Conservatives changing the narrative: Iraq war was a Disaster

It didn't have to be a mistake, but it was made into a mistake by the foolish decision to cut bait and run prematurely. That decision was made by Bush and Obama campaigned on the idea and took credit for it so feel free to place blame on whoever you want, but it was that decision that made it into a disaster.

 

I disagree. I think it will help him. The narrative seems to be that this will hurt him, but it was a very calculated move.

The iraq war was a terrible mistake, its just tabboo for a republican to admit that it was, the voters however are different.

 

Trump is making a smart move in speaking a truth the establishment GOP doesn't want their base to understand. It puts every other candidate on their heels and having to choose whether or not to toe the party line.

As someone stated above, Trump's opinion on the Iraq war probably doesn't override his xenophobic and racist appeal.

 

You must be referring to Trump. He seems to have made the goal of his campaign to vicariously crucify George W to the cross through his brother Jeb. It's brilliant, because Republicans who repeated the propaganda in 2012 are still towing the line. He is showing moderate conservatives that the Republican Party is still the party of stupid.

 

It's like a pincer maneuver. While showing what is dumb on one flank, he out-dumbs the dumbest on the other flank. There is nowhere to run for his opponents.

 

Donald Trump is the embodiment of what a lot of hard working, reasonably educated people would be like if they were stupid rich.

He is in to gaudy, garish, etc. displays his wealth. He thrives off of being so rich that he can say and do whatever he wants without some boss coming down on him. He can't stick to one marriage. He can't believe how hot his daughter is and he wants you to know it. He takes tacky "rich people" pictures of his family. He makes tons of bad investments. He can't get enough of how popular he is. He has basic grasps of concepts to have a conversation, but doesn't really have a depth of knowledge on most issues. He is susceptible to bizarre theories and rumors. He loves to gossip. And despite everything he has, he is as thin skinned as they come, lashing out anyone who criticizes him like they just shot his dog.

I swear, it's like Donald Trump was reincarnated after living a life in a tortuous job as a supervisor in a huge corporation where his direct superior was an ******* and he could never get ahead despite feeling like he was better than everyone around him.

 

Obama's actions have squandered the good work our brave troops accomplished in Iraq

 

No, it was always a mistake for viewing a workable democracy as a real goal among religious civil warriors with no democratic heritage, no charismatic democratic proponents, no common economic interests and no common outside enemies. We didn't see that because of our national bias where, until recently, we see cooperation and compromise as the higher moral ground. Iraq had no democratic pamphleteers, no George Washington, no King George to rally against. It had Al Sadr and al-Zarqaw.

Once the reality became clear, there was no mandate to throw in good money after bad (http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/08/09/iraq.poll/index.html?eref=aol). If a majority of people, especially military people thought Iraq was salvageable, there certainly could have been negotiations on US troops though it still would have taken the approval of the government our best efforts resulted in, Maliki.

You can't fix the unfixable, you can't reason with the irrational. You can and should try but you have to recognize when further efforts are just a waste (of young American lives).

It was noble in real time but a mistake in review.

interesting:2003 http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pdffiles/PUB182.pdf

U.S. forces may have to manage and adjudicate
conflicts among Iraqis that they can barely comprehend.
An exit strategy will require the establishment of
political stability, which will be difficult to achieve given
Iraq’s fragmented population, weak political institutions,
and propensity for rule by violence.

 

Found this interesting little video on Donald, is this what they mean by Republican family value?:grin:

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xkvG3g7hEJE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

Nor their lust to keep troops in Afghanisatan or escalate again in Iraq or tried to deal with the latest failed state and ISIS in Libya. Thanks Obama with a major push from Hillary.

Hillary type Dems are almost as big of chickenhawks.

 

Holy crap, that is perfect.

 

Bush kept us safe.

[rQUOTEr]
Bush Takes Monthlong Texas Vacation

For the next 30 days, it will be home on the ranch for President Bush.

With his administration 6 months old, Bush is set to shed the confines of the White House and head to his sprawling ranch in Crawford, Texas, to begin a monthlong, outside-the-Beltway retreat.

"I'm headed home to the heartland to listen to the American people and to talk about the values that unite and sustain our country," Bush said in a Rose Garden speech this afternoon.

'A Little Fishing, … A Little Policy'

White House press secretary Ari Fleischer told reporters the chief executive was also looking forward to "enjoying a little down time, a little running and a little cedar clearing."

"He'll do a little fishing on the ranch, I'm sure he'll have friends and family over to the ranch, he'll do a little policy, he'll keep up with events," Fleischer added.

