Reply #107: Predicting the surge results is easier than [View All]

[AshevilleGuy]

predicting the results of our withdrawal. Surges have been done before there so they have some track records. Big withdrawals have not been done, so there are no precedents. There are dozens and dozens of variables: will one or several militias stage a surprise attack that changes everything? Will the 'government' there survive? Will Iran or Syria overtly come in? There are many more scenarios than that, and they are all based upon human behavior, which can not be confidently predicted.

Edwards does know that the soldiers he withdraws will no longer be in danger - that is probably what he is concentrating on. Then, political work can be done to TRY and help Iraq afterwards, but such attempts are probably limited in what they can accomplish. The US has already done enough there.

Results from work on teeth are subject to the laws of physics and chemistry; it should be fairly easy to predict long term results.