Letters to the Editor
fetboy
Published Letters: 1236 Editor's Choice: 22
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Is the sustained Deaths and Injuries Worth It???
[Read the article: Bush's non-exit exit strategy]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]What goes without saying or questioning, is that Admiral Mike Mullen apparently sees the average of 3 American fatalities and uncounted critical injuries, that American servicemen suffer per day in Iraq, as acceptable losses. In all the sustained America Military presences, no where has America suffer that much on a daily basis. We would not have stayed in Japan, Germany, Italy, or South Korea if our daily losses in those countries were as severe as they are in Iraq.
Assuming that Admiral Mike Mullen is right that long term American military presence in Iraq could bring stability to Iraq, is it worth it?
Lets look at possible benefits of a "stable" Iraq.
Could a stable Iraq deter terrorism and radical Islam? I am of the opinion that even if the Sunnies and Shiites stop shooting each other (which is hard to imagine since they have been killing each other for over a thousand years now), the Sunnies would still be inclined to hate America, because we removed their dominance from the Iraqi government, and thusly they would still want to fund and/or actively or indirectly support Al-Qaeda. And on the Shiite side it is hard to imagine that they would not form greater ties with America's greatest enemy Iran.
Could stability in Iraq prevent Iraq from pursuing weapons of mass destruction. Since I don't believe stability in Iraq will deter terrorism or radical Islam, likewise I doubt a stable Iraq would not pursue weapons of mass destruction to either use on Israel, or on their neighbors, namely Turkey (which is more or less at war with the Kurds), Saudi Arabia (which would like to see Sunni dominance returned to Iraq), or Kuwait (because of their vast oil wealth that was so enticing to Saddam back in 1990).
Does a stable Iraq lower the prise of gas? Why would people who are no longer desperate sell their oil cheaper? And the take over of Iraq by Halliburton hasn't yet (over 4 years later) been linked to lower prises at the pump here in America. The price of gas in America has nearly doubled since the invasion of Iraq began.
Could a stable Iraq promote Democratic reform in the region? Probably, but the attempt at Democratic reform in Iraq is why we have the current chaotic situation in Iraq, and the current chaotic situation in Iraq has encouraged every nation in the region to become less Democratic. And can we really assume that Arab nations and Iran acting more Democratically would be in the best interest of the west? If the citizens of Iran and the Arab nations are given the vote, then more than likely they will elect parties such as Hamas and Hezbollah, which were both recently democratically elected.
However all those arguments are mute, in that stability in Iraq isn't possible. If Stability in Iraq was possible, the British would have achieved that goal over a hundred years ago. Need I remind people why Saddam was our friend in the Iran-Iraq war, and why he was given the keys to the city of Detroit in 1980.
The goal isn't achievable, and the cost in American servicemen lives and in American tax dollars isn't worth it, so it's time to bring our beloved military home, or at least redeployed to places where they would not be getting shot at or attacked with bombs on a daily basis.
The best bet for Iraq is to partition the nation along ethnic lines. This would not reduce the support for radical Islam and unsavory political parties, but such support from Iraqis is inevitable no matter what happens. But a partitioned Iraq would greatly reduce the chances of a Saddam like character coming back to power, would reduce the threats that Iraq potentially poses to its neighbors, and would put an end to the current active Iraqi civil war.
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You're Alright Michael!!!
[Read the article: The MSM vs. the blogosphere]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Yeah, sometimes you suck, but I still like reading your reporting/commentary. I thought your article about Senators Clinton and Obama where you exclaimed, "may the best woman win," was offensive, but I was still glad you wrote it.
You're not perfect, but nobody is, and I am glad that you are working to perfect your craft.
Personally I think you're a guy I would like to drink a few beers with, and I like you even more now that I know you take our criticism of you seriously.
Keep up the good work, and I look forward to reading more of your stuff, and I will be more to happy to constructively criticize you if I think you work warrants it.