Posted on 12/06/2006 8:02:58 AM PST by Howlin
A fundamental problem with the West's psyche is that our physical survival has not been sufficiently threatened yet to force us to abandon the notion that our enemy has a equal right to exist. We still think we can "co-exist" if not peacefully, then with a mutually acceptable level of violence and inconvenience. That's what the "talk with the enemy" position is all about - finding that balance. The problem of course is that the other side doesn't care about "balance". They want it all.
It will never be Ok, no matter what Syria now does or promises.
They used the high ground to attack Israel several times. Do they get unlimited do overs? Never punished.
Do you want a situation where the Arabs can never lose? Attack at will. If Israel successfully defends, we go back to square one. If Israel loses, we can add an Israeli wing to Holocaust museums.
>> "I am going to grow vegetables instead of just flowers,
My wife and I were talking about that just last night, given the state of affairs.
> I had a similar thought. We also need to think about moving to the mountains and increasing our personal firepower.
I'm installing solar and getting a generator as a backup, also reassessing our firearms situation.
These are trying times.
And they call these guys "Realists?"
The full text of the report is here:
http://www.bakerinstitute.org/Pubs/iraqstudygroup_findings.pdf
"RECOMMENDATION 40: The United States should not
make an open-ended commitment to keep large numbers of
American troops deployed in Iraq.
RECOMMENDATION 41: The United States must make it
clear to the Iraqi government that the United States could
carry out its plans, including planned redeployments, even if
Iraq does not implement its planned changes. America’s
other security needs and the future of our military cannot be
made hostage to the actions or inactions of the Iraqi government.
RECOMMENDATION 42: We should seek to complete the
training and equipping mission by the first quarter of 2008,
as stated by General George Casey on October 24, 2006.
RECOMMENDATION 43: Military priorities in Iraq must
change, with the highest priority given to the training, equipping,
advising, and support mission and to counterterrorism
operations.
The Way Forward—A New Approach
Lee Hamilton would be better off as a contestant on Jeopardy along with aging jurist Sandra Day O'Connor
AT this point it is Iraquis killin Iraquis - however, it is not a civil war. In Latin America there are death squads running all over the place.
Very true. I am wondering if we should have brought in a governmen in exile after saddam was captured or Baghdad fell. People have got to realize that we are fighting the Iranians and al Qaueda in Iraq - and they will not be content to leave us alone.
This is what is being called Cut N Run-
"The Way Forward—
A New Approach
Progress in Iraq is still possible if new approaches are taken
promptly by Iraq, the United States, and other countries that
have a stake in the Middle East.
To attain the goals we have outlined, changes in course
must be made both outside and inside Iraq. Our report offers a
comprehensive strategy to build regional and international
support for stability in Iraq, as it encourages the Iraqi people to
assume control of their own destiny. It offers a responsible
transition.
Externally, the United States should immediately begin to
employ all elements of American power to construct a regional
mechanism that can support, rather than retard, progress in
Iraq. Internally, the Iraqi government must take the steps required
to achieve national reconciliation, reduce violence, and
improve the daily lives of Iraqis. Efforts to implement these external
and internal strategies must begin now and must be undertaken
in concert with one another.
This responsible transition can allow for a reduction in
the U.S. presence in Iraq over time."
And no border issues!
"Can anybody point to a "study" that we concluded during a war??"
Depends, would you consider the Manhatten Project a "study"?
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