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Iraq

20 posts
  1. Wahlin Scott B
    Wahlin Scott B avatar
    10/21/2011 4:10 PM
    [youtube">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yCsmwoMecU[/youtube">



  2. Sandy Clark
    Sandy Clark avatar
    0 posts
    6/13/2014 8:06 AM
    The new mess in Iraq was predicted by nearly every military leader. You never tell the enemy when your leaving date will be. The same thing will happen with the Taliban when we get out of that country. All the American blood will have been wasted for nothing and the most vile strain of Islam will take hold, making the world a far more dangerous place. You can just about promise yourself that you will see a major war in the mid-east. Israel will not take their destruction lying down! What a total mess caused by a bunch of incompetent foreign policy rookies! Sure, let's just all talk things out and everyone will become nice! We play by politically correct rules and we announce when we determine we will be finished. Great policy. The enemy loves our stupidity!



  3. Steven Huffstutler
    Steven Huffstutler avatar
    11 posts
    6/13/2014 10:06 AM
    You're right. It's too bad this war was started under false premises to begin with.



  4. Richard Lavine
    Richard Lavine avatar
    3 posts
    6/13/2014 10:06 AM
    Sandy,
    With all due respect, announcing our withdrawal or not, that void would have been filled with the bad guys sooner or later. Anytime we remove a leader the question is asked, who will take his/her place? Saddam Hussein was certainly not the best leader in that country for OUR purposes, but he [i]was[i] able to hold some type of stabilization. So now, the country is being taken over by our worst enemy and what options does that leave for us? The real shame for all of this is the thousands of lives we have lost, and the billions of dollars we spent, and we are right back where we started (or worse).



  5. Clay Putnam
    Clay Putnam avatar
    33 posts
    6/13/2014 10:06 AM
    I agree with Richard. Announcement or no announcement the nut bags in the middle east would have moved in sooner or later. The fact of the matter our interest in the middle east is primarily oil. We have the resources in the states and neighboring countries to sever our ties with the middle east yet for "some reason" we remain chained to the vary people that hate us.



  6. Steve Nelson
    Steve Nelson avatar
    0 posts
    6/13/2014 12:06 PM
    The problems in Iraq pre-date any US involvement, including the second war which was based on false premises and the subsequent ill fated attempt at nation building. The Sunni and Shiites hate each other and this is a game of regional dominance being played out by Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States, which fund and support ISIS, and Iran, which funds and supports the gov't in Iraq. We have no shot at doing anything productive here. It is why we correctly stayed out of the Syria mess, which has now spread to Iraq.

    The best we can do is to continue to support the Kurds in the north, who actually still like us and appreciate what we did for them. Iraq is likely to become three nations, Kurds in the north, Shiites in the south and east, and Sunnis in the northwest. Not much we can do about it. At least Egypt is finally stabilizing now that democracy is gone (insisting that Mubarak go was indeed 'rookie foreign policy'), who knows what will happen in Libya. One thing is for sure, the 'Arab Spring' is a total bust. We were fools to think that democracy would work there.



  7. Steven Huffstutler
    Steven Huffstutler avatar
    11 posts
    6/13/2014 3:06 PM
    Tell them to work it out and walk away. These people have been at war for centuries and the idea that we are going to civilize them is just absurd. It's a shame that a single American lost his life there, especially since most of our leaders never bothered to wear the uniform that they expect us and our kids to die for.


    Regards,

    Steve



  8. Keith Pegg
    Keith Pegg avatar
    0 posts
    6/14/2014 2:06 PM
    Steven Huffstutler, CGCS said: Tell them to work it out and walk away. These people have been at war for centuries and the idea that we are going to civilize them is just absurd. It's a shame that a single American lost his life there, especially since most of our leaders never bothered to wear the uniform that they expect us and our kids to die for.


    Regards,

    Steve

    100% agree
    Keith



  9. Stephen Okula
    Stephen Okula avatar
    3 posts
    6/15/2014 1:06 AM
    Sandy Clark, CGCS said: The new mess in Iraq was predicted by nearly every military leader. You never tell the enemy when your leaving date will be. The same thing will happen with the Taliban when we get out of that country. All the American blood will have been wasted for nothing and the most vile strain of Islam will take hold, making the world a far more dangerous place. You can just about promise yourself that you will see a major war in the mid-east. Israel will not take their destruction lying down! What a total mess caused by a bunch of incompetent foreign policy rookies! Sure, let's just all talk things out and everyone will become nice! We play by politically correct rules and we announce when we determine we will be finished. Great policy. The enemy loves our stupidity!


    The new mess in Iraq was predicted by a lot of us before the U.S. invaded in 2003. The withdrawal didn't create the problem, the invasion did. Previous, there were no radical Islamic terrorists in Iraq and now it's full of them and they have a safe haven and base of operations.

    I agree with you though, the enemy does love our stupidity.



  10. Sandy Clark
    Sandy Clark avatar
    0 posts
    6/16/2014 9:06 AM
    Everything mentioned by you guys is right on target. If you are really going to fight a war though you don't announce all your strategy at any point. Yes, they are all tribal over there and we just can't figure it out. It will always be a different world.



