true, and our fig leaf of installing democracy is now viewed by the natives that never lined the streets cheering our arrival as a collaborationist gambit to steal their oil at best, or worst to give it to their supposed enemy Israel.

To parody Rumsfeld: "Is this working out for us? Hell no. Will we keep it up? Gracious, yes. Why? We're not at liberty to tell you that."

I'm tired of the apparently useless deaths of American soldiers being described as being at "acceptable levels." There is no good reason for being in Iraq, and any losses, whether in battle, accident, self-inflicted, etc. or any of the $4 billion expense per month is not acceptable. Why should we pay $50 billion a year (minimum, probably three times that) so that Halliburton can make a billion a month? Can't we just bring the boys home and simply give Halliburton the money outright? Or are we already doing that too?

[DagmarK]

1. I don't know the answers to your questions.......

We can't just abandon Iraq; and we can't go forward on the nutty path we are on.

The USA will not allow the UN or any other country ('cept our puppets) to assist. The ONLY thing that would work is to have an international peace-keeping force in Iraq. and the Oil Barons aren't going to let it happen come hell or high water. (they have opted for HELL, I believe).

The MINUTE the Bush Junta is out of office.......the MINUTE they are gone.....the international community will come to us and we will go to them, and if there is anything to salvage, the international coalition will move right in and try.

I can easily imagine right now the USA being able to say, "okay, we screwed up here Iraq.....an international coalition of REAL humanitarians are moving in over the next month......and the guerrilla war would be OVER! Iraq really would be liberated and the people there would absolutely feel that had been liberated. But Bush isn't going to let that happen.

Frankly, the UN should pass a resolution to kick the USA aggressor occupiers OUT, impose sanctions on the USA, and get a coalition of humanitarians together to move in there to actually HELP the Iraqis secure a safe democracy. A lot of foreigns nations are bitching about the USA right now.......but damn them for not having the cajones to get the UN votes to make this happen.

I think the international community is just letting Bush bite the dust. Just as well.....but the price is too high for the Iraqis in the interim. Otherwise, the international community would be BEGGING to help put an end to the quagmire.

[DagmarK]

2. Your Rummy parody is brilliantly poignant.......

"To parody Rumsfeld: "Is this working out for us? Hell no. Will we keep it up? Gracious, yes. Why? We're not at liberty to tell you that.""

This is the most perfect and defining little description of the ENTIRE Junta's policy for everything.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

3. There is no acceptable levels

of deaths. The entire war is obscene.