Every day in Iraq we are proven right, and it feels terrible.

[jmags]

Let's forget about the unforgivable mistake to go into Iraq in the first place. This administration has made so many mindblowingly stupid mistakes since we ousted Hussein's regime, I think we all knew it was just a matter of time until Iraq would boil over like it has recently. From using so few troops to begin with (against army recommendations), to ignoring State Department predictions of post-war Iraq, to only protecting the Oil Ministry during the looting, to firing the entire Iraqi army, to the arrogant two hour flyover Bush did on Thanksgiving, to the way we treated the deaths of Husseins sons and Hussein himself in their capture/deaths (which humiliated many Iraqis - even those who despised Hussein), to the terrible job Bechtel and other corporations have done to rebuild the country, to the outright politicalization of the CPA and the enormous influence we gave to Chalabi who clearly has no Iraqi backing.

Bringing about a stable country to Iraq by invading them the manner in which we did would have been one hell of a task. But the complete lack of foresight this administration has shown brings us to the point we are today. I honestly think the lone bright spot out of this situation is that Sunni's and Shi'ites have put their differences aside, showing that perhaps the country can be saved. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, they are doing that by combining to kill our troops, who have been placed into an impossible situation.
I don't think there is any hope for anything resembling democracy. The country's best hope is for a relatively moderate theocracy...without that this country falls into civil war.

I know there are calls for more troops, more international presence, and all of that. But the reality is, the damage has been done. We have taken too many lives, destroyed too many homes, uprooted too many families to even begin to hope that the farfetched idea of a pro-US democracy taking root in the heart of the middle east will take hold. And yet, if we pull out all our troops now, that will give a victory to terrorists who flocked to Iraq after Hussein left, in addition to the Iraqi's who just wanted an end to occupation. We would be giving bin Ladin, Al Queda, and other terrorist groups a victory they could never have dreamed of had we not made such a foolish decision to attack Iraq instead of terrorists.

This is truly a quagmire, and our troops our stuck smack in the middle.

[rpannier]

1. Hey When You Do One Stupid Thing...

this administration believes you follow it up with another stupid thing and another and so on. The problem is not just the stupid things they do...It's their refusal to admit they are failing.

[Art_from_Ark]

2. In their eyes, they are not failing

In their eyes, they are following the script that bu$h alluded to in his interview with Bob Woodward:

"We will export death and violence to the four corners of the earth in defense of our great nation."

[jmags]

3. Is that quote really in the Woodward book?

If so that's scary. It's one think to talk tough after 9.11...it's another thing to sound like the second coming of Hitler.

[Art_from_Ark]

5. Here it is

http://www.cpa.org.au/garchve03/1123review.html

[NJCher]

6. round peg, square hole?

"We will export death and violence to the four corners of the earth in defense of our great nation."

How does one reach corners on a globe?

That should have been America's first clue that these guys weren't capable of running the country.


Cher

[Justitia]

4. I feel your pain

When this war first started, I cried in anguish for days.
I cried at the loss of America's higher moral purpose in the world.
I cried that it was being done in all our names.
I cried that nobody seemed to be pulling out their hair like me.
And most of all, I cried thinking of our soldiers dying alone over there, in a foreign land, for no good or honorable reason.

Then, I got really active in trying to change things. I became angry, determined, emboldened, hopeful - I started to feel much better. This was temporary, unfortunately.

Today was the first time I cried in many, many months.
It seems like there is not a damn thing we can do and our brethen are spilling blood all over the sand, a world away - and we can't help them. Worse yet, there is no end in sight. I don't know how we will EVER get out of this freakin' mess. And what about what we have done to the country of Iraq? I will never, never, never be able to vanquish the guilt I feel over what my gov't has done to them - undeservedly.

I hate this war. I hate these men that are doing this to all of us.

Sorry to be a bummer, just wanted to let you know you aren't alone.

:cry:

[mouse7]

7. Me, too

When the uprising story broke Wednedday, I couldn't even look at the news or the threads here about it until very late that night. This was something I really wanted to be wrong about. I'm heartsick about it.

[carolinayellowdog]

8. What makes it even worse

is that those who were wrong all along are now, instead of allowing themselves to feel any guilt or regret, blaming us for being right and imagining that we are happy.

Before this war started I always felt I was arguing with one hand tied behind my back because those who supported it wanted to be right and I wanted to be wrong. But the intuitive certainty that this would be a disaster never wavered for one moment.

We're all Cassandras and the gdmf media is to blame for our not being believed.

[anarchy1999]

9. You are right in every respect.

Today I was forced to remember this has been the PNAC'ers plan all along, to totally destabilize the Mid-East. What is happening right now has been their goal all along. Unfortunately for all of us, we are playing right into their hands.

My hope is that the people of Iraq are able to stop them dead in their tracks and that Americans, especially those with sons and daughters being killed and doing the killing will rise up. That is a lot to hope for and is probably not going to happen. One can wish though. At some point in time I hope we all rise up and choose peace and throw out the war mongers. It can be done.