Reply #25: Great point - and the "strategy" doesn't even make sense. [View All]

[Zhade]

If the argument is that our soldiers are "fighting them over there so they don't have to fight them over here", doesn't that basically mean that "them" - al Qaeda - wouldn't be in Iraq if we weren't there?

So if we weren't there, per this "flypaper theory" (which is the notion that we're there to attract the 'flies' of al Qaeda), we wouldn't need to be there to protect Iraqis from the terrorists that wouldn't be there since we wouldn't be there!

I trust that makes sense - at least, more sense than this ridiculous "flypaper" idea.

(WT2: Great point about the USG training one faction to put down another. I hadn't thought of it the way you put it, but it feels right. Consider this kicked and nominated.)