What Obama Should Say On Iraq

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  • Posted By: brit.in.the.us @ 06/24/2008 3:02:53 PM

    To say that Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan are democracies is overstating just a tad bit don't you think? How many democracies do you know that need 150, 000 troops to keep the peace? Afghanistan by all accounts is becoming a narco-terroristic state and Pakistan may or may not be harboring Osama Bin Laden which, by the way, was reponsible for 911. I like the way you break down the price for the "democracies" you mentioned. Wow, just 1000 American lives and 250 Billion dollars per democracy...what a bargain!! You're right..we do waste a lot of time here in the U.S. and Lord knows we waste money. So why not fight unnecessary wars and nation build? You know, Bush was right about a lot of things(weapons of mass destruction, No Child Left Behind, Katrina). Oh, by the way, Truman had the 3rd highest approval rating after World War II, it was only during the Korean War when he achieved the dubious distinction of having the now second lowest(thanks to dubya). Keep on drinking the kool aid.

    • Posted By: jonstorm @ 06/25/2008 12:08:20 AM

      I haven't drank any Kool Aid. That is how I know Obama is a phony. Just Like Bush. Just Like Clinton. I deal with the facts.

      I love it when "intellectualls" from the west dismiss democracies where women have just been liberated from slave like conditions and pooh pooh everything America does while drooling over what people in France, Russia and Germay think. Weren't Russia Germany and Japan totalitarian states not long ago? Didn't France corroborate with the Nazis and deliver them their Jews for slaughter.

      No one in history has contributed more to the world than America and as for the military presence required to force these people at gunpoint out of the 13th century take comfort in the knowledge that we will win. Just like we won in Germany, Just like we won in Japan. Just like we won against the USSR. We will beat them because they will keep underestimating us. Just like you.



      You can count on it.

      • Posted By: Border City Canadian @ 06/25/2008 4:52:57 PM

        I thought we were talking more recent history...like Korea, Vietnam and Iraq.

  • Posted By: bightmier @ 06/25/2008 4:28:42 PM

    Apparently none of you have the ability to remember what you read just minutes before: this was a suggestion of a speech that Obama should give, not one that he HAS! Pay attention! The points that the writer made were valid, and the suggestions good, but he is not putting words in Obama's mouth.

  • Posted By: News and Notes @ 06/25/2008 4:28:36 PM

    Obama's problems are far deeper than Iraq. He's got to convince skeptics that he is capable of handling the job of president. McCain would not be a good president. Obama would be an unpredictable president. He's got to get more substantive.

  • Posted By: bightmier @ 06/25/2008 4:28:19 PM

    Apparently none of you have the ability to remember what you read just minutes before: this was a suggestion of a speech that Obama should give, not one that he HAS! Pay attention! The points that the writer made were valid, and the suggestions good, but he is not putting words in Obama's mouth.

  • Posted By: Independent one @ 06/25/2008 3:38:07 PM

    Zip, drivel & lost, none of you bothered to counter any of the points he made. Scared say you're scared?

  • Posted By: Independent one @ 06/25/2008 3:36:10 PM

    Zip, drivel & lost, none of you bothered to counter any of his points. Scared say you're scared little boy?

  • Posted By: curryjm @ 06/25/2008 3:31:02 PM

    "This is what he should say..." Mr. Zakaria lost me right there.

  • Posted By: rewrite31 @ 06/23/2008 10:45:46 AM

    Why hasn't the American People ever been notified of the inconsistency of his relationship with his Mother, how he ditched because she was a Racist. He wanted to associate with the Blacks. In 2006, he went t Kenya and campaigned for his Cousin, Raila Odinga, a Muslim, trying to overthrow that Government. He enlisted DICK MORRIS to Manage Odingas Campaign.

    • Posted By: Iamnotamused @ 06/25/2008 3:15:43 PM

      I don't smoke but I sure as heck would like to have whatever it is you're smoking to post this drivel on here

    • Posted By: Pia1981 @ 06/23/2008 10:52:38 AM

      Please explain to me why you would consider Obama's mother a racist when she married a black man and had a son by him. Obama ditched her because she was racist? Ridiculous.

