Apr 08 2008
Surrendercrats’ Denial Of Progress In Iraq Is Truly Infantile
How can any serious adult look at the shrinking footprint of al-Qaeda in Iraq and claim there is no progress there since The Surge and The Awakening swept Iraq and turned al-Qaeda from being Islam’s future in Iraq to al-Qaeda being an enemy of Islam in Iraq? (H/T Michael Goldfarb and the originals up at Long War Journal)
Look at the dwindling areas AQ has for the barest sanctuary and realize how badly they have been beaten to lose that much ground in a little over a year. There are even more stunning statistics than this here.
What kind of person can be so afraid of facing their mistakes they deny obvious reality? If you looked inside the mind of a Surrendercrat you see someone cowering from reality, who cannot face their failures, so demand others to fail instead. I’m sorry to be so blunt, but it really is pathetic when you realize these Surrendercrats aren’t even in harms way! They are so scared s-less they have to have it stop all together. Surrender at any cost/
well aj that’s a nice string of childish personal attacks but with no substance. you are so focused on minute, small, fragile, reversible, tactical successes, that you are blind to the big picture. why don’t you discuss what basr REALLY showed us? that when things got tough iraq’s leaders ran to an iranian we label a terrorist, the commander of the qods brigade, to get them out of a jam. hopefully when this country gets new leadership we will begin to adress real strategies and not simply the same old tactics that got us into this mess.
boghie…you need to extend out the costs over time. all of the money has been borrowed…so there are debt service costs. the armies and the nat’l guards equipment has been decimated so there are replacement costs. 13,000 soldiers have been maimed…so there are health care costs. on top of that the levels of post trauma stress disorder are incredible…so those costs will be incredible. 2 trillion is a conservative number…it could go as high as 5. remember…as of today we have an open-ended commitment with absolutely no end game in sight. listen to patreaus…we can’t leave when it’s going bad and we can’t leave when it’s going good.
Norm,
You are so unimpressive I can’t help it. There have been no reversals over the last year – all progress. Anything is possible, few things are probable or plausible. Your mind runs on the former, the rest of us understand the latter and what is really in play.
Norm calls AJ childish.
Kettle?…meet Pot.
aj…progress that means nothing on a strategic level. small fragile tactical successes. almost no strategic successes. the core al queda is still growing in strength. iran is still being empowered. we are still bleeding money and, unfortunately, soldiers. the general and crocker both were clear that there is no end game at play. just keep spending blood and treasure and hope for the best. you talk about victory and success but even those in charge on the ground cannot define it when pressed. but you just go on cheering about bit players and who did what to who today. leave the big picture to those who can see it.
Ive had it says
So they can’t afford to have a powerful Iraq, which is our ally, btw (another brilliant aspect of the Bush Doctrine).
So “brilliant” it killed 4000 US troops, hundreds of mercenaries
and amputated tens of thousands of limbs, for ultimate and obvious (by 2004) defeat.
Norm,
I am sorry. The link to the MTS pointed back to this site for whatever reason. The Montly Treasury Statement is http://www.fms.treas.gov/mts/index.html. I hope the link works, otherwise I guess you can copy and go…
Based on your extended cost post here are the numbers:
1. Health care for veterans and benefits paid to veterans are paid through the Department of Veterans Affairs. The total annual pre-GWOT annual expenditures were $53 Billion inflation adjusted in FY2001. That includes medical care, PTSD, and pensions.
2. The Department of Veterans Affairs will spend about $87 Billion this year – FY2008.
3. Thus, if there are no additional costs as the WWII, Korean, and Vietnam veterans age, we can assign at most $34 Billion annually to the war effort.
4. The DOD budget accounts for gear replacement. Much of the supplemental goes toward that.
So, the $2 Trillion number you are talking about is spread over about 60 years.
Anyway, using your expenditures we are talking about:
1. 4.6% of the annual budget if no changes for 60 years
2. 1% of GDP if no changes for 60 years
Trust me, if this goes on even 2 or 3 more years there will be changes. Personally, I would reach the point were I would think Iraq could never become a viable member of civilized society if they are the same in two years as they are today. But, as we have seen, they have made major improvements over the past 6 months.
I, however, think the FY2000 status quo in the Middle East was not acceptable.
Notice how Truthy has no point to make? He just keeps mumbling the same mindless Howard Dean drooling talking points like a drunken Kennedy who’s syphillus has grown to engulf his brain.
Anyone want to venture the over/under on how many times dipstick here has mentioned “4,000” dead soldiers? A parrot with a blowhorn…Code Pink would love this asshat.
Protection of the United States is a number one directive for whomever is President. And thank goodness we have had one who fiercely takes that to heart.
Truthie, you don’t have a clue that those 4000 soldiers were in Iraq because they CHOSE TO FIGHT FOR OUR PROTECTION. THEY BELIEVED in their cause. Too bad you don’t. So don’t speak for them. Ever.
I really think the dems have had their “protection character trait” domesticated out of them. Remember the movie, “Wolf” with Jack Nicholson?
And you know what? I think all these truthies are here fishing for our responses which they feed right back to the DNC…so they can come up with some (intellectually dishonest) answers to our objections. That’s what I think, indeed.
Ive…If that’s the case…the DNC is in serious trouble.