Our BetterMost Community > The Polling Place
What should the US now do about Iraq?
Lynne:
Shasta posted a neat poll where you could select where you stand on various issues and their importance to you and the survey would return where the various candidates stood on the issues being considered. I disagreed with all my top candidates on the Iraq question, so I'm wondering what other people think about this specifically? Feel free for all Brokies to chime in, not just the U.S.
Edit to add the link to Shasta's original poll: http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,13555.msg261403.html#msg261403
Lynne:
I voted for #2. My reasoning is that the other options are likely to lead to civil war. I don't have the sense that the three principal ethnic groups are going to be able to set aside their very real differences, agendas, and priorities and govern together. But maybe this option (and #1) are not thought of as 'good' because it's more unwanted interference on the part of the US. I just really hate to see us leave without cleaning up the big mess we made...if we do that, the death toll (both US and Iraqi) is really all for zilch, imo.
dot-matrix:
I am in favor of Draw down the U.S. troops and decentralize Iraq by dividing it into regions of separate governments but I think there still needs to be a central govenment to which all the regional govenrments report otherwise you still have the very real specter of civil wars, destablization or trade and currency. All major functions like taxes, currency, postage, and other regulatory mandates need to come from a centralized government. Our forefathers learned this the hard way with the 13 original colonies when money from one colony was worthless in another, trade was hijacked and some colonies printed currency they had no gold or silver to back. In reality I do not see the US pulling totally out of Iraq for some time to come. Especially if we do the right thing and clean up the mess GWB made.
Lynne:
Those are really good points, Dottie - practical ideas about how a decentralized Iraq would work. Thanks for helping unclog my synapses. ;)
David In Indy:
Have you ever seen those signs hanging in stores that read "You Break It, You Buy It"?
Well. There you go. That's how I feel about it.
I was against this terrible and illegal war from the very beginning. I was among only a small handful of Hoosiers who opposed it and people called me anti American. If anyone in this stupid state of mine had taken FIFTEEN seconds to crack a history book they would have found out these Muslim sects have been feuding for over one thousand years. Invading Iraq would not only ignite a civil war in Iraq, war would likely irrupt throughout the Mideast.
*David steps down off his soap box*
Now we've gone in there, and we totally screwed up an entire country; a country who didn't want us there in the first place. People are fleeing Iraq by the hundreds of thousands, and every day innocent Iraqis are being killed by suicide bombers and death squads. Sooner or later the United States must learn we CANNOT invade any country we want, any time we want and force our beliefs on others who want NOTHING to do with us. Now we're beating our war drums again. They are telling us it is entirely possible we might invade Iran within the next six months. God help us all.
I never thought I would hear myself say this, because I've been in favor of a quick withdrawl for a long time, but I don't think it's possible anymore. I worry what will happen to the Iraqi people if we suddenly leave. We've raped, pillaged and destroyed their country. We need to stay there and fix what we've broken. And hopefully, in doing so, we will learn an important lesson and never make such a STUPID ASS mistake again.
If we leave now, what happens to Iraq? The Mideast? What about Europe? Africa? Europe and Africa are the Mideast's neighbors. I don't think most Americans yet realize the terrible mistake we made invading Iraq. We have to stay there and somehow fix this terrible mess we've made.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
Go to full version