How long will the USA have to stay in Iraq?

[Swede]

We all know that the revolution starts the second the last American helicopter leaves,so how long does the daily toll of dead continue?

[JailBush]

1. Until we find weapons of mass destruction

[KG]

3. well, hell, how long does it take to plant phoney WMD evidence anywho?

:)

[Hubert Flottz]

2. Until the wells go dry!

Until there is no more need to win the GOP some votes by making war!

Bush never dreamed the Iraqi people could fight back like they have! The Repubs only bully the weak!

[mlawson]

4. Perhaps until October 2004????

The bush regime will have a tough decision to make late next summer, assuming that polls show increasing voter anger over the quagmire in Iraq. Do they invent some excuse (knowing the media will support them) and pull out just before the World Series?? Or, do they take a chance that the marginal swing voters will vote for bush because they still prefer him to have a beer with???

I dunno. We have to wait and see. I can imagine either contingency.

[Minstrel Boy]

5. not until Iraq is drained

and its strategic value is zero.

How long will that take?

[KharmaTrain]

6. Two Years...One To "Stay The Course" Then Bug Out...

There's no way this regime will pull out or even consider any political or military resolution other than total capitulation...thus this war will drag on into next year. This regime will need to stand firm lest look weak in an election and either ignore or downplay any losses (big time).

Then, once the election is stolen, again, if there's a time to cut and run with minimal damange it's right after the election. Out will trot the usual suspects to form an "Iraqi" national government and military and we'll be out of town faster than you can say Mogadishu.

Of course the dead and maimed won't matter, just the political and economic expediency and it'll be billed as "Peace Through Strength" (it's interesting to see how many of the Vietnam-era double-speak terms are back in vogue)

[Tinoire]

7. We're not leaving regardless of Dem vs Rep administration

That's why all the clever talk about benign occupations and all by most of our Presidential candidates.

Both serve the same master and the master needs oil. Never forget that our Democratic administration sanctioned and starved Iraq for 8 years straight.

The US doesn't HAVE to stay in Iraq, it wants to.

[Swede]

8. The minute they leave,

an anti-american government will take over and turn off the oil taps.

[Tinoire]

10. Yep. And there we have it. The US has no intention of letting that

happen! Before we know it, the entire place will look like the Gaza Strip and we'll be shooting kids for throwing rocks at our tanks.

This truly scares me. Our soldiers are no different than the Israeli IDF soldiers, both are basically good at heart to begin with but occupations dehumanize. I'm rooting 100% for the Presidential candidates who don't endorse an occupation- there's too much at stake.

Peace

[Iverson]

14. What, we're not shooting kids now?

Or are we shooting kids now, but just not ones who throw rocks at tanks?

[Tinoire]

17. Sadly, it's just the rocks missing.

Once they pick a few up and we unpack the bull-dozers we bought from Israel, the picture will be complete :(

[put out]

9. I fear, just until my own child is old enough to be used.

It seems that I will be required to register before he is made to. I can only hope I go before he does.

[Unknown Known]

11. Until all the oil is gone

Then it's over!

[Aidoneus]

12. the program of recolonization demands that it is permanent

That established, it is then so that the occupation and "invited presence" (the same occupation, but under the figleaf of a rubberstamp from carefully selected quislings) will exist until it is rolled back and thrown out.

Like Nixon, I seriously doubt that any of the Democratic candidates have any "secret plan to end the war" beyond an ad campaign--the interests they represent would not allow any such thing.

[evil_orange_cat]

13. until it's stable...

I don't know how long that will be, but I don't think we have enough troops to do it, nor do we have enough of the outside support from NATO or the UN that we will need to do the job right.

As I see it, we need to de-Americanize the occupation and rebuilding process. Bush has alienated the rest of the world besides our lapdog Blair. We need a president who is going to go to the UN or to our NATO allies and get the help we need. The worst thing we can do is pack it up and leave. The second worse thing is that Bush can get re-elected... wait... that might be the worst. ;)

[Aidoneus]

15. what does "do the job right" mean?

it doesn't make any difference to Iraqis whether they're shot and harassed by US occupation forces or some assortment of mercenaries. The problem that exists is not one that can be done better through superficial adjustments.

[evil_orange_cat]

16. it means...

... establishing a stable government that will be relatively moderate and have some form of representative democracy. A government that will offer security, and be seen as legitimate in the Muslim world; as well as being friendly to American interests.

The most important thing about the post-war Iraq is not to leave a power vacuum.

And you are wrong... it does make a difference whether or not the occupation force is American or multi-national... for a few reasons...

1. American credibility... this war is going to be remembered for a long time, especially in the Muslim world. If things get worse in Iraq and conditions in the country don't improve, America will be blamed; regardless of whether or not Bush is still in office.

2. de-Americanizing the occupying forces... it's a lot easier to blame America for everything and recruit would-be terrorists if everything is American. But with a multi-national force, especially if other Muslim nations are involved, give Al Qaeda and other Islamic terrorist organizations less recruits. At the very least, these groups will try to target more countries with their terrorist operations other than the US... alienating these terrorist groups even further.

3. The cost... with a multinational force, less of a burden is being put on American taxpayers, and less American lives will be lost.

[PurityOfEssence]

18. Until the twelfth of never

and that's a long, long time.

(I'm saying 10 or more, 'cuz it's gonna take a long time to suck up all that taaaasty oil...)