Let The Excuses Begin

[red states rule]

Sadly, our enemies already KNOW that the American citizenry have no will or stomach for what is to come. We, as a nation, proved that in VietNam, Lebanon, Somalia and now Iraq.

When Dems are in power, terrorists are very happy

They know Dems will cut and run everytime

 

[RetiredGySgt]

Not yet we haven't. We still are in Iraq. Further more leaving before the new Government can provide security will lead to the fall of the Government and a need to return even if we leave.

A part of me would love to see Europe on her knees begging us to return after THEIR oil is stopped ( we get little of our oil from Iraq) and would love if we told them to do it themselves.

BUT we have a responsibility to ensure the Government can provide basic security and defend its borders. And I would suggest that if one actually did something other than listen to the Defeatocrats and the Main Stream Press they would discover that we have not "lost" anything.

 

[red states rule]

Not yet we haven't. We still are in Iraq. Further more leaving before the new Government can provide security will lead to the fall of the Government and a need to return even if we leave.

A part of me would love to see Europe on her knees begging us to return after THEIR oil is stopped ( we get little of our oil from Iraq) and would love if we told them to do it themselves.

BUT we have a responsibility to ensure the Government can provide basic security and defend its borders. And I would suggest that if one actually did something other than listen to the Defeatocrats and the Main Stream Press they would discover that we have not "lost" anything.

Dems will cave on the surrender bill. They do not have the political guts to cut off the funding

All Dems have accomplished is to waste three months and show their true feelings about the troops

 

[Care4all]

Not yet we haven't. We still are in Iraq. Further more leaving before the new Government can provide security will lead to the fall of the Government and a need to return even if we leave.

A part of me would love to see Europe on her knees begging us to return after THEIR oil is stopped ( we get little of our oil from Iraq) and would love if we told them to do it themselves.

BUT we have a responsibility to ensure the Government can provide basic security and defend its borders. And I would suggest that if one actually did something other than listen to the Defeatocrats and the Main Stream Press they would discover that we have not "lost" anything.

The threats of there being a pull out has put a fire under the Iraqis to get their act together in a way and it sure would be nice if a threat to pull out gives the EU a reason to think about what THEY are going to do if we do pull out and all hell breaks loose in this Civil War.

Diplomacy is the only way to handle the dispute among the factions, and even the generals and gates have said such, haven't they?

Unless of course we kill all sunni or kill all Shiites, and NO ONE would reccommend such!

But those in Europe need to get off their butts and help out, somehow! This WILL affect them sooner than it will us, again imo.

And those surrounding countries in the middle east better do something too or there will be a mass exodus of people in to their countries when this civil war gets worse... disrupting their own countries imo!

 

[red states rule]

The threats of there being a pull out has put a fire under the Iraqis to get their act together in a way and it sure would be nice if a threat to pull out gives the EU a reason to think about what THEY are going to do if we do pull out and all hell breaks loose in this Civil War.

Diplomacy is the only way to handle the dispute among the factions, and even the generals and gates have said such, haven't they?

Unless of course we kill all sunni or kill all Shiites, and NO ONE would reccommend such!

But those in Europe need to get off their butts and help out, somehow! This WILL affect them sooner than it will us, again imo.

And those surrounding countries in the middle east better do something too or there will be a mass exodus of people in to their countries when this civil war gets worse... disrupting their own countries imo!

How do you reason with people whose number one goal in life is to kill you?

 

[Care4all]

How do you reason with people whose number one goal in life is to kill you?

by taking away their goal... (leaving )

out of sight, out of mind....

make them go on the run... to follow you in to the places you redeployed the troops to....perhaps?

(i am presuming you are speaking about the few thousand alqaeda members that are camping out in iraq?)

care

 

[red states rule]

by taking away their goal... (leaving )

out of sight, out of mind....

make them go on the run... to follow you in to the places you redeployed the troops to....perhaps?

(i am presuming you are speaking about the few thousand alqaeda members that are camping out in iraq?)

care

The Us has done that before and it led to more attacks

 

[Care4all]

The Us has done that before and it led to more attacks

? huh ? please explain.

 

[red states rule]

? huh ? please explain.

Cut and run from Somalia

Terrorists hit US interests five times during Clinton and the US did nothing

If you show weakness to terrorists - they will keep coming after you

 

[Care4all]

Cut and run from Somalia

Terrorists hit US interests five times during Clinton and the US did nothing

If you show weakness to terrorists - they will keep coming after you

i was politically ignorant during the clinton years and all years before that....only the last few years have i been politically awakened and paying attention to what is going on...(i was much happier in the blissfully ignorant days)

here is what i found on somalia that seems to be unbiased... and i guess i still don't understand what u mean?