  • Posted By: garysgary @ 06/24/2008 10:32:16 AM

    I agree with olderwiser. We need to leave Iraq soon. The costs have been too high and if Israel is less safe for our leaving, then so be it!

    • Posted By: Iamnotamused @ 06/25/2008 3:13:32 PM

      here here! Israel is no safer NOW than it was before 9/11. All we did by invading Iraq is piss off a lot of people in that region and for what? Oil. That's the dirty little "secret" that Bush wasn't going to tell you. He knew full well there weren't any WMD there. Saddam was just a smoke screen to take the focus off of Bin Laden, whose family has very close ties with the Shrubs. Bin Laden may be exiled from Saudi Arabia but I bet if we were to capture/kill him then Saudi would have a fit! We turned over the capture of him to the Afghans. How effective do you think that little endeavor has been? They knew it wasn't going to lead to anything because they are the ones that welcomed him into their country with open arms when he was sent packing from his own country. We are the ones that armed him and his rebels, trained them and then helped him dig those caves in the mountains of Afghanastan when the Soviet's invaded; and we cant' find him? Yeah right....there's this bridge in Brooklyn and some "land" in Florida I've got up for sale if you're interested.

  • Posted By: 1magine @ 06/25/2008 3:10:31 PM

    Yes. - He could add that We have achieved victory. Our soldiers have done everything they have been asked to do and more, and not McCain or Bush should ever try to take that away from them by calling a draw down of troops a defeat or surrender.

  • Posted By: 1magine @ 06/25/2008 3:10:11 PM

    Yes. - He could add that We have achieved victory. Our soldiers have done everything they have been asked to do and more, and not McCain or Bush should ever try to take that away from them by calling a draw down of troops a defeat or surrender.

  • Posted By: maxdenn @ 06/25/2008 3:10:02 PM

    Bottom line is that Mr. Zakaria supported using force against Iraq.

  • Posted By: underdog @ 06/25/2008 3:09:14 PM

    Unfortunately, we need to count on a politician to do the right thing. George W. was elected to do the right things. He ran on a platform of no nation building. Look what we got. Went completely 180 degress. Tried to create a democratic nation under the guise of ridding the area of WMD's. Not what he was elected for. If anyone had known his real intent in 2000 no one would have voted for him and Gore would have been in office during the 9/11 attacks.

    Obama still has to pacify a far left that wants us out now, whatever the results maybe in Iraq. What his real intent is we can only hope.

  • Posted By: Pudbert @ 06/25/2008 2:18:26 PM

    If I didn't know better (which I truly don't), you sound like an Al Qaeda operative. One who would like the idiots/liberals of this country to belive that Al Qaeda would just leave us alone if we pulled out of Iraq & Afganistan. How long do think it would be if we pulled out of Iraq, before the whole country would belong to Iran?? About one month is my guess. And to bequeath Iraq to the most ruthless terrorist-sponsoring country in the world,, is not acceptable.
    And to think like a child, and presume that the costs of Iraq & Afganistan would magically disappear if we pulled out of those countries,, is ludicrous.. What about the cost of the war on terror? Or are you one of those ostrich liberal dummycrats that actually think that it is all "fear mongering", and the threat really doesn't exist?
    You scare me sir, because your liberal naivety will be the death of this country..

    Mort D. Leith
    Consulting Engineer

    • Posted By: bobsingh1 @ 06/25/2008 3:07:30 PM

      How can you even for a second think that the cost of fighting terrorism would be more than 10 billion dollars every month? Who do you consult for? Enron? Its exactly the kind of logic demonstrated by our stupid leaders for the last 7 years, whom you no doubt supported and still support wholeheartedly has gotten us in this mess!! A fraction of trillion dollars invested in R and D for alternate energy would have gone long way in getting us out of the mess that is middle east. If we are energy independent, who cares if Iran takes over Iraq or Iraq takes over Saudi Arabia. They are all a bunch of unstable loonies and will remain so until the populace of those countries take matters into their own hands and write and believe in a constitution other than koran.
      But in the meantime other than solid diplomacy, we have no recourse left. We have squandered so much wealth and goodwill in Iraq, we have to negotiate with regimes like Iran and Syria, like it or not and that is exactly what this article states. Gen. Petraus has been successful in doing that with the Sunnis and Obama has made an argument in favor of it going forward.
      You don't need to be scared, sir, of the truth.
      Another good article Fareed!! Keep it up.

