Conservatives changing the narrative: Iraq war was a Disaster

Do you know what would have happened to US troops in order to keep them in Iraq?

 

I do not.

 

Stayed in when Iraq wanted us out? ISIS was going to grow regardless of what was happening. The American people grew tired of the war - which is why nation building doesn't work. It didn't work in Vietnam, it hasn't worked anywhere. And certainly wasn't going to work in Iraq when you have a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran going on. The CIA said - don't fight a war in Iraq, it will become a civil war - and that's exactly what happened. Why we don't listen to our own intel is ridiculous.

This idea that if we kept sacrificing our most precious resource - our bravest youngest men and women in that country that somehow the outcome would be different? No. 10 years and it was this - another 10 years and they would still be even more sophisticated attacks - they knew that eventually we would leave and against a religiously motivated enemy - war will never work.

There is no crushing terrorism because terrorism isn't a force, it is a mindset that stems from radicalism thought as a religion by radical mullahs. You can't win with swords and guns. You can't win with pens. You have to find a new way to stem this.

Biggest mistake we made was invading Iraq - as predicted by our own intelligence assessment - it would destabilize the entire region and that is exactly what happened.

 

From what I recall, US troops had immunity from prosecution in Iraqi courts so basically they could get away with all kinds of nonsense. Iraq would not continue that arrangement so Obama removed the troops per the agreement Bush had made with Iraq. This sovereignty argument is a frequent conservative talking point and Obama would have been crucified by basically everyone at the first sight of some Marine on trial in Iraq. It's the part of the hindsight on Iraq that people saying we should have stayed never include in their opinion.

 

I agree with you.

It was a bad idea. The intentions were in the right place, but you make a great point about it being a mindset.

 

I think a growing sentiment in the Conservative party is that we shouldn't have gone in.

I can't completely fault Bush for attacking them after 9/11.

We wanted blood.

 

A good lesson for us as a country. Think long and hard before you go running into war.

 

Troops have immunity from kangaroo courts of other countries per SOFAs but not from the US military. They can be and are punished. The US has no stomach for war, troop deaths or hostages. This is why Obama loves drones. No threat of losing lives of military.

 

But Iraq had nothing to do with 9-11.

 

We should be using our air advantage more so.

I remember the Bush days when you would see Cruise missile after missile flying off in to the sunset. It was a thing of beauty.

 

I believe you or someone else brought up Vietnam.

A good reminder.

 

Yes a thing of beauty, just like the many many innocent deaths these misseles caused.

Many Americans really do not understand the horror these wars are for the innocent people living in those countries. All they do is whine about the american soldiers (who ,unlike the civillians, signed up for this). Yes it is sad these soldiers died, but to me it is much worse that innovent civillians died.

 

I was draft eligible, lottery picked, and called for a physical at the time I was engaged; almost the last person drafted in America. I would be Canadian right now if I hadn't had an asthma attack and spent a few days at the University Clinic. I was gung-ho military as a teen and would have gone in to fly but I had an astigmatism, but I was not going to be cannon fodder in the waste of Vietnam.

Imagine how much more the anti-war sentiment would ratchet up if young people were being sent to war zones against their will.

 

But of course, as Henry Kissinger said of the Chilean people when the US helped overthrow Allende:

"It is too important to let those people decide what to do there."

Met an Iraqi cab driver a couple of months ago. Very hard for Iraqis to get in. He told me that he had been an interpreter for the US Army for awhile.

He dislikes America and saw lot of corruption with American officials and military there. Said his life was in danger after doing that so he had to flee. Said most Iraqis hate America for the hundreds of thousands of deaths and the complete destruction of their country that we caused.

 

No only Iraq, but Trump supporter attacks Fox Host on the air for having big boobs. Enjoy

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Logic, reason, and evidence have nothing to do with it. Saddam may have had something to do with the WTC bombing but that is also based on weak evidence.

 

Well she does have big boobs and they were pointed straight at Omarosa so she was defending herself, clearly.

 

Should have shot her. Stand your ground.

 

I'd have shot something....

 

For those still saying that the US should've stayed in Iraq consider that recently the Iraqi army has been pushing back DAESH and has won some crucial victories in Ramadi and Fallujah. All with minimal US help through air strikes and limited amount of special forces. LEaving aside that Iraq didn't want us to stay if the US forces had stayed in large amounts the Iraqi army would've always been dependent on the US. It would've given more coverage for them to engage in sectarian squabbles and power plays without becoming a capable force to defend their own country. Instead having to deal with the threat of DAESH without the crutch of US ground forces the army has been reformed to a functioning fighting force that is taking back their country.