Benevolence Is Winning Hearts And Minds
I was having a discussion with commenter Oscar at Classical Values about the nature of the war and progress, if any. Oscar says if we were not occupying Iraq all would be sweetness and light.
OK. Oscar. I get it.
Jihadis are killing Iraqis in order to make the Americans leave and to prove how benevolent they will be when they become the rulers of Iraq.
I'm told that their strategy is in fact working so well that many of the tribes in Iraq have come to the Americans - primarily and the Iraqi government - secondarily to protect them from the jihadis.
So it must be about the occupation. Otherwise why would so many Iraqis be asking for our help?
Posts
11 comments:
Well, we're winning the war. Indeed, some say we've won:
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22689634-5007146,00.html
So the debate really has passed this question of should we be occupying. The question is what can we do now to consolidate the new burst of freedom we helped to create?
Have a great weekend.
I guess any memory I had of people hating America before Iraq and Afghanistan is just a delusion.
It is funny how, as I get older, everything I remember from my past is supposed to have never happened. Saddam was always in full compliance with the terms of surrender he signed with the UN after loosing his war of invasion against Kuwait. All those deaths under his rule never happened. His economy was not decaying like an apple on the compost heap until the mean old Americans unilaterally got the UN to institute sanctions.
I have been told by academics in the media that 9-11 was in retaliation for America overthrowing the Taliban. Journalists tell me that Bush is the mastermind of 9-11. I guess he was retaliating against himself. Being told that everything I remember about my life has been nothing but a fever dream is one thing but is it too much to ask that the narrative which I am expected to replace my memory with should actually be self consistent?
I notice that the blogger comment page makes long URLs hard to see even though they are still there. I took the liberty making the link to the address you posted:
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22689634-5007146,00.html
Simon.
You're a masochist.
Oscar is a moron. He even contradicts himself, as well as the history the baron refers to.
My head spins.
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Donald.
To answer your question, go north and finish the job. Should have been done about 2 years ago instead of kickin' the can down the road with diplos and their jaw-jaw.
The case was as defensible then as it is now. The targets were known and less hardened. The feckless communities who should assist were by then known to be devoid of trust. We'll have to do it more or less alone anyhow. I suppose one can ususally count on the Aussies.
The moonbats will never cease their shrill accusations. Only their narratives shift. Ignore them. Don't ignore the real peril.
Do as thou wilt.
linearthinker, as much as I agree with ending the tyranny in Syria as I can also understand the reluctance to turn the gaze from Iran right now. And while progress is being made in Iraq it might be beneficial to continue consolidation for a while. I could be wrong but I would not be surprised if that is how things were being seen right now in the administration.
Baron,
Thank you for your tactful remark. Let me correct my error.
I should have said go NE and finish the job, or better, I should have been less clever and just said Qom, and nuclear weapons development sites including but not limited to Natanz, Arak, Esfahan, etc., as well as Iranian terrorist training facilities, electric power distribution nodes, and C&C resources. The longer we wait, the more difficult the job will ultimately become. The rest of the world will go nuts, of course. But consider the alternative of a nuclear armed mullocracy.
Here's what Cheney said about Iraq, I still think he's right:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BEsZMvrq-I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BEsZMvrq-I
Cheney asks in the first video what kind of government will replace Saddam.
I think we have our answer.
Self government.
Certainly you have something better than a video over 10 years old to make your point.
Things change. Or were you unaware of that?
Don't patronize me, little man.
What's changed? Everything Cheney said in '94 has come true.
If you have your 'answer', where's the result?
Stevie,
Obviously you are smaller than you think.
Currently the murder rate in Iraq is about the same as it is in South Africa.
Is South Africa a failure?
The question of course is: Is the decline in violence in Iraq temporary or a feature?
Iraq is a failure is so six months ago. Things change.
I favor self government for the Iraqis. The jihadis have a different idea. Which side are you on?
SO NO NEWS, THEN: Michael Yon emails: "I've been down town on the streets of Baghdad most of Sunday morning and afternoon. Didn't hear a shot fired, but did see a new road being built."
Instapundit
ANOTHER GRIM MILESTONE: Iraqis returning to Baghdad. Well, it's grim for some people.
Instapundit
You know. Things change.
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