And it goes horribly wrong for you after a while? Well, maybe it wasn't the best idea to begin with. Some interesting news compiled about the War in Iraq:21% of the US believes we can win the War in Iraq. The most advanced military in the world (I have several friends over there now) meets a rebel force without centralized leadership without a true industrial backing, and constantly on the run. Americans don't believe they can win the war with the odds stacked so heavily in their favor. 22% said the US would probably win. Yes that leads the majority (51% Bush 48% Kerry in the last election) to think we've F(You See Kay)ed it up. As you can tell by my parenthetical observance, more than several people have lost faith in their candidate who ran on strong leadership vs terrorism.
32% approved of his handling of the War. Not sure how that jives with the top italicized statistic. 63% favored full or partial withdrawal. 54% favored cutting spending on the conflict to pay for rebuilding the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina. Those are the smartest 54% in the land. Wish the government had been in that majority before Katrina (and soon Rita) hit.
More than 1,900 American Troops have been killed since the war started. The VAST majority of which were after Saddam's regime was toppled. 2,819 people died in the attacks of 9/11. The total number of Americans killed in this unjustified war (no WMD, no Al Qaeda link ever proven) is greater than the following:
Number of people killed in Tower One - 1,402
Number of people who lost a spouse or a partner in the attacks - 1,609
and very close to the total number of people killed in Towers One and Two - 2,016
Some of those statistics are kinda shocking, but here's something not-so-shocking.
27 % think the new Iraqi government could handle its business. While 68% say a US withdrawal would lead to chaos and civil war. I've got to agree with the 68% here. I'm therefore not sure where to fall on whether or not withdrawal is a good idea. Americans are getting killed. Innocent Iraqis are getting killed. Its not quite clear whether leaving would mean more terrorism here or there or everywhere...however....
A report issued this month by a United Nations panel established to monitor al Qaeda and its associates said the terrorist group is exploiting the situation in Iraq, bringing in recruits from around the world and training them in urban warfare, bomb-making and other terrorist skills. Awwww...darn! But not shocking at all. This is the biggest spitting into the wind one could ever do. Apparently Al Qaeda has recovered from the loss of Afghanistan as a training camp and is now using Iraq with more recruits better tactics and a stronger more defiant and multi-cultural base. Al Qaeda, the masterminds of 9/11, have not been caught and are now strengthening - pulling off several attacks including the bombings in London. I think if we had sent 130,000 troops to Afghanistan or the Pakistani border, I guarantee we would have found Osama Bin Laden by now.
OK OK....my fingers are itching to go ballistic on the stupidity of our leadership. I don't have any answers, but I think our government should.
3 comments:
wait, you mean you don't know why we're still in iraq or went there in the first place? good god, man, run for office!
what i don't get is how everyone else seems to get it except our government. why don't they create some sort of pre-requisite for presidential candidacy, or any government position for that matter, like a certain type of degree, or any qualifications whatsoever besides money? maybe they would start attracting intelligent people to help with our government.
can we institute a campaign spending cap, like $10k max? that gives the high school polisci teacher (who could undoubtedly run a government better than people whose qualifications are simply rich, well-connected parents) at least some sort of a fair shot to fight it out with the multi-millionaire who knows nothing about government or socio-economics (or regular economics, for that matter)?
can we find some new people, please?
(oh, by the way, watch what kind of response Texas gets in the aftermath of Rita, and after everyone has been helped/evacuated, see how many people are STILL left w/out aid in NOLA)
I've got it Ned. Call off the job search. You're going to run for office. I'll be your campaign manager. It will be perfect.
Also, Edelman. Given the fact that everyone is now more afraid of hurricanes than ever, and that the government got so much heat for it's respone to Katrina. Don't you think that would mean that the government response to the next hurricane would be much improved, no matter where it hit?
yes, but my point is, after all is said and done in texas, people from NOLA still won't be helped. essentially, they'll be forgotten about because of texas, even after texas is cleaned up.
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