I would like to see us succeed in Iraq, but when the government is crumbling, what hope is there.?
444655
Active Army Enlisted, OIF II Veteran.  Despite what is commonly seen in the press and the news networks, the country is steadily improving.  To date, there have been multiple, successful elections, constant improved infrastructure (schools, hospitals, roadways, pipelines, etc.) and a better trained, better supplied military (to include APCs and transport aircraft).\n\nOf course, starting from nothing after the invasion, to it's expected goal, will obviously take a long time.  However, the US must accept the direction Iraq wishes to take with its newfound democracy.  This is a double edge sword that can result in not only a free and successful Iraq, but also a fundamentalist nation, not to far from similar states such as Iran or Palestine.\n\nOne thing that must be remembered that in order to prevent further instability, the US and UK must not force a stable democracy to fast in Iraq.  As it has been seen is many other nations such as Rwanda in the 1990s, when foreign governments intervene with the good intention to produce a stable nation before sed nation is ready to embrace a "mature democracy", the result is further instability and therefore, in the case of Iraq, the increased continued presence of US troops in Iraq.\n\nCase in point, the US was not considered a mature democracy, recognizable to the rest of the world as a first world, influential nation till about 1940 to 1960, around to 180 years after the nation was founded.  As stated before, Iraq needs time and the freedom to set its own government at its own pace.
695148
It already has. \n\nBush keeps talking about achieving victory, but the sad fact of life is that there is no way to win in this situation. The best we can hope for is containment of the sectarian violence.\n\nI certainly hope this country treats the Iraq vets better than they did the Vietnam vets....
417262
I was asking the same question near the end of Bush Sr's term... things are worse now, than they were then, but I have faith that a good leader can turn things around....\nthere could be problems if a good leader isn't elected...
1094014
Their policy is to try to stay as long as possible and hope that something good happens. Unfortunately for everyone, no one in the administration has any military experience and knows little about military tactics or the mid-east. Recently 100 experts in military tactics were polled and 86% of them said that the Iraq war in unwinable at this point. Any of these "positive" developments in Iraq that we sometimes hear about are usually token victories, which are blown out of proportion by the media and the administration. \n\nAt this point, the best bet for Iraq and the U.S. is for all of our troops to be pulled out and let the Iraqis determine their own fate. The U.S. presence there is only deteriorating the situation.
634051
True.  Our government lied to us about why we were going in, and like sheeps to slaughter we believed it.  Now that we are there we can't just pull out and let whoever can grab the most power the quickest take over.  I for one apologize to those who lost loved ones because our president is a warmongering moron but can't support a full pullout of troops until the Iraqi people have a firm hold on their country (i.e. government is stable and not under dictatorship).  And no there is no honesty in the U.S. government.  We gave them power and they took it and have used it without us REALLY keeping up with what they are doing.  Absolute power corrupts absolutely.
623756
we they can start by getting saddam out of power, well wait, we did that for them. then they can start by forming an independent goverment, no wait we did that too. well, i supose they need to form a top notch military power. oh hell we did that for them too. well i supose they can keep following our guidance, and learning to take control of their own country, and everything should be fine!!!
231660
TO crazyjimsmith: "Well lets see, the country will crumble into disarray. There will be more killing." -- um yeah, there is usually turmoil when someone invades you and dacapitates your government.  You americans don't undersdand anything about world. Most Americans have never been outside the US.  I was astonished when i found out...  Your point of view is from your couch through fox news.\n\n"Sharia law will be introduced so women will lose all their rights." - will it? how do you know? Is that the same knowledge that got US in Iraq in the first place? If sharia will be introduced, can't you see? It is part of their culture. Americans can never accept anything or anyone different, only because you do not understand it. When Iraqis are ready they will revolt. When you invade, all things aside, their first priority is to get rid of you.\n\n"Democracy will be destroyed, there will be a flood of refugees because people will flee the country." -- Democracy will be destroyed? Is there a democracy there now? Or is there a puppet government established by the United States.  Do you think most Iraqis wish to be occupied? Of course not, therefore they will not want a government that is cooperating with the United States.\n\n"Iran (Iraq's neighbour)" <-- the dumb audience needed a clarification that Iran is somewhere in middle east as well.\n\n"... will try to exert even more influence, as they are already meddling in Iraq's affairs. There will be mass killings." -- Okay there will be mass killing? because Iran will be meddling in Iraq's affairs, right? Oh wait... what is the United States meddling in again? But of couse "we" can meddle but we can't let "them" meddle because there a going to be mass killings...