Five years of War: We've only just begun... (Trees And Things)

postillion: Re: Pessimistic From The Start

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 10:15:27 EST

I was against the war from the start because I couldn't wrap around any feasible reason why we should be there. Being someone who supports the sovereign rights of a nation, I didn't believe that deposing Hussein was a justifiable cause unless the peo

JimmyHavok: Re: Meh indeed

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 23:54:35 EST

I've always enjoyed getting a job that was previously held by a raving incompetent. If you can keep from drooling on your chest you look like God's Only Child compared to the previous guy.

Shy Elf: Re: Meh indeed

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 14:41:45 EST

Petraeus is markedly better at counter-insurgency than the people running the war before him. This is not because he is some kind of genius, but because prior to Patraeus, the Bush administration had been actively avoiding placing any of the m

JimmyHavok: Meh indeed

Sat, 22 Mar 2008 00:08:57 EST

When Petraeus was appointed, NPR did a major profile of him. Listening between the lines, it became apparent to me that he was a kiss-up kick-down kind of officer. When he was writing the anti-insurgency field manual, for instance, he cut peopl

uncarved block: One Stop Self Flagellation

Fri, 21 Mar 2008 22:23:25 EST

For those with a strong stomach and perhaps a touch of schadenfraude, Slate is compiling a list of pundits second-guessing who they were in 2003-- with the notable exception

skeeter1: Re: Five years of War: We've only just begun...

Fri, 21 Mar 2008 18:39:14 EST

Where were you on March 19, 2003? What were you doing?

I have no idea. I can tell you exactly what I was doing when JFK was assassinated (on the school bus) and on 9/11, work came to a virtual halt -- we were all glued to the ne

PenitenziAgite: Petraeus? meh...

Fri, 21 Mar 2008 14:21:20 EST

It shouldn't be too hard to find a replacement for Petraeus. His main asset was his willingness to participate in Bush administration marketing, not any particular brilliance as a military commander. I'm sure that whoever is next in line will b

PenitenziAgite: Re: Five years of War: We've only just begun...

Fri, 21 Mar 2008 05:16:43 EST

There's one thing that I have always thought about the war in Iraq, and it is that this was part of the plan since day 1 of the Bush administration. Had September 11 never happened, I think we would just be in year 6 of the war, as it would most like

MayorBob: Five years down ...

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 16:01:33 EST

... many more to go. Think the surge solved everything? Time to think again as we prepare for the end of the surge and the return to pre-surge manpower. Throw in the potential mess that is the Kurdish region with the likelihood that Turke

pO157: Drunk at ORD(eg usual anecdote, eventual analysis)

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 12:47:03 EST

A little over five years ago I was sent to a conference out west. At the time I had begun my initial round of grad school applications, and one of the places on my short list then was a quick 90 minute plane ride away from the conference site. So, I travel

uncarved block: Pessimistic From The Start

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 12:03:29 EST

Do I feel the same about the war? Well, considering the war lasted only a couple of weeks, sure-- I thought it would be quick, and fairly decisive. Now, how do I feel about the subsequent occupation? That's varied a little bit, but really, my

skeptic: Re: Five years of War: We've only just begun...

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 09:53:35 EST

When the war began in 2003, I was optimistic about it. After all, the Gulf War of 1991 went very well, and I saw no apparent reason why this one would not also succeed. We already knew that Saddam Hussein, who ruled by terror, was not really lo