  11. Trevor Monreal
    Trevor Monreal avatar
    5 posts
    6/16/2014 11:06 AM
    Couple things:
    - Obviously there was a video released somewhere that upset these people enough to invoke this kind of violence.
    - These people must not know that Osama Bin Ladin is dead and Al Qaeda is on the run.
    I just hope President Obama has watched enough CNN to fully understand the scope of what's happening over there. But then again, he may have ran into somebody connected at the DNC fundraiser or while golfing this weekend.



  12. Sandy Clark
    Sandy Clark avatar
    0 posts
    6/17/2014 9:06 AM
    Bush can be blamed for getting us in Iraq and that it fair game but Obama has to shoulder all the blame on how we exit. Because of the inexperience and fantasy land outlook on foreign affairs, his administration completely bungled the exit. Again, lots of blame for everyone in Washington but none should be forgiven. We have to have better leaders somewhere in our country! We seem to be making a mess out of everything and if you question decisions, you are either a racist a homophobe or a global warming denier idiot.



  13. Corey Eastwood
    Corey Eastwood avatar
    82 posts
    6/17/2014 10:06 AM
    Lets see. If we left after Pres. Obama took office it would be "Cut and Run". We leave five years later and that is wrong. What would "Any War is a Good War" McCain have done.

    Corey Eastwood CGCS, Stockton Golf & CC, Retired

  14. Melvin Waldron
    Melvin Waldron avatar
    43 posts
    6/17/2014 10:06 AM
    Sandy Clark, CGCS said: Bush can be blamed for getting us in Iraq and that it fair game but Obama has to shoulder all the blame on how we exit. Because of the inexperience and fantasy land outlook on foreign affairs, his administration completely bungled the exit. Again, lots of blame for everyone in Washington but none should be forgiven. We have to have better leaders somewhere in our country! We seem to be making a mess out of everything and if you question decisions, you are either a racist a homophobe or a global warming denier idiot.


    From what I understand the Agreement that we were to leave was signed in 2008 before President Obama even won the election? Or it was at least before he took office.

    I thought President Obama tried to extend it, but Maliki wanted the US out, at that time. In that regard, if that is what he wanted, I say screw them.

    I honestly don't know what else President Obama could have done? There of course are a lot of arm chair quarterbacks who seem to be taking political advantage of the situation which in my opinion is a disgrace and disservice to those that fought and died there.

    As Gus said, President Obama has had his share of missteps, such as in Egypt, but Iraq, he was handed a mess that it seems no one wanted him to fix, and just wanted us out.

    Mel

    Melvin H. Waldron III, CGCS, Horton Smith Golf Course, City of Springfield/Greene County MO

  15. Stephen Okula
    Stephen Okula avatar
    3 posts
    6/17/2014 3:06 PM
    Let's admit that Obama is useless when it comes to foreign policy, or pretty much anything else.

    But Iraq should be laid firmly at the feet of W. He created the mess, and no one can now fix it.



  16. Ronald Kirkman
    Ronald Kirkman avatar
    42 posts
    6/19/2014 4:06 PM
    Greetings;

    VP Biden had a good thought a few years back. Dividing Iraq - 1/3 of the country goes to Shi'ites, 1/3 goes to Sunis and 1/3 goes to the Kurds. I think many politicians from both sides of the aisle thought this to be a good idea. I don't know what happened after that. I'm pretty sure though in some strange way it was President's Bush's fault.

    Capt. Kirk
    Retired Alien
    Needham Golf Club
    Needham, MA



  17. Christopher Thuer
    Christopher Thuer avatar
    101 posts
    6/19/2014 6:06 PM
    Didn't the current administration not long ago claim that the terrorist groups had been defeated and were on the run thus it was time to get out, against the advice of the military?

    Chris Thuer, CGCS, Bear Slide Golf Club, Cicero, IN

  18. Peter Bowman
    Peter Bowman avatar
    11 posts
    6/19/2014 7:06 PM
    Something like that, yes.



  19. Ronald Kirkman
    Ronald Kirkman avatar
    42 posts
    6/19/2014 9:06 PM
    Christopher Thuer, CGCS said: Didn't the current administration not long ago claim that the terrorist groups had been defeated and were on the run thus it was time to get out, against the advice of the military?


    Absolutely true Chris. Matter of fact, V.P. Mr.Biden declared victory and stated something like this - "This is President Obama's Finest Hour" and he will go down in History as the one who straightened out Iraq - it was something to that effect. I don't remember the exact words. It was a victory. However, the military advised the President to leave about 30,000 troops in Iraq. The President of Iraq didn't like that idea. Finally, it was discussed to be about 3000 troops but that wouldn't work out so Mr. Obama thought it best to get out of Iraq.

    I'm sure some of you out there can explain this better than I.

    Capt. Kirk
    Retired Alien
    Needham Golf Club
    Needham, MA



  20. Stephen Okula
    Stephen Okula avatar
    3 posts
    6/20/2014 8:06 AM
    Didn't W. proclaim victory when he landed on that aircraft carrier back in 2003?



  21. Corey Eastwood
    Corey Eastwood avatar
    82 posts
    6/20/2014 11:06 AM
    I disagree with the sending of any troops back there. This problem in the Middle East is it is a Holy War and can not be solved by outsiders. Let them kill each other off like most all religions have done for thousands of years. Some kind of peace will then come for a couple of generations and then start ll over again.

    Corey Eastwood CGCS, Stockton Golf & CC, Retired

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