\n\n"Will the United Nations help? The United Nations cannot be relied on to organise a tea party. Have a look at what the UN did in Yugoslavia and East Timor" -- I'm looking and i'm liking much more that what i'm seeing on the news everyday.\n\n"You're a school student and you have to do this for home work don't you? How did I know?" <-- oh man, oh man that a was a tough one.  I'm sure noone else could have guessed that one\n\n"Because your teacher is an imbecile" <-- chances are... but so are you.\n\nTo the Questioner:\nThere are some benefits from withdrawing troops from Iraq. There are downsides as well. There will be civil war when troops withdraw. However, troops are only a timer for that conflict. Administration's policy is to build a Iraqi force to keep order, but when Americans withdraw this force will be loyal to their clan not to Iraq. Iraq is not a nation, it's a country, but it's not a nation. It's a country that Brits and French put together on a map, and that Saddam held together by terror.  Now the benefits would be:\n1. troop safety\n2. more volunteers for the military\n3. stop having a reason for the world to hate the US\n4. National Guard could be used for guarding the nation's borders (national guard -- guarding the nation see the relationship there?)\n5. Quit speding money that you don't have for god sakes. Debt what debt? here's my other credit card!\n6. Focus attention on things that need to be done at home\nand so on and so on
116294
Absolutely, Peace and Democracy will happen in Iraq. I have a source you can look at to see the progress and great things that happen in Iraq that the mainstream media doesn’t tell you about.
932378
Unfortunately I don't think we'll be able to keep Iraq together now that sectarian violence has taken over the country. Iran is clearly helping the Shiite militias with resources as they are supporting Hezbolla in Lebanon. Like it or not we should be talking with the Iranians about this and other things. However even Sadr has lost control of the militias. There's just an ineveitable bottom that has to be hit before this thing wears out. I remember a similar situation in South Viet Nam. The South was corrupt and it's army unable to stand up to the North. As soon as we left it all fell apart. Iraq was a creation of the west. Rival ethnic groups held down by a merciless dictator. Bush and his advisors completely underestimated the divisons in that country. Sadam was like a cork in the bottle. Maybe an international force of non-western nations might be able to restore order but it would take hundreds of thousands more than we have there now. The current prime minister has to go and the interior ministry needs to be purged of the criminals and assassins using their positions to carry out personal vendettas. Twice in my lifetime the bright boys in Washington have tried this and twice they've failed. My Dick Cheney and his like will finally stop trying to refight the Viet Nam war.
1138356
I'm confused, is this a question about Bush or the future of Iraq?  Bush will only be in office a few more years.  Iraq has a future which will go on for a long time.  The thing is, Bush didn't ask the people of Iraq if they wanted help.  He didn't ask the people if they were happy with their old government.  What the people of Iraq are telling him is that they aren't happy with the Bush solution.  Bush needs to pull back and allow the people of Iraq to decide what form of government they want, that is after all, what Democracy is supposed to be all about.  Hopefully the people of the USA will speak loudly in the next election and will get someone who listens to what the people want, not what he(she) wants.
878277
We can sure hope so. It's starting off pretty good. Our Nation needs to support unity and good thinking. Time will tell.
52267
Should be..but even if we had adopted a new government...if people in the position will stay the way they used to, probably we'll remain the same...We are yearning for better. What president and all the government officials are promising to us, never happened in reality. I don't want to expect too much from this country. Everything should be in a new form by now but seeing it with my own eyes, as much as possible I want to be realistic--and this is the reality.
536426
At this moment in time, no, I don't believe it's stable enough for a complete troop withdrawal.  The Iraqi government is not stable enough.
1156834
I have been saying this to anyone that will listen!!!  People look back at the Vietnam war as a failure of the US.  The US went in there and tried to implement the form of government they saw best.  And now we are trying to transform the government of Iraq?  See the comparison, this war will be viewed as another US failure.  How many more wars will the world tolerate that Americans step in and try to force their ideas.  These wars also hurt our economy.  Are these failed wars the beginning of the end for the US as the leading "empire" of the world.
364656
Oh, I hope not.  We created a hell hole in Iraq already and have yet to clean up after ourselves.  We are weak in military power and can not stretch any more.  I do not believe we could pull off two military campaigns.
949215
As long as the new SOD makes some big changes in Iraq policy. The cut and run crowd will never be satisfied until we totally leave. But I think most people want some type of change instead of "stay the course and do exactly what hasn't worked for the last 4 years."
328282
now that we are in iraq we have to stay until they have a stable government that can take care of itself.. if not the country would be overrun by warlords and terrorists