Posted on 01/11/2007 5:50:59 AM PST by shrinkermd
If the Democrats don’t like the U.S. policy on Iraq over the next six months, they have themselves partly to blame. There were millions of disaffected Republicans and independents ready to coalesce around some alternative way forward, but the Democrats never came up with anything remotely serious.
The liberals who favor quick exit never grappled with the consequences of that policy, which the Baker-Hamilton commission terrifyingly described. The centrists who believe in gradual withdrawal never explained why that wouldn’t be like pulling a tooth slowly. Joe Biden, who has the most intellectually serious framework for dealing with Iraq, was busy yesterday, at the crucial decision-making moment, conducting preliminary fact-finding hearings, complete with forays into Iraqi history
But the selling of the plan illustrates that this is not the whole story. The Iraqi government wants a unified non-sectarian solution in high-minded statements and in some distant, ideal world. But in the short term, and in the deepest reptilian folds of their brains, the Shiites are maneuvering amid the sectarian bloodbath all around.
(Excerpt) Read more at select.nytimes.com ...
Brooks claims to be a "conservative." He is not. But he is capable of reason and in spite of the NYT position of lost war and no new troops needed he realizes theat no other real, viable position has been offered.
Murtha, DU and the Daily Kos believe otherwise.
I've enjoyed Brooks' comments on occasion..but to use the words "Biden" and "Intellectually serious" in the same sentence boggles the mind. I think I'm coming closer to your viewpoint on Brooks.
Any assessment of the situation in Iraq that is predicated on the notion that Iraq is capable of being a viable, unified nation is suspect at best. And any U.S. approach to Iraq that hinges on this utopian -- and increasingly delusional -- idea is likely to fail.
You got that straight! However, Biden does know a good speech when he steals one.
Like how? From his own pocket?
It is time for Bush to go it alone!
I could not agree more. Time to go in and get the job done. Shut the freaking libs up and let them cry all they want. They are the ones turning this into a POLITICAL GAME.
Presidnet Bush, I for one amd with you! Let's Roll and Get the job done. God be with our troops!
Iran has to go down, along with Syria.
Borrow from France.
There is nothing wrong with an Iraq that practices Islam while using constitutional law as its guideline.
If my memory serves me correctly, we were built on the same principles with Christianity as our guideline. So much so that "In god we trust" is embedded into our lives.
Iraq can live along those guidelines. You just have to take out the radical element first. That will be the next phase of this operation because without that, Iraq will never go right.
As a side note, what is hysterical about this is that the RATS, who have been trying to remove religion from our nation, doesn't support it in Iraq. They like the radicals.
Imagine if radical Christians started blowing things up to turn this country into a Christian Iraq.
Iraq doesn't just "practice Islam" -- it has enshrined Islam as the official state religion in its constitution.
If my memory serves me correctly, we were built on the same principles with Christianity as our guideline.
Christianity was "our guideline" only in a very generic sense. If you read the formal documents on which this country was founded, you'll find few -- if any -- religious aspects of Christianity in them. My sense is that the only uniquely Christian aspect of this country has been what I call "civil Christianity" (as opposed to "religious Christianity"). Civil Christianity is that aspect of Christianity that deals with the basic -- and historically unique -- notion that Christians are expected to treat all people (Christian and non-Christian) alike.
The founders of this country went to great lengths to eradicate any notion of an official government religion -- specifically to avoid the kind of nonsense that has become commonplace in Iraq today.
The basic tenets of Islam is NOT democracy. Have you ever read the Koran? I didn't think so.
Why can moderates not succeed against extremists in the ME? The fight is on everywhere. The Iranian people are fed up with their totalitarian regime. The struggle is manifesting itself in Lebanon, in Somalia, in Afghanistan, in Thailand and elsewhere.
There is no other choice for the civilized world but to support these moderates with rapid globalization occurring.
They must succeed and we need to do our part.
If radical Muslims are such a small component of the Islamic world, then "our part" should include nothing more than dropping 25 million AK-47s and a billion rounds of ammunition on a country like Iraq, and letting these people establish their own democratic country.
And there you have it folks. The birth of a new oxymoron.
President Bush did say..things won't be perfect.
The alternative is to wait for the "perfect" solution, stay isolated and neutral allowing the rising extremists to squash the rapid tide of moderate reformation.
In this scenario, the world population of Muslims continues to increase rapidly under extremist (Islamofascist) influence and the result would be a world war in the very near future unlike any other we have ever seen.
Is that really what you want?
See post #16.
Some of the countries that have an official state religion: UK, Argentina, Costa Rica, Finland, Greece, Romania, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Malaysia, Thailand, and Israel [de facto]. The Iraqi constitution also protects the practice of religion.
The founders of this country went to great lengths to eradicate any notion of an official government religion -- specifically to avoid the kind of nonsense that has become commonplace in Iraq today.
Right, they did not want anything similar to the Church of England.
The battle in Iraq is about stopping a relatively few terrorists and insurgents from taking down the democratically elected unity government of Iraq, which was put in power by 12 million Iraqis going to the polls risking life and limb to vote.
Float a bond.
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