ObieX

I think its quite obvious what our goal there is and always has been. It is the OnLY reason why there is any interestin that region at all.. and that is OIL. That is the only reason we are there and to think it is anything else is just fooling ourselves. This administration did not care about WMD.. why do i say that? I say that because WE GAVE Iraq those weapons in the first place.
Removing a tyranical despot? No i dont think so there either.. since we are the ones who proped him up and supported him for many years because he was able to do the thing we are currently unable to do... which is keep the various groups from slaughtering eachother. I also really.. really really doubt the current administration gives half a shit about women wearing burquas. The burqua thing is more of an after-thought rationalization.

For that all you really have to do is watch the news reports. For every 1 US troop killed by anti-US actions there there are 50 people rounded up into busses out of office buildings by death squads and taken away to later be found dead dumped in a river or to make a statementin the middle of a major city.

I think assuming the people of Iraq will all of a sudden forget their hatred and blood feuds just because the US withdraws is in error. The way i see it, the majority of Iraqis place their first loyalty to their particular brand of Islam.. most likely their local groups and families second with national pride a distant 3rd or 4th. I really think most of them would prefer their own individual countries out of this than 1 unified Iraq. The unified Iraq thing is more a goal of the US becuase it gives us easier control over a large region.. which brings us back to the oil thing...

.. i mean just look at the map. Iraq is a large country in that region with a large amount of oil to be tapped. The current administration had this plan working for years.. before Bush was even in power. They want this region under their control by any means and anyone who gets in their way will pay with their life. This isn't paranoia.. this is what is happening and has been happening. To try to rationalize our actions there as anything other than a grab for oil and power is delusional.

As for solving this "problem" while maintaining control of the region? Well.. all i can really say is "good luck". Anyone who looked at the middle east before we went to war would have told you that it was a hornet's nest and any attempt to try to occupy or take military control of the region would end with that country's troops leaving covered in blood. *Somehow* this fact eluded the current administration or they simply didnt care how much blood it would cost. I think it was a combination of both.

A slow withdrawl is our only real option. 10,000 troops every few months. All of those new fancy permanent US bases will eventually just have to be closed down or turned over to Iraqi forces. I'm sure keeping 1 or 2 would be acceptable, but to try to use them as any means of control of oil over the Iraqi goverment would be a big mistake. In my opinion their strategic placement will only be useful to Iraqi military forces and temporary US security until we withdraw.

So, briefly: we shouldn't have been there.. start to withdraw Jan 1st 2007.. 10,000 troops every few months (2-3 months). We can keep ~20,000 troops there for training purposes and simply because we now "own" that region.. we'll never be out fully. The entire purpose of this operation was to impose our presence there.. so i don't think we will ever leave. If we're lucky we wont have to invade again in another 5-15 years to try to "fix" things again.

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We Must Dissent.