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renegade000

(2,301 posts)

55. i think Obama is trying to walk the tightrope

Fri Aug 8, 2014, 01:26 PM

Aug 2014

and I tend to agree with that strategy. I absolutely do not want to return to ground operations in Iraq, nor do I think that would be constructive at this point, as the regional powers need to figure out how the balance of power is going to work without US soldiers in the equation. On the other hand, completely extracting ourselves from the situation (that we ultimately caused) and leaving the Kurds and Shia to completely fend for themselves with some newfound notion of total indifference and neutrality is not exactly going to win us friends either. I would basically support helping the Kurds and Shia hold the line against ISIS through humanitarian aid, intelligence sharing, and at most limited air-strikes, with the hope that more moderate Sunni factions will eventually turn on ISIS.

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Are you really ready for another war in Iraq? [View all] WilliamPitt Aug 2014 OP

No! In_The_Wind Aug 2014 #1

ISIS wants to fashion, build and control a state, an Islamic caliphate. They probably need the dam. pinto Aug 2014 #2

They don't have to blow it up--just failure to maintain it will cause it to fail. TwilightGardener Aug 2014 #5

They are nutters AngryAmish Aug 2014 #6

Indeed. Maedhros Aug 2014 #9

No gratuitous Aug 2014 #3

I literally cannot tell if this is sarcasm anymore MisterP Aug 2014 #16

You and me both gratuitous Aug 2014 #27

Very well done nt freedom fighter jh Aug 2014 #71

You already are sucked in. It's a fools errand, 1400 years of war will not end with a couple bombs. grahamhgreen Aug 2014 #124

We'll do what we have to do. I don't think anyone's hyping threats or pushing TwilightGardener Aug 2014 #4

They don't have to be at this point nor do the best intentions much help us TheKentuckian Aug 2014 #31

I disagree with your last paragraph. CJCRANE Aug 2014 #37

I'm not saying we would or even necessarily could. I'm saying this is about the only thing that can TheKentuckian Aug 2014 #63

This post would instantly earn a +1 for the Donnie reference alone RufusTFirefly Aug 2014 #66

+1 BrotherIvan Aug 2014 #97

what do we "have" to do? phantom power Aug 2014 #60

To be honest, I don't trust Obama's rationales any more than Bush's when it comes to war arcane1 Aug 2014 #7

exactly what I've been thinking smiley Aug 2014 #130

Do we have a choice? PowerToThePeople Aug 2014 #8

I don't know but ISIS is "worse than al Qaeda"... kentuck Aug 2014 #10

interesting bigtree Aug 2014 #51

I'm always up for another war pscot Aug 2014 #11

U.S. at war with Iraq for twenty-four years, to be precise. JackRiddler Aug 2014 #12

+1 leftstreet Aug 2014 #22

+ another Scuba Aug 2014 #127

Are you really that unable to analyze this situation? flamingdem Aug 2014 #13

They are already back there. former9thward Aug 2014 #14

Different flamingdem Aug 2014 #19

Not at all. former9thward Aug 2014 #39

The advisors are almost certainly Lurks Often Aug 2014 #45

Exactly ballyhoo Aug 2014 #76

+1,000,000,000,000 eom MohRokTah Aug 2014 #26

"I will not send American boys 16,000 miles away WilliamPitt Aug 2014 #28

My analysis is that the President means what he says flamingdem Aug 2014 #30

I'm sure Johnson meant what he said, too. WilliamPitt Aug 2014 #34

Are you even aware that Obama is not Johnson? tridim Aug 2014 #41

He's not? WilliamPitt Aug 2014 #48

Just one of your Hater fan club! Seems to be a group of them on DU...what did you do? Rex Aug 2014 #83

The pessimists are always wrong about the President. nt tridim Aug 2014 #40

in most cases bigtree Aug 2014 #61

So now Obama is Bush AND the worst part of LBJ? JaydenD Aug 2014 #82

Because that's what I said. WilliamPitt Aug 2014 #94

hehe nt grasswire Aug 2014 #107

Why do you always tell people that disagree with you to go back to bed? sheshe2 Aug 2014 #113

