dispute your position on Iraq. That's another debate that I would love to have with you (very soon). However, I hope you realize that of the 3 main candidates for President, John McCain is by far the least informed and has the worst positions on Iraq. To demonstrate, here is a recent quote by the Republican:

[M]y friends, if we left, they (al-Qaida) wouldnt be establishing a base, McCain said Wednesday. Theyd be taking a country, and Im not going to allow that to happen, my friends. I will not surrender. I will not surrender to al-Qaida.

Everyone and their mother knows that al-Qaeda in Iraq has almost no allies. The Shiite majority has no use for Sunni radicals. The Sunni's have no use for such a destructive and polarizing group and the Kurds definetly have no use for religious fanatics. McCain is clearly throwing around neo-con talking points hoping to seem tough on Iraq. He's also the same man that said America should stay in Iraq for 50-100 years. He's also been on record as actually denying that the Generals running this war have stated that committing this much effort, this many troops and with very few strategic objectives to even aim for the Iraq war is completely unsustainable.

I'd love to discuss your positions on an Iraq exit strategy or occupation strategy going forward but I think you need to really go over McCain's policies and statements on Iraq again.

why I quoted McCain there. AQI is not going to take over an entire nation of some 25 million people who have literally no sympathies for them.

9 months ago SunTzu wrote

dispute your position on Iraq. That's another​ debate that I would love to have with you (very​ soon). However, I hope you realize that of the 3​ main candidates for President, John McCain is by​ far... moredispute your position on Iraq. That's another​ debate that I would love to have with you (very​ soon). However, I hope you realize that of the 3​ main candidates for President, John McCain is by​ far the least informed and has the worst positions​ on Iraq. To demonstrate, here is a recent quote by​ the Republican: â��[M]y friends, if we​ left, they (al-Qaida) wouldnâ��t be​ establishing a base,â�� McCain said​ Wednesday. â��Theyâ��d be taking a​ country, and Iâ��m not going to allow that​ to happen, my friends. I will not surrender. I​ will not surrender to​ al-Qaida.â�� Everyone and their mother​ knows that al-Qaeda in Iraq has almost no allies.​ The Shiite majority has no use for Sunni radicals.​ The Sunni's have no use for such a​ destructive and polarizing group and the Kurds​ definetly have no use for religious fanatics.​ McCain is clearly throwing around neo-con talking​ points hoping to seem tough on Iraq. He's​ also the same man that said America should stay in​ Iraq for 50-100 years. He's also been on​ record as actually denying that the Generals​ running this war have stated that committing this​ much effort, this many troops and with very few​ strategic objectives to even aim for the Iraq war​ is completely unsustainable. I'd love to​ discuss your positions on an Iraq exit strategy or​ occupation strategy going forward but I think you​ need to really go over McCain's policies and​ statements on Iraq again. less

My admiration for McCain's stance on Iraq has nothing to do with al Qaeda in Iraq, it has to do with him being the ONLY candidate who does not want to abandon the country. Whether his reasons are to fight an 'invisibile' force.. the very fact that he came out and said he'd like to stay there for 50-100 years shows that he actually believes we shouldn't just abandon it as a lost cause..

It is so hard to say something like that in the current political environment.. to believe it and avoid it is one thing, to believe it and say it are another..

there are ways to engage Iraq, protect American and Iraqi interests and create stability without occupying the country with hardly enough troops to make any meaningful difference.

The Iraqis don't want us there.
The voters don't want us there.
International consensus doesn't want us there.
Iraq may or may not go to hell in a handbasket if America withdraws, but keeping 130,000 troops there indefinetly will not only hurt American interests abroad but also domestically.

9 months ago SunTzu wrote

The Iraqis don't want us there. The voters​ don't want us there. International consensus​ doesn't want us there. Iraq may or may not​ go to hell in a handbasket if America withdraws,​ bu... moreThe Iraqis don't want us there. The voters​ don't want us there. International consensus​ doesn't want us there. Iraq may or may not​ go to hell in a handbasket if America withdraws,​ but keeping 130,000 troops there indefinetly will​ not only hurt American interests abroad but also​ domestically. less

You have a kid, you take care of it.. you don't abandon it and say 'oh, well i didnt think this would happen'

You invade a country, and ruin any idea of sovereignty and independence they have, you don't just leave. You wait until it's done and done right. It's a shame the communities don't want us, but it's a cost.

that America should be obliged to stay in Iraq for decades as punishment for it's mistake?

9 months ago SunTzu wrote

that America should be obliged to stay in Iraq for​ decades as punishment for it's mistake?

Responsibility...

responsible for making the situation better. I don't think you have a leg to stand on when you say responsibility = continued occupation. It's about results and the best results can be achieved by withdrawal in my opinion.

9 months ago SunTzu wrote

responsible for making the situation better. I​ don't think you have a leg to stand on when​ you say responsibility = continued occupation.​ It's about results and the best results can​ be achie... moreresponsible for making the situation better. I​ don't think you have a leg to stand on when​ you say responsibility = continued occupation.​ It's about results and the best results can​ be achieved by withdrawal in my opinion. less

That's where the difference between our views lies...