What would happen in the US if we pulled out of Iraq

[WFF]

Seriously now, how would pulling out of Iraq affect us here in the United States? I know that there would be anarchy in Iraq, but what would the ramifications be here? How would it affect Joe America?

[bif]

1. We'd save about $100 billion a year, for starters

[w13rd0]

10. Unfortunately...

...about 200 billion has already been spent, and any "savings" aquired would just be handed to Bush's campaign contributors in the form of more "tax cuts". The only solution is to pull out of Iraq, remove Bush from power, and then fine the Bush family, Cheney, and the rest of the war profiteers. Make them payback the American people for their crimes. Or we can just fine Bush supporters. Since the country is "evenly split", each person who supports Bush should be required to "adopt" someone who doesn't and pay "their share" of the costs of this misadventure. That comes to about $800 per person presently.

[readmylips]

16. I don't want any good credit for bush....

He is a murderer, unAmerican, nonChristian, and a coward. If we pull out now, bush will take credit and become the media hero again. If we pull out now or after the elections, it's the same thing. We are throwing our tax dollars away on a war chosen by bush, an unnecessary war. We will still be throwing tax money to fix Iraq long after bush is gone. Either way, tax payers are screwed.

I do have sympathy for the soldiers, my son is one. But they chose to be soldiers and killing and being killed are the results.

[bowens43]

2. It wouldn't......

other then the money saved.

[el_gato]

3. How do you "know" there would be anarchy in Iraq?

You don't.

[truthspeaker]

6. good point. It's accepted as a given by some.

I don't buy it myself. Anarchy and civil war are just two of a myriad of possibilities.

[lovedems]

11. If the numbers are true

that the * administration is trying to make us believe (which we know they aren't) but let's just humor the old chimp. If 90% of the country believes in democracy then the Iraqi's are more then capable of forming that on their own. Are we suppose to trust the Iraqi's or are we suppose to treat them like a bunch of children who need a babysitter?

This administration cannot have it both ways. Either Iraq is a fucked up mess and we need to stay to clean up the damage we caused or Iraq is doing well and they no longer need our help and are more then capable of determining the future of THEIR country.

[truthspeaker]

4. Bush would try to take credit for his extraordinary vision

in seeing his own mistake (that anyone with a brain saw over a year ago).

[Walt Starr]

5. We swouldn;t have to watch as loved ones in the military die

That's a good thing.

[seabeyond]

7. it would humble us

it would hang our head in shame, it would cause anger so much anger in those that can not handle failure. it would be a good thing

we created and need to experience this pain of being loser once again. we allowed arrogance and preferred people to become our conscious.

it is time we become a loser once again, and then maye we can heal

iraq knows the repercussion of us leaving and they are still demanding it. they get to experience this. and have their country to create.

[Liberal Gramma]

8. It would probably have the same effect

that pulling out of Vietnam did. Half of the people relieved and jubilant, half of the people angry that we didn't nuke them into submission. I think Iraq will revert to a theocracy whenever we leave, whether it is after 700 American deaths or 7000. So I say, if not now, when?

[Karenina]

12. NOW works for me, Liberal Gramma.

Iraq was NOT a theocracy when the U.S. invaded and I know some smart and beautiful kids from there. I would not second-guess them, nor assume ANYTHING at this point. The entire situation is Lewis Carroll on bad acid. What is CRYSTAL CLEAR is that the *MIC needs to be OUT of Iraq, YESTERDAY. But NOW works for me fine, too.

[Bandit]

9. We could lower our alert status and not have to be so fearful of terrorist

:shrug:

[MallRat]

13. I hate to be the skunk at the garden party...

...but if we pulled out now, without making arrangements for an international body to oversee the rest of the reconstruction process (both political and economic) in Iraq, it would become an ultra-fundamentalist terror nation. We made this mess, and now we have to clean it up.

We must find a way to hand control over to the UN or some other international organization. The UN would lend this process something which it hasn't had since day one: legitimacy in the eyes of the Iraqi people. I'm confident that Kerry will find a way to get this done.

But an immediate pullout of US troops without international oversight to take our place? If we did that, I think Joe America would be in a world of hurt about 5-10 years from now. And the ultimate irony would be completed; Al Qaeda, which could not thrive within Iraq under Saddam Hussein, would turn Iraq into its central base of operations thanks to the "War on Terra."

-MR

[el_gato]

14. Your claims are unfounded

Hatred towards the west is fostered by the constant
interventionism promoted by those who want control
of middle east resources.

It's time to stop the stupidity that is our foreign policy
which is driven ultimately by greed.

[MallRat]

15. I couldn't agree with you more.

"Hatred towards the west is fostered by the constant
interventionism promoted by those who want control
of middle east resources.

It's time to stop the stupidity that is our foreign policy
which is driven ultimately by greed."



You're absolutely right. That is precisely why we shouldn't have gone in in the first place.

But it's too late for that now. We intervened, and we made a fucking mess. Immediate withdrawal without some other support structure to take its place would just rub salt on the wound.

Perhaps a pan-Arab commission would be the best body to work with, so that there's not even a whiff of Western influence in this process. But after obliterating the political infrastructure of Iraq, I shudder to think about what will take its place if no one oversees the transition.

[Poiuyt]

17. I think what the original poster was wondering

was if we pulled out of Iraq, would terrorists bring the war to the US. Would Iraq become a breeding ground for terrorists that then could attack us on our home ground?

A lot of RW people say that it's better to fight the terrorists on their ground and not over here. I don't buy that myself. I think that leaving now would be like leaving Viet Nam, embarrassment and nothing more. Except maybe the oil supply would become more unstable. (And that's not a small matter)