Posts tagged ‘Iraq War’
War Fail
One-in-three vets say Iraq, Afghan wars were not worth it
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44777299/ns/us_news-life/#.Toxa6skk6so
About half (51 percent) of post-9/11 veterans say that the use of military force to fight terrorism creates hatred that breeds more terrorism; 40 percent say it is the best way to defeat terrorism. These views are nearly identical to those of the general public.
Thumbs up to Libya
This is what freedom looks like. It has to be taken and it has to be earned – not given.
Can it be helped along? Certainly. The French can fight with the American rebels, but not for them. America can send some jets and missiles to assist, but should not lead the way. Others can fight with the rebellion…but they cannot fight for the rebellion. See Iraq as an example of the failure of trying to give freedom to a group who doesn’t want to take it.
And while it’s early to declare a rebel victory in Libya, it appears they are well on their way and I say GOOD WORK to those who are fighting.
Report:
Euphoric Libyan rebels raced into the capital Tripoli on Sunday and moved close to center with little resistance as Moammar Gadhafi’s defenses collapsed and his regime appeared to be crumbling fast.
Associated Press reporters with the rebels said they moved easily from the western outskirts into the regime stronghold in a dramatic turning of the tides in the 6-month-old Libyan civil war. A rebel leader said the unit in charge of protecting Gadhafi and Tripoli had surrendered and joined the revolt, allowing the opposition force to move in freely.
Earlier in the day, the rebels overran a major military base defending the capital, carted away truckloads of weapons and raced to Tripoli with virtually no resistance.
Wouldn’t be too much of a shame if that Lockerbie bomber bastard didn’t make it through the rebellion, either.
Iraq War Tally
Let’s see how the war hawks did:
C’mon Home!
Last full U.S. combat brigade leaves Iraq
IRAQ-KUWAIT BORDER — The last U.S. combat troops crossed the border into Kuwait on Thursday morning, bringing to a close the active combat phase of a 7½-year war that overthrew the dictatorial regime of Saddam Hussein, forever defined the presidency of George W. Bush and left more than 4,400 American service members and tens of thousands of Iraqis dead.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38744453?GT1=43001
Welcome back home! 18 to 21 year-olds ready to start their lives…Moms and Dads whose kids are missing them…families and friends who are glad you are still alive….c’mon home!! Thank you for your service. WE ARE GLAD TO HAVE YOU BACK HOME!
To those who lost loved ones or suffered debilitating injuries…I’m sorry we didn’t leave earlier. Thank you for your service.
For all those returning, who have been physically or mentally hurt, I hope your efforst aren’t forgotten like the efforts of the 9/11 first-responders.
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-august-4-2010/i-give-up—9-11-responders-bill
Iraq War Casualties
Soldiers killed in combat in Iraq
Since the war began: ……………….3,478
Since “Mission Accomplished”: ….3,371
Since capture of Saddam: …………3,173
Since Obama (01/20/09): ………..74
Yellow Dog Republicans
Nothing describes the current state of the Republican party and its homogenous, march-in-step base than the research below. Facts as normal people consider them are irrelevant to the GOP base, those who proudly say “I’m a Repubican!” If there were a yellow dog on the ballot running against a Democrat, these people would vote for the dog.
Hoffman’s idea is based on a study he and colleagues did of nearly 50 participants, who were all Republican and reported believing in the link between the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and Saddam Hussein. Participants were given the mounting evidence that no link existed and then asked to justify their belief.
All but one held onto the belief, using a variety of so-called motivated reasoning strategies. “Motivated reasoning is essentially starting with a conclusion you hope to reach and then selectively evaluating evidence in order to reach that conclusion,” explained Hoffman’s colleague, sociologist Andrew Perrin of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
For instance, some participants used a backward chain of reasoning in which the individual supported the decision to go to war and so assumed any evidence necessary to support that decision, including the link between 9/11 and Hussein.
Their research is published in the most recent issue of the journal Sociological Inquiry.
Jeanna Bryner
Senior Writer
livescience.com – Wed Aug 26
Validating Democrats, I
The Republicans continue validating everything that the Democrats were saying for the past 7 years. The latest is on our war in Iraq.
June 1, 2009. Washington (CNN): Former Vice President Dick Cheney said Monday that he does not believe Saddam Hussein was involved in the planning or execution of the September 11, 2001, attacks.
No SH*T they weren’t involved in it. Idiot. We all know he’s a lying piece of sh*t and we’ve known for some time. You’ve done more damage to this country than the attacks of 9/11 themselves. It’s litterally true that with conservatives assholes like you in office, we don’t need enemies. Your stupid, ill-advised, unverified, poorly planned, and even more poorly executed policies have plunged us into a massive quagmire that’s done NOTHING but cost us American tax-payers trillions of dollars and the deaths of 4,300 Americans and the injuries to an additional 31,000 Americans. Refusing to cooperate with any attempt at oversight, pissing on checks & balances and American laws. Screw Cheney. There’s a reason he’s always drawn as the specter of death, as Darth Vader, as Satan.
“I do not believe and have never seen any evidence to confirm that [Hussein] was involved in 9/11,” Cheney said.
Does this friggin’ moron think the things he says aren’t recorded? How about:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJiNtpIpD6k
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SUBGtRIiXo&NR=1
That being said – I hope that Cheney, and Palin, and Rush, Hannity keep their face on the news. They are the best thing for the Democratic party in years. You can’t buy that kind of help.
I enjoy seeing the death of the bible-thumping, imperialistic, science-hating, overspending, war-mongering Republican party. I look forward to the birth of the new & improved Republican party.
To paraphrase McCain’s daughter, for the Republicans to win again, they’re going to have to be more like Democrats.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/06/01/cheney.speech/index.html
A Veteran’s message to McCain
“Senator McCain, I served my country in Iraq as a supply specialist and I am disappointed that you would approve a dishonest ad that uses my fellow troops for political gain.”
Jason Bensley
Iraq War Veteran
McCain is exactly like Bush. What I mean by that is that John McCain is a liar.
Importing Oil to Iraq
The USA spends $929 million per week importing oil into Iraq
Another “Mission Accomplished Day” post
On May 1, 2003, Bush delivered a nationally televised speech from the deck of the Abraham Lincoln in which he declared that “Major combat operations in Iraq have ended,” all the while standing under a banner reading: “Mission Accomplished.” Since then 3,924 American soldiers have died. Since the war began 4,063 soldiers have died. A “miscalculation”?
5 years later…
US troop deaths hit 7-month high in Iraq: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080430/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq 04/30/2008
US report says al-Qaida gaining strength: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5j3OfYY31yv9LNOspwKcj73SwDegwD90CCOO00 04/30/2008
Before the war, White House economic adviser Lawrence Lindsay estimated the cost at $100 to $200 billion. Bush, Cheney and friends fired that guy, and found that the correct estimate for the cost of the war would be $50 to $60 billion. It’s now over $500 billion and rising. Even if we quit today, ongoing costs (withdrawal, medical/psychiatric care, disability payments, administrative costs) will double that (the sooner we stop, the better).