    • Posted By: rksharma @ 06/25/2008 2:39:26 PM

      Mort - You have displayed an amazingly deep ignorance of global affairs by this silly comment of yours. Fareed's article is both grounded in logic and reason. Take YOUR head out of the sand and learn that there is a BIG LARGE WORLD out there - yes there are people thousands of miles away from where you live and eat your burgers!

      This is not liberal naivety - this is realistic, logical and more seasoned with sense than many readers here seem to show. Come on, the US can assume world leadership through ethical, moral and value based leadership - there is still a time and place for such virtues!

      And btw, I think its insulting on your part to ponder on Fareed's allegiance simply due to his diversity in name and ethnicity - did we ignorant again? How do you say that in English?

    • Posted By: maxdenn @ 06/25/2008 2:51:39 PM

      Get a grip.

    • Posted By: pinkpanther87413 @ 06/25/2008 2:21:36 PM

      Ya if we left AND KEEP OUR POLITICAL NOSES OUT OF THERE BUISN-THEY WOULD LEAVE US ALONE PLAIN AND TO SIMPLE TO SEE!! STOP INTERFERING IN THERE POLITICS, WE DON'T LIVE WITH!

      • Posted By: maxdenn @ 06/25/2008 2:48:39 PM

        Name calling and propaganda is the neocon's strongest attribute.

  • Posted By: Perception @ 06/25/2008 3:06:12 PM

    I blame all of us for this nightmare in Iraq. We were more than ready to believe the lines put out by this administration because we wanted revenge for 9/11. Now, instead of having a cruel dictator that like us we have a government that cannot stand because of religious fanatics inside and outside the border. It is not surprising that McCain needs constant protection on his visits and the President of Iran can freely walk the streets without escort. We want them to use their oil revenues to rebuild the country but our invasion tore up the country. Colin Powell said, "You break it you own it." True. Obama can say whatever he wants.

  • Posted By: microkraken @ 06/25/2008 3:02:04 PM

    Amen, Mr. Zakaria.

  • Posted By: maxdenn @ 06/25/2008 3:01:33 PM

    73% of the American people disapprove the the job that George W. Bush has performed. And a majority of the American people think the Iraq war was not worth fighting.

  • Posted By: pinkpanther87413 @ 06/25/2008 2:17:49 PM

    Tell the truth: we lost 5 troops in the past 2 days in Iraq and 6 civilians in KY! So the death toll in Iraq ia at an acceptable level. As we are NOT responsable for Iraqui on Iraqui violence, that is a crime commited against Iraq, not America. If we reguard KY as an normal every day occurence, inside Americans borders, carried out by Americans, not a terrorist attack, PER-SAY?. Time to stomp Bin-Lauden so hard he is toe-jam and get out of Afganistan! Next, blame the right sources for Al-Queda, and insurgents who kill Americans-Saudi!!!!! Not Iran! Best bet Iraquis buried the missing 4 TONS of RX explosive next to the Iranian border, so we target Iran, and they do as they please. After all it's an American tactic "Watch my left hand, while my right steals your entire life"! Ya 4 TONS OF EXPLOSIVES! ENOUGH TO MAKE IEDs FOR MANY MANY YEARS TO COME, AND YA THEY WANT YOU TO FORGET! DU! Just like they don't want us to know we ALLOW ISRAEL TO SELL CHINA WEAPONS, BETTER THAN WE CARRY, AGAINST THE ARMS BANN! DU! Next time you worry about the Chinese military, there size, and ability, and weapons! Remember, we gave our blessing for this to happen, to us! What else is new! As long as Obama proves his ability to listen and be flexable, he is the man for the job, because he will CHOOSE the right person, to do the right job! THAT'S HIS JOB!

    We are smarter than we were 30 years ago, we have far better teck than we did 30 years ago, so WHY is every thing still the same?

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