Civil War and famine

Long-time dictator Siad Barre is forced out of Mogadishu in January, 1991. Conflict between the Somali National Movement (SNM), Aidid's party, and other factions causes clan infighting, leading to famine and lawlessness throughout portions of the country. An estimated 300,000 Somalis die of starvation during the year of civil war that followed Barre's ouster.

March 3

Ceasefire
Warring faction leaders sign a ceasefire agreement, which includes provisions to allow a UN monitoring mission into Somalia to oversee arrangements for providing humanitarian assistance.

April 24

UN Military Observers to Somalia

UN Security Council approves UN operation in Somalia, pursuant to the ceasefire agreement. In July, 50 unarmed UN military observers are deployed to Mogadishu to monitor the ceasefire.

August 15

Operation Provide Relief (United Nations Operation in Somalia -- UNOSOM I)
UN humanitarian relief effort begins.

December 4

US President George Bush launches Somalia intervention
Deteriorating security prevents the UN mission from delivering food and supplies to the starving Somalis. Relief flights are looted upon landing, food convoys are hijacked and aid workers assaulted. The UN appeals to its members to provide military forces to assist the humanitarian operation.

With only weeks left in his term as president, George Bush responds to the UN request, proposing that US combat troops lead an international UN force to secure the environment for relief operations. On December 5, the UN accepts his offer, and Bush orders 25,000 US troops into Somalia. On December 9th, the first US Marines land on the beach.

Bush assures the American people and troops involved that this is not an open ended commitment; the objective is to quickly provide a secure environment so that food can get through to the starving Somalis, and then the operation will be turned over to the UN peacekeeping forces. He assures the public that he plans for the troops to be home by Clinton's inauguration in January.

This US-led United Task Force (UNITAF) is dubbed "Operation Restore Hope."

January

Clinton takes over
Clinton, like Bush, is anxious to scale down the American military presence in Somalia and let the United Nations take charge.

March 15 -28

Addis Ababa Accords
The UN organized Conference on National Reconciliation in Somalia, held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, results in a resolution among faction leaders, including Aidid, to end the violence.

May 4

UN takeover; "nation building" (UNOSOM II)
In March, the UN authorizes UNOSOM II, a UN operation with expanded enforcement power, whose mandate stressed "the crucial importance of disarmament" of the Somali people. This UN-led mission was to take over from the US-led UNITAF. The expanded operation's new mission goes beyond simply providing humanitarian relief, calling for the UN to facilitate "nation building," to get Somalia back on its feet by restoring law and order, shoring up the infrastructure, and helping to set up processes for establishing a representative government. By the end of March, 28 different nations send contingents to Somalia in support of the new militarized operation. The US officially hands over the command to the UN on May 4.

While Clinton supported this expansion of the UN's mandate, he simultaneously ordered the number of US troops in Somalia to be reduced and replaced by UN troops. By June, only 1,200 US combat soldiers remained in Somalia, with 3,000 support troops.

June 5

Massacre of Pakistani troops; the hunt for Aidid
During an inspection of a Somali arms weapons storage site, 24 Pakistani soldiers are ambushed and massacred. The next day, the UN Security Council issues an emergency resolution calling for the apprehension of "those responsible" for the massacre. Though Aidid is not specifically named in the resolution, it is, in effect, a call to apprehend him. Twelve days later, Admiral Howe orders Aidid's arrest, offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to his apprehension.

June 8

Special Forces requested
In the aftermath of the June 5 massacre, Admiral Howe first requests a counterterrorist hostage rescue force from Washington because they he they needed more extensive military capability to deal with the escalating violence. No such troops are forthcoming until Task Force Ranger is deployed in August.

June 12-16

Attacks on Aidid's strongholds
US and UN troops begin attacking various targets in Mogadishu associated with Aidid, including a radio station and ammunition depots. The peacekeepers are now at war with Aidid.

July 12

Abdi house attack
In a major escalation, American Cobra helicopters attack a house in south Mogadishu where a group of clan leaders are meeting, destroying the building with TOW missiles and cannon fire and killing a number of Somalis. Four western journalists who had gone to investigate are beaten to death by an angry mob.

July 29

Last sighting of Aidid

August 8

Americans killed by land mines
Four American military police are killed by a remote detonated land mine set off by Somalis. Two weeks later, six more US soldiers are wounded in a similar attack. This gets attention in America, and shortly thereafter, Task Force Ranger is deployed to Somalia.

