It's Official - Iraq War is a Failure

[Snowguy716]

I read a story this morning about how a suicide bomber was at a market and lured people over by saying he was seeking people to work for him.

A crowd of people gathered around him that were looking for work when he detonated the bomb.

This is just disgusting. Civil war? Without a doubt.

[Captain Worley]

Worse than a civil war...its a religious war.

[monsoon]

Worse than a civil war...its a religious war.

[Captain Worley]

Well, I was all for going in and building a democracy in Iraq. My wife, who spent some time in Saudi, told me that democracy would never take a foothold there because there is a completely different mindset over there. She also said they'd been fighting amongst themselves for years, and always would.

I was hopeful that an exposure to democracy would change that, but I think she was right.

My FIL worked in Saudi and he said that the Saudi government planned to have someone in the White House by 2010. I don't know at what level, but I wondered about Borak...

[Gusterfell]

Well, I was all for going in and building a democracy in Iraq. My wife, who spent some time in Saudi, told me that democracy would never take a foothold there because there is a completely different mindset over there. She also said they'd been fighting amongst themselves for years, and always would.

I was hopeful that an exposure to democracy would change that, but I think she was right.

[Charlotte_native]

Since we are no longer doing "Stay the Course", the "Great Decider" has said that we are going to have a "New Way Forward" now. Unfortunately the great decider has decided he can't make any decisions about this right now and needs more time to figure out exactly what a new way forward might be. My guess is that he has not figured out how to repackage stay the course so that it is acceptable to the public.

[Pillsbury]

Well, I was all for going in and building a democracy in Iraq. My wife, who spent some time in Saudi, told me that democracy would never take a foothold there because there is a completely different mindset over there. She also said they'd been fighting amongst themselves for years, and always would.

I was hopeful that an exposure to democracy would change that, but I think she was right.

My FIL worked in Saudi and he said that the Saudi government planned to have someone in the White House by 2010. I don't know at what level, but I wondered about Borak...

[Captain Worley]

I'm not sure about the Manchurian Candidate scenario with the Saudis, but I AM worried about that with McCain.

Guster, Obama had some schooling in Muslim schools. I really don't think there's any more connection to Saudi than that, but it does make me go hmmmm....

[monsoon]

I'm not sure about the Manchurian Candidate scenario with the Saudis, but I AM worried about that with McCain.

Guster, Obama had some schooling in Muslim schools. I really don't think there's any more connection to Saudi than that, but it does make me go hmmmm....

[Captain Worley]

I know they are two denominations (don't know if that's the right word) of Islam, but no, I don't know their philosophical differences. I could look it up on Wikipedia, but I'm not really that interested in the differences.

[monsoon]

I know they are two denominations (don't know if that's the right word) of Islam, but no, I don't know their philosophical differences. I could look it up on Wikipedia, but I'm not really that interested in the differences.

[Captain Worley]

Not all Saudis are Sunnis. I'm not sure of the split. I was joking about Obama and the Saudis. He went to school in Morroco or some other North African country, IIRC

[Pillsbury]

^ The government is though and it's made it very clear that if the US pulls out--or when we pull out I should say---they will support the Sunnis in Iraq in any way they can.

[monsoon]

I'm not sure about the Manchurian Candidate scenario with the Saudis, but I AM worried about that with McCain.

Guster, Obama had some schooling in Muslim schools. I really don't think there's any more connection to Saudi than that, but it does make me go hmmmm....

[Charlotte_native]

^ The government is though and it's made it very clear that if the US pulls out--or when we pull out I should say---they will support the Sunnis in Iraq in any way they can.

[Snowguy716]

Here's a good article on the split between Sunnis and Shiites...

In relation to Christianity, the split isn't as great as the split between Jews and Christians (some similarities though), but is greater than the split between Protestants and Catholics.

http://hnn.us/articles/934.html

[Captain Worley]

I'm done on the subject and will move on.

[monsoon]

but is greater than the split between Protestants and Catholics.

http://hnn.us/articles/934.html

[Charlotte_native]

Protestants and Catholics fought a long bloody war in Northern Ireland in modern times.

[Pillsbury]

It is amazing how many wars are fought over religion, most of which have tenents in their religion against murder. Killing in the name of a God of Love.

[nowensone]

^True, that conflict is more about a unified Ireland and the occupying forces than the religious differences, though there is of course the interesting parallels with those aspects of Northern Ireland and a number of conflicts in the middle east.

[GRDadof3]

Thomas Friedman of the NYTimes had a great article this week about getting out of Iraq in either 10 months or 10 years (it will either be one or the other). I don't always agree with Friedman, but he makes some seriously good points.