Why is the commander in chief spending four weeks in a small central Texas town outside Waco?

"I think it is so important for a president to spend some time away from Washington," he told the Boy Scouts of America National Jamboree last week.

Since taking office 196 days ago, Bush has spent plenty of leisurely days away from Washington, including 23 at his Crawford ranch, 36 at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland and a four-day weekend at his family's compound in Kennebunkport, Maine.

Dallas Morning News reporter Wayne Slater says Bush showed the same affection for vacations when he was governor of Texas.

“George Bush was religious about wanting to take time off," said Slater.

Former President Ronald Reagan, who made frequent visits to his ranch in Santa Barbara, Calif., while in office, said the commander in chief never really goes off the clock, no matter where he is.

"Presidents don't get vacations — they just get a change of scenery," he said in 1985. "You're still president … The job goes with you."

Bush expressed similar sentiments as he vacationed in Kennebunkport in July.

"The amazing thing about this job … is that the job seems to follow you around," he told reporters.

'Working Vacation,' Bush Aides Insist

The president and his aides call the upcoming Crawford vacation a "home-to-the-heartland visit" and have dubbed the sprawling 1,600-acre ranch the "Texas White House."

Fleischer insisted today the month away from the White House would not be all rest and relaxation.

"It's going to be a working vacation — it's going to include parts work and parts vacation," he said, noting that Bush would receive daily intelligence briefings, except on Sundays, and would travel for two days out of every week for various public events.

"He will be based in Crawford, Texas, but will, from there, travel to the rest of America to meet with a wide variety of Americans to listen to their concerns," Fleischer said.

White House officials said the president planned to help build a house at a Habitat for Humanity event in nearby Waco next week, followed by trips to Colorado, New Mexico, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and other states later in the month.

Aides to Bush say he may also make a much-anticipated political announcement while at the ranch.

The president has been wrestling with whether or not to allow federal funding for controversial embryonic stem-cell research. Doctors say the research hold the promise for debilitating diseases like diabetes and Parkinson's, but opponents say the studies are immoral because they use cells derived from human embryos, which are destroyed in the process.

The president's retreat is timed to coincide with the August congressional recess, when lawmakers head home to their districts. That mass exodus got under way this afternoon.

"Members of Congress are going home as well," Bush pointed out today.

A monthlong retreat is not without precedent, but no president has been away from the White House for a full 30 days since Richard Nixon. When he returns from Crawford in September, Bush will have spent nearly 40 percent of his days as president at his ranch or at Camp David.

But presidential historian Michael Beschloss says even if the trend continues, it will likely have little impact on Bush's presidency.

"There's almost no relationship between the number of hours you sit behind the desk in the Oval Office and how good a president you are," he said.[/rQUOTEr]

 

you mean the same guys that forget troops went to iraq because of wmds?

you mean to tell me there are biased war mongers with the blood of 9-11 all over them and they are blaming obama? I never!!

 

I always thought GW was like Ziggy Sobotka in Season 2 of The Wire, he meant well, but was pretty much clueless. His defining moment was when a few of the older guys egged him on to go fight another guy at the docks: "he's a softie", "one punch and he's down", etc... Big guy takes a punch, picks him up, and has the forklift operator help put him on top of a stack of shipping containers.

"BAAAAAD ADVICE!!! You ****ers gave me BAD ADVICE", Ziggy yells as everyone watches.

 

That's actually a fairly measured and nuanced way to discuss your daughter, honestly when you consider how paranoid and delusional parents are about sex ed you can imagine him making sure they know enough to be responsible and not overly guilt-ridden or neurotic.

Which makes his resentment and attacks on other assertive intelligent women like Megyn Kelly that much more jarring.

 

Can we talk about the important things, like how the Space Nazis have convinced us not to go back to the moon?

 

They'll owe up to Iraq, then go back to defending medieval policies, lock down the federal government over petty politics, and bend over backwards for corporations.

GOP is a disaster and needs to be completely voted out of governance.

 

The right wing nuts here can tell themselves the failure of Iraq is because of Obama, and the remaining 80% of the country can live in reality.

 

When will y'all realize that Trump's statements won't hurt him?

He does it every day. It hasn't done anything to him.

Republicans need to rally around Rubio if they want to take it from Trump.

Jeb supporters will follow, as will Cruz's.

If jeb keeps sticking around with Cruz, it will be too late.

 

It was handled incorrectly by both parties. Obama should have kept them in.

We did accomplish something in killing Bin Laden/Hassan though.

Should have taken the oil while we were there. Now Isis is using it to fund themselves.