August 26

US Special Forces arrive in Somalia
US Army Task Force Ranger flies into Mogadishu -- 440 elite troops from Delta Force and the U.S. Rangers. Led by Major General William F. Garrison, their mission is to capture Aidid. They begin pursuing Aidid and his top lieutenants, with sporadic success.

September

Carter negotiating with Aidid
In the midst of the manhunt, the Clinton administration opens a secret initiative to negotiate with Aidid. Former president Jimmy Carter, who had a previous relationship with Aidid, volunteers to act as intermediary. The US military commanders in Mogadishu are not informed about this new initiative.

September

Request for armored reinforcements denied
In a decision that is later highly criticized, US Defense Secretary Les Aspin denies requests from General Montgomery for armored reinforcements, despite support for Montgomery's request from General Colin Powell. Aspin says that he did not want to create the appearance that the US was increasing forces in Somalia at a time when they were trying to reduce military presence. He later concedes,"Had I known at the time what I knew after the events of Sunday, [October 3]. I would have made a very different decision." In December, he is forced to resign.

October 3-4

Firefight
Task Force Ranger's assault on the Olympic Hotel in Mogadishu, in search of Aidid, results in a seventeen hour bloody battle in which 18 US soldiers are killed and 84 are wounded.

October 7

Clinton's response: withdraw troops
President Clinton decides to cut his losses. He sends substantial combat troops as short term reinforcements, but declares that American troops are to be fully withdrawn from Somalia by March 31. The hunt for Aidid is abandoned, and US representatives are sent to resume negotiations with the warlord. Two weeks later, in a letter to President Clinton, General Garrison accepts full responsibility for what happened in the battle.

October 14

Durant released
CWO Mike Durant, who had been taken captive by Aidid's men during the battle, is released along with a Nigerian prisoner.

March 25

Remaining US forces leave Somalia
Approximately 20,000 UN forces remain, composed primarily of Asian and African contingents.

Spring

Final UN withdrawal from Somalia

August 1

Aidid dies
Aidid dies in hospital from bullet wounds received during an outbreak of fighting in Mogadishu.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/ambush/etc/cron.html

 

[Vintij]

Point 1 - there is no civil war - the people who live in Iraq agree with that

Point 2 - If the dems get their way and the US surrenders and leaves, Iran will team with the terrorist, take over, and millions will be killed

Correction, there IS civil war in Iraq. Hundreds of attacks have taken place far from U.S known bunkers or patrols. Many have taken place far from the patrol of any US soldiers. What does this mean? Obviously there are people in Iraq, with the sole purpose to kill other iraqis.

Secondly, saying that the democrats have done nothing since taking office is incorrect. Several bills have passed with GOP support and without it.

Also, how can anything get done in iraq, if the president is going to veto?!? Think about it first.

 

[red states rule]

Correction, there IS civil war in Iraq. Hundreds of attacks have taken place far from U.S known bunkers or patrols. Many have taken place far from the patrol of any US soldiers. What does this mean? Obviously there are people in Iraq, with the sole purpose to kill other iraqis.

Secondly, saying that the democrats have done nothing since taking office is incorrect. Several bills have passed with GOP support and without it.

Also, how can anything get done in iraq, if the president is going to veto?!? Think about it first.

“On this fourth anniversary of the start of the Iraq war a new survey, based on an unusually large sample of Iraqis, indicates that contrary to many Western analysts most Iraqis do not believe their country is embroiled in a civil war. The poll of more than 5,000 Iraqi adults was conducted by the British market research firm Opinion Research Business and reported in our sister publication, the Times of London. 61 percent of the respondents did not think the situation qualifies as a civil war there. 49 percent said life is better under the current Iraqi government. Just 26 percent preferred life under Saddam Hussein. And 64 percent want to see a united Iraq under a central national government.”
The Times of London's summary of the poll: “Iraqis: life is getting better."
The same paper's March 18 article about the civil war question: “Resilient Iraqis ask what civil war?”

A version of the combined articles as posted by The Australian: “It's better than Saddam, say hopeful Iraqis.”
http://newsbusters.org/node/11521


The bills have passed, but most of them are bottled up in Dem committee - Dems can't agree on the difference between the House and Senate versions

The surrender bill needs to be vetoed - and it has

Rememebr what Dems said during the Clinton years?

The Republican Congress needs to learn to work with Pres Clinton

Now, will the Dem Congress learn to work with Pres Bush?

Or will libs say Pres Bush needs to learn to work with the Dem Congress?