Comments on: The Only Thing Certain About Iraq is Uncertainty

By: Mandell

Mandell — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 07:23:38 +0000

Colin Powell knows what is going to happen. He knew going in that there was no justification for the invasion and worked to get the President to avoid the war. When he failed to convince the president, he failed to retain his integrity by quietly acceding to the President’s obviously misguided invasion. Not only did General Powell acquiesce, he aided and abetted the effort. The high level of credibility he earned through long years of hard and honorable service to this nation was wiped out by his failure to resign when it was clear that muddle headed, slap-on-the-six-guns Bush decided to go to war.

By: Mandell

Mandell — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 07:24:02 +0000

Glad your writing is available.

By: Bob "Knucklehead" Ehlert

Bob "Knucklehead" Ehlert — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 07:24:42 +0000

Jimbo: Congrats on this first step of re-invention and and getting your voice out, which I know well. Iron sharpens iron in these debates, and I’m going to supply some iron against yours right now. Everyone you quote has the get-out-itis that so strongly resembles the get-in-itis of the first quarter of 2003. Bush, Cheney and the gang in power and rightfully taking the hit for the present mess. But I must tell you, there are more Iraqs where this one came from. An endless bloody domino phase where, if you pull back the blindfolds, you realize the war won’t end when Date Certain arrives, by any means. No more than it ended when the nearly 300 Marines died in Lebanon when you and I were working in Virginia. One of those martyred Marines had been a guest in my house before this deployment. The streets of Virginia Beach and Norfolk have never been strangers to death and terror. The War never came there, but only virtually when honorable men died on the U.S.S Nimitiz after trying to free the hostages in Iran. This may surprise some of you who know me, but I believe we’ve been at war since the hostages were taken during the Carter administration. The other battles included the terrorism of ships in the Middle East, blood on the streets ofSomalia, etc. The big one, of course, was 9-11-2001. We can retreat from the Iraq battle anytime. But before we do, we better make a thorough investigation about how much blood will be shed on the Date Certain when we must go back in. That’s because the Middle East is a cauldron of trouble from now until Armagedon. The fire that heats it burns oil and greed and the spiritual genocide that comes from bully gods in bully religions. We Americans have our faults, more numerous to name. But we don’t long suffer oppression from bullies of any stripe. We don’t let our women be leashed. We don’t shout down even those who would kill us in our own midst. We are about freedom. We may be one of the only candles left and breezes blowing to snuff it out are stronger each day. News flash: Freedom is a religion. It’s the only one worth fighting for and dying for. I know another Marine, this one a nephew. His name is Benjamin Murphy. He’s an adopted Korean. His black hair and olive skin and Irish name are over there in that hell right now. He does his job. But I know he must be confused by the workings of his government. The Marine Corps told him he’s fighting for freedom. He bought in. The world says no, it’s a war for oil and bragging rights or some other foolishness. But there’s been no oil, there’s been no bragging, and there’s been way too much foolishess. But there has bee planted seeds of freedom in a weed patch of hell where no one said freedom could germinate and survive and thrive. Has if been worth it? The 3,000 dead of 9-11, the 4,000 dead in this latest battle of the last war that leads to Armagedon? I don’t think anybody in Washington or North America is qualified to say. So, go ahead and pick your Date Certain. But leave the car running, the bullets at ready and the planes and aircraft carriers fueled. The bad guys want freedom dead, and run out of town, and embarrassed and confused. They will stop at nothing. We seem to want to stop whenever fear and uncertainty overtake our resolve. Bob Ehlert Jim Spencer’s friend. Iron sharpens Iron

By: Jim Spencer

Jim Spencer — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 07:25:06 +0000

Thanks to Bob Ehlert for calling me out. This is the kind of discussion I hope to have for every column. Read and react. You da man, Knuck. Even if you’re wrong about America’s ability to nation-build in Baghdad.

By: Wildflower

Wildflower — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 07:25:41 +0000

My comment to “Knucklehead”, by the way what an apt name…. It certainly fits. You refer to the “seeds of freedom” we have planted in Iraq. Huh?? I’m sure the common Iraqi people would beg to differ with you. They can’t even go to the marketplace without risk of getting blown up from at least 4 factions. You forgot to mention the hundreds of thousands of Iraqis who have been killed. We entered this war on false pretenses and we have needlessly sacrificed our soldiers and we owe it to them and their families to bring them home safely, now. You mention Armageddon, are you then of the same mind set as the president that he is sent from God to deliver us from evil? I don’t think we are safer now, every Arab in the world hates us because of this war. Wonder what this latest word is from Chernoff, of Homeland Security and Katrina fame, he “has a feeling” we are going to be attacked by next year. Is it another scare tactic like before the last elections? I sure wouldn’t want to depend on him, he couldn’t get water and food a few miles down the road to the people who deperately needed it..

By: S. Williams

S. Williams — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 07:26:14 +0000

1. Victory in Iraq? Why would we want to be victorious in this oil-grabbing escapade that has turned out to be deceptive, deadly and dishonorable? We could call it successful only if its point was to destabilize the Middle East. We should be grateful for withdrawal, not “victory,” whatever that would be. 2. By what twisted logic does Karl Rove think that (a) Al Qaeda is like a puppy to follow us home? or (b) diverting our military forces to Iraq makes the continental U.S. safer? Besides, isn’t the concept of ‘fighting them there instead of here’ basically dishonorable, too, making the Iraqi people suffer for our sake? 3. Other possible outcome from our WD: The Sunni, in return for a deal with the Shia, kick AQ out of Iraq. It’s already starting to do so.