Because they need the sleep. WilliamPitt Aug 2014 #114

Wow, so authoritarian of you. sheshe2 Aug 2014 #118

How dare anyone criticize the mere sending of advisers into Iraq? Jackpine Radical Aug 2014 #103

Funny how you are so positive that your vision is the only one and those that rhett o rick Aug 2014 #115

They just did. morningfog Aug 2014 #116

As much as I hate to say it........ Bonhomme Richard Aug 2014 #15

No it's not. obxhead Aug 2014 #79

No, but I think there's a certain amount of "you broke it - you bought it" in play here. Coventina Aug 2014 #17

Of course we are to blame but that has nothing to do with ability or even intention to correct it TheKentuckian Aug 2014 #56

Eternally "Fixing" countries for fun and profit! TampaAnimusVortex Aug 2014 #125

"Give war a chance." Douglas Carpenter Aug 2014 #18

Obama was warned that the Syrian rebels were islamic fundies betterdemsonly Aug 2014 #20

And he wanted to send CJCRANE Aug 2014 #38

I am not sure if america's current desire for war, should trump the AMerican behavior that lead La Lioness Priyanka Aug 2014 #21

E M P I R E RobertEarl Aug 2014 #23

Post removed Post removed Aug 2014 #24

No!! The US has been kind of mowing the lawn there for a while elias49 Aug 2014 #25

Oh fer chrissakes.....I suppose this is better than screaming for the duct tape and plastic msanthrope Aug 2014 #29

+1 flamingdem Aug 2014 #72

Don't hold your breath. nt msanthrope Aug 2014 #105

well said Blue_Roses Aug 2014 #88

Quite welcome! nt msanthrope Aug 2014 #106

Hmmm, yes that would be an awesome column. sheshe2 Aug 2014 #120

Please....and here's the interesting thing about recs...it really does tell you msanthrope Aug 2014 #144

No. A million times no. LiberalLoner Aug 2014 #32

This message was self-deleted by its author 1000words Aug 2014 #33

*sigh* WilliamPitt Aug 2014 #36

This message was self-deleted by its author 1000words Aug 2014 #44

+1,000 Scuba Aug 2014 #128

And once again, LBJ is NOT BHO. tridim Aug 2014 #46

Post #48, please. WilliamPitt Aug 2014 #49

No response? WilliamPitt Aug 2014 #95

Banksy updated that pic for the corporate age... cui bono Aug 2014 #93

No. Cleita Aug 2014 #35

The Kurds are what the Turks are interested in. atreides1 Aug 2014 #90

Yes and they could unite all the Kurdish lands from Iraq, Cleita Aug 2014 #101

The Turks have no interest in an independent Kurdish state. Laelth Aug 2014 #126

I know that and if my post is not clear to you, let me reiterate. Cleita Aug 2014 #141

Interesting. Laelth Aug 2014 #142

Probably not. It's just one of my ruminations. eom Cleita Aug 2014 #143

Really NOT! KamaAina Aug 2014 #42

my thoughts, fwtw bigtree Aug 2014 #43

It scares the hell out of me. Marrah_G Aug 2014 #47

Its the long awaited jobs program. JEB Aug 2014 #50

^ One way or another we will always be in an area in which TBF Aug 2014 #129

I'm not sure, but I doubt that they have the capability MineralMan Aug 2014 #52

HELL NO!! Dems to Win Aug 2014 #53

Depends on how much he can do with air strikes.. KoKo Aug 2014 #54

with Syria bigtree Aug 2014 #68

Thanks for that info...interesting... KoKo Aug 2014 #87

i think Obama is trying to walk the tightrope renegade000 Aug 2014 #55

One word malaise Aug 2014 #57

You should write a nice long column on that, Mr. Pitt. MineralMan Aug 2014 #58

Uh, ignoring something works better Union Scribe Aug 2014 #59

Thank you for your unsolicited advice. MineralMan Aug 2014 #62

Of that there was never any doubt. Union Scribe Aug 2014 #64

... SammyWinstonJack Aug 2014 #96

.. Autumn Aug 2014 #121

There won't be a war ... and the same folks who are predicting it ... JoePhilly Aug 2014 #133

