Why are we still in Iraq....

[LeftHander]

?

[havocmom]

1. Because the huge coporations who own the government make $$ from it

[Joanne98]

2. oil

[gulfcoastliberal]

9. +1... yeap... K&R nt

[amborin]

3. aren't we building (or have already built) a huge, $$$$ embassy and many, many bases?

[LeftHander]

4. yes "temporary" concrete and steel bases....nt

[Igel]

14. Let's play semantic games.

US forces in some places in Iraq were kept in tents and the command and control points were in trailers for a while, but they were unworkable. It was a minor PR nightmare, it was dangerous for all concerned, as well as uncomfortable.

So they put up permanent structures and installed infrastructure.

The first kind of base--as a physical installation--was temporary and the latter permanent.

But while a base can be the physical plant, a base can also be the place where US forces and equipment are stationed.

So there's nothing keeping the temporary kind of physical plant from hosting a permanent US base and for the permanent kind of facility from being a temporary US base. After all, we had temporary US bases in Iraq but the US soldiers remained--even after the temporary base was gone.

The US Naval station at Subic Bay was very much a permanent base. It was heavily built up in the '60s and '70s and '80s. After Pinatubo blew, much was rebuilt. Lots of steel and concrete. Then in '92 we picked up and left. The very permanent base was rather impermanent.

[gimama]

5. halliburton, caci, xe, bechtel, boeing, ge, gen.dynamics..

etc..& the politicians their blood-money bought & paid for.

:(
PEACE,NOW!

[Hell Hath No Fury]

6. We didn't build all those military bases there --

for nuthin', ya know??

Oil, strategic military bases, same ol' same ol'. Anyone who thinks we will ever TRULY be fully out of Iraq is a damned fool.

[pocoloco]

7. Is it forever yet??

[onehandle]

8. Why are we still in Germany?

Not that it's right, but we will be in Iraq for decades.

[Taitertots]

10. How long ago did we become invited as opposed to occupiers?

I get the feeling that Germans were happy as long as we protected them from the Russians.

We are invited guests in Germany and occupiers in Iraq.

[jgraz]

11. For the same reason we don't have a Public Option and the same reason we have no banking reform

Because that's what our President wants.

[The2ndWheel]

12. Because nobody stopped the US Government from going there

The US Government was going to be somewhere. There isn't a decade where it hasn't been. The US Government will do its best to be somewhere after Iraq, Afghanistan, and anywhere else, as well. That's just what expanding centers of power have done throughout history, do currently, and will be doing in the future.

[Broke In Jersey]

13. because there's not enough backbone in D.C. n/t

[branders seine]

15. I can think of $633 billion rea$on$

[ThomWV]

16. Because within a year of us leaving it will be as if we were never there