I haven't been here long, but I'm amazed that my fellow conservatives can justify the killing of innocent men, women, and children. Even more astounding is that they would see no problem with having U.S. forces conduct the killing.
We've got 150,000 of our finest in Iraq attempting to bring liberty and democracy to these people, the vast majority of whom support our efforts, and yet some folks want to see a mass extermination of the population.
Some comments you should simply accept as statements of feeling and take them with a grain of saltwater. From the relative safety of a keyboard, it sometimes feels good to let loose with a cyber primal scream.
But the issue is real to the extent these Phoenix-style special operations, by us and by the Iraqis, will be effective, both inside and outside Iraq. A few moments ago on Fox, retired General Barry McCaffrey was telling the interviewer such a program was, in effect, overdue. McCaffrey, as 24th Infantry Division commander during Gulf War I, showed the right stuff when he destroyed an Iraqi tank division, which made the mistake of firing on his troops after the ceasefire was in effect.
Like it or not, the Iraqi campaign is only one part of the larger war. The war covers a lot of ground.