Yup. They're just stirring a stinky pot. MineralMan Aug 2014 #134

This isn't "another war" Bobbie Jo Aug 2014 #65

No, I'm not prepared for a US ground invasion in Iraq. cheapdate Aug 2014 #67

We can pull our imaginary troops out of Libya and Syria BumRushDaShow Aug 2014 #69

Yes Pitt, I have impeccable sources that tell me the ground invasion begins in 24 business hours. tritsofme Aug 2014 #70

Absolutely not. I have said for ballyhoo Aug 2014 #73

it's up to each of us to boycott war profiteers, call talk shows, network, pray, organize dem1926 Aug 2014 #74

NO! n/t Duval Aug 2014 #75

It appears to me that the entire world is at war.. Chico Man Aug 2014 #77

No rickyhall Aug 2014 #78

FFS obxhead Aug 2014 #80

Absolutely not HockeyMom Aug 2014 #81

It never really stopped, just took a short break while U.S. forces were at an all-time low. Rex Aug 2014 #84

NO! SammyWinstonJack Aug 2014 #85

No n/t BuelahWitch Aug 2014 #86

No, another war sadoldgirl Aug 2014 #89

This thread is so damned depressing War Horse Aug 2014 #91

what is not being spoken here is that US military action in Iraq is counterproductive bigtree Aug 2014 #111

Hell no. cwydro Aug 2014 #92

Absolutely not. And thank you for this post. woo me with science Aug 2014 #98

Not only no but eff no! tech3149 Aug 2014 #99

Merry Minuet bvar22 Aug 2014 #100

No, Will Tace Aug 2014 #102

We have always been at war with Iraq JCMach1 Aug 2014 #104

Indeed...Orwill Revisited....Estasia...We will ALWAYS BE AT WAR! KoKo Aug 2014 #108

Do you think the POTUS' strategy is to pull together all the threatened nations to do their own... Hekate Aug 2014 #109

That's the danger of "the boy who cried wolf" eventually there was a wolf and nobody believed him. Uncle Joe Aug 2014 #110

Another SuperCop™ sequel? GeorgeGist Aug 2014 #112

No. Enough is enough. Our involvement never ends well for them or for our troops who die Autumn Aug 2014 #117

War is almost never the answer, but I am yet to be convinced that it is not the answer here. Vattel Aug 2014 #119

What is success and what evidence supports getting there? TheKentuckian Aug 2014 #131

Success is preventing the slaughter of 40,000 Iraqis. Vattel Aug 2014 #132

How many innocent Iraqis are you willing to kill to do it and how many times is this or a similar TheKentuckian Aug 2014 #136

I highly doubt that the same logic will apply every step of the way. Vattel Aug 2014 #138

Everybody has heard the old joke TheKentuckian Aug 2014 #140

In answer to your question, Vattel Aug 2014 #150

Short answer, no because I honestly don't think Obama will put us back in Iraq davidpdx Aug 2014 #122

I have many Iraqi friends, livnig in an area with 40,000 Iraqi Chaldeans as well as Kurds. Liberty Belle Aug 2014 #123

Ready for it? Sheeeee-it, I support it! flvegan Aug 2014 #135

We have no plan. We are adrift with a huge military and no idea what we should do. Warren Stupidity Aug 2014 #137

"Let them die!" moondust Aug 2014 #139

A) No. (B) More war is falling into the trap of eternal war laid by the PNAC/1%. nt Zorra Aug 2014 #145

No, no, no, and no. 99Forever Aug 2014 #146

kick woo me with science Aug 2014 #147

The beatings will continue until the military industrial complex can pocket another couple trillion. Initech Aug 2014 #148

It's a regional ME war now. roamer65 Aug 2014 #149

Are the Arab League involved? SummerSnow Aug 2014 #151