Time to pull troops out of Baghdad - not out of Iraq. [View All]

[kentuck]

It's time to stop pretending everything is hunky dory and that there is not a war going on. The primary concern must be the safety and security of the American troops, not to save the face of George W Bush and Dick Cheney. After the attack on the al Rashid Hotel, it is now obvious that there is no place in Baghdad and in the surrounding cities that are immune from attack.

Let's build two or three huge Army bases, such as Danang and Cam Ranh during the Viet Nam War, and put our troops in these areas. We will secure the perimeters as well as possible, concertina wire, guard posts, etc, and give the troops the security they need at this time.
This is no time to deny the reality that faces us.

It seems that everyday there are roadside bombs, rocket attacks, or car bombs that are killing our people and those that are working with our people. It is a situation that is not improving. It is insane to drive over the same roads and go into the same cites everyday. This is putting the lives of our troops at risk when it is not necessary.

What happens if we withdraw to bases outside of the cities? Won't the terrorists take control of Baghdad and the other cities? Perhaps. But it is up to the Iraqi people to get their government together - whatever government they might want. We cannot buy their loyalty. The policemen that are dying in the carbombs were happy to accept American dollars but now their families are in grief.

If our troops are contained in a base environment, they can react to violence or acts of terror with a sufficient military force. They do not need to be picked off one at a time. If there are problems within the city of Baghdad or elsewhere, we send the appropriate number of troops to handle the uprising. This is guerrilla warfare. We should not fight it on their terms.

We need a new strategy for that warzone and it has become painfully obvious that George W Bush is blinded by his arrogance and doesn't have a clue of what the hell is going on. It is time for someone to speak up. To continue to do the same thing over and over with the same dismal results is the definition of insanity.