OT: What are we doing in Najaf?

The justification is that the Iraqi government/authority wishes to curb Muktada's forces and understands that if the US forces were to do so - in a manner destructive to sacred mosques - there'd be general condemnation. Were they to do so themselves, well, it IS their country. The fact is that they see al Sadr as a problem to stability in their country, not as some latter-day, tax-oppressed colonists... Some cleric hides behind his holy book and stirs his followers into a streetfight and you liken them to Minutemen? And, they hide in and fight from the very sacred building the US has been admonished to keep intact? Religion via RPG? Something's gotta give and, unfortunately for Muktada, he's on his way out... If the Iraqis were to level Najaf, they'd be in their rights to do so, as President Bush is not calling the shots on this one. He might be cheering from the sideline but he's not telling one soldier to fire a shot. Why do I know you're going to have a problem with that last sentence?

Frank Kranick

Snip.

Reminds me of the old saying "Noah built the ark. It took engineers to build the Titanic".

Tom

Yet our president continues to state that we are not at war with the Moslem world.

Moslem terrorists have murdered thousands of innocents in a great number of countries. The great oslem majority have done little to nothing to stop them.

If we are not at war with the Moslem world someone needs to tell them.

Tom

Europe might want to take a look wat what they ahve been, and still are doing in their own backyard right now !

How about since you are the one making the accusation, you provide the proof to assert it ? Or does this simple thought of responsility elude you ?

So I see you watch movies to find out what really happened...............

And how is that our business? Kim M

As long as w give a blank check to Israel and do nothing to end their occupation of Palestine, we will be at war with the Moslem world. Kim M

Why would they boil the eyes? Again, what business is it of ours? Kim M

LOL. Yes, I have a problem because it is full of holes.

Suppose for one moment, the US Army was not in traditional military control of the countryside around Najaf; there to offer logistical, communication, aircover, training and weapons support to the Iraqi security forces.

In short, America is covering the government's flank

Could the government forces by themselves win over the Mahdi Army? I think that proposition is doubtful.

One must conclude in the current battle for Najaf, this is entirely a US affair, and if morally repugnant results occur (the place is leveled), the US is completely responsible.

On the other hand, if your idea that the Iraqi's themselves are to be responsible for leveling their own city, if that occurs; and we are to be blameless and/or powerless to stop them from doing it, then we better GET THE HELL OUT RIGHT NOW.

...../V

Sorry. It just bugs the heck out of me that the freak show goes by the name "West Coast Engineering." And it doesn't help the conversational climate when one is compared with a "piss-ant."

Fortunately these days my engineering is in software. It can neither sink, burn up in the atmosphere, catch fire, collapse in an earthquake or crash into Flushing Bay. All it can do is drive users bananas. Whew! ...../V

And GWB to deploy a missle defense shield that doesn't work.

Micheal Moore makes more sense than Vess......which ain't saying much.

Give the man a kewpie doll for seeing Moore's BS propaganda for what it is.

He's psychic?

Uh, that would mean he'd have to stop raving long enough to read.

It's his discharge as it's that time of the month for him.

Why wonder, it's a given, you make a statement that doesn't fit neatly in his little whacked world view and he has a hissy fit.

Ouch! Talk about being damned by faint praise.....

snipped-for-privacy@aol.comspamless (The Old Timer) wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@mb-m28.aol.com:

You are familiar with the saying: The enemy of my enemy is my friend? At the time Iran was percived as the greater threat. I really don't like that we gave so much material support to the Russians during WWII. Should have let the two evil philosophies slaughter each other.

Throughout history people are required to make choices. They make them based on (then) current circumstances, historical information, expected reactions and desired results. Sometimes they are right, somethimes they are wrong.

How fortunate are those that can say with the benefot of 20/20 hindsight what leaders should have done. How gifted these folks are with such moral clarity that they can tell ahead of time afterward what the best course of action should be.

Of course some "leaders" simply avoid the chance for error by doing nothing even as his people are repeatedly attacked.

Perhaps these brilliant and gifted people should run for office themselves rather than kibbutz from the sidelines 20 years later.

For the record, I prefer that we exact revenge and eliminate potential enemies. Seems a bit more effective than smoking cigars and bombing aspirin factories. But I also think the notion that we are not at war with Islam is foolish. Islam is at war with us. What we think is somewhat irrelevant. If a man is trying to kill me or my family all the sensitive, understanding, peaceful thoughts are not going to be nearly as effective as my 12 gauge or S&W .40 cal. I don't think we are trying nearly as hard as we should be, nor do I think the administration has done enough politically or legally to establish that we are at war and act accordingly. (Micheal Moore call your lawyer. The charge is treason and giving aid and comfort.)

In his day, Benito Muassolini made "Man of the Year." Just goes to show how valuable popular culture is as an inidactor of value.

Nothing wild about it at all. It is deliberately, and narrowly, focused at someone who consistently makes declarations worthy of a piss-ant's brainpower.

Then stop acting/writing at such a level.

Nope. Uncle Ron simply saw him as less worthless than his opposing number in Iran at the time. Of course, once his gas attacks against his own people became public, the administration walked away despite Iran's still being a bigger enemy.