1. Unlike the US, Iran don’t give a shit about casualties. We lost less than 4500 in 9 years. In 1986, Iran lost 50,000 KIA in 3 months.
2. Iraq is not battle hardened - what they have been involved in is called LOW INTENSITY CONFLICT. LIC doesn’t win if your enemy is willing to stay the course. By the way, the Iraqi death rate to all causes never exceeded the murder rate in Venesuala or the per capa murder rate of any major US city.
3. We invaded Iraq with 5 divisions vs Iraq’s 23. At no time did the US have ground forces larger than Iraq. The Iraqi Army decided not to fight in 2003.
4. Our departure was pure political. We never had a casualty rate high enough to make the top 10 list of what kills US military. Vietnam was 10x the annual KIAs. Korea was 30x. WWII was 100x. We lost more KIA in the last 9 hours of WWI [after the armistice was signed] than in the 9 YEARS in Iraq.
5. Iraq is dead meat if any of its neighbors invade. The ME politicians don’t have anti-war protestors to appease and do not have to worry about an anti-war vote...
Yeah, Iraq beat Iran too.
Iraq is not battle hardened - what they have been involved in is called LOW INTENSITY CONFLICT
Iraq is not LIC. Bosnia is the LIC. Iraq was the real deal and the Iraqi vets left walking and breathing are indeed hardened combat vets that are each worth 5 or more non-hardened combat vets.
3. We invaded Iraq with 5 divisions vs Iraq’s 23. At no time did the US have ground forces larger than Iraq. The Iraqi Army decided not to fight in 2003.
5 divisions worth of the most advanced military on earth plus the most advanced navy and air force on the planet. We still walked away without any meaningful victory. They sent us packing.
4. Our departure was pure political.
once we established that there were no WMDs and once we killed Saddam Hussein, we should have left. It was politics that kept us there beyond that in the first place so of course our withdrawal was political though not purely as you have suggested, not by a long shot. The fact is, it was way past time to leave. It's a shame Bush can't take credit for it.
5. Iraq is dead meat if any of its neighbors invade. The ME politicians don’t have anti-war protestors to appease and do not have to worry about an anti-war vote...They sent what was supposed to be the most advanced military on earth packing without victory. I think they can handle their neighbors.
Nonsense, Iraq has already kicked Iran's butt once and they can do it again.