Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling .....

[DearMilSpouse]

Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling the situation in Iraq?

[gunga55]

I got to go with a yes. I will admit that it isn't a perfect strategy by any means, but over all yes.

[Nick352]

I agree with you Gunga, Also, the president is not the only one involved here. Some 900+ people have direct reflections on what transpires.

I will always support our troops, Regardless of thier branch.

[V8403]

You hit the nail on the head Nick, for there is the House, & the Senate, and like you ,I will always support our troops, Regardless of there branch of Service,

[hmxsgt]

My vote is unsure, They are letting our men and women get ripped up because of PC. We need to stop this. We're fighting a war on two fronts, Terrorism and PC. I say, we cannot win the PC battle, but we can win the terrorism battle IF we are given the freedom to fight as we are trained.

[mkennedy]

Dittos with what's been said ... and maybe if we win the war on terrorism, then some of the PC will be mitigated ...

[hankhoffman]

I am also unsure.

Still think we should have stayed in Afganistan and hit OB as hard a we could with full units.

[Nick352]

I am also unsure.

Still think we should have stayed in Afganistan and hit OB as hard a we could with full units.

100% Correct, and we should have been there faster. We may have gotten lucky and got that bearded, dress wearing, camel rapist.

[gunga55]

the war on the home front hasn't went as well as it should and by that I mean the media presenting the war part. It may even be called propaganda. Instead of focusing on what has gone right and victories it is alway negative. It is a very little understood factory in todays wars started in Nam and has grown since. You get some idiot sucker like Jane Fonda who has public acclaim fill there head with crap and then they do the work for you of bad mouthing troops government etc. During this cycle several idiots for lack of a better word have been used to promote the enemies agenda. They have in turn infested many more. War is no longer fought with just the military it has become a war of propaganda that has only grown through the use of the internet. We can win on the ground but unless we win the propaganda we have all but lost.

[ShooterDSH]

the war on the home front hasn't went as well as it should and by that I mean the media presenting the war part. It may even be called propaganda. Instead of focusing on what has gone right and victories it is alway negative. It is a very little understood factory in todays wars started in Nam and has grown since. You get some idiot sucker like Jane Fonda who has public acclaim fill there head with crap and then they do the work for you of bad mouthing troops government etc. During this cycle several idiots for lack of a better word have been used to promote the enemies agenda. They have in turn infested many more. War is no longer fought with just the military it has become a war of propaganda that has only grown through the use of the internet. We can win on the ground but unless we win the propaganda we have all but lost.

I voted yes, and I agree with gunga55!! If the media was out of it and we fought them like we were trained, this war would have been over!! Also, I feel the enemy will not hit the US for a time, due to Americans being split because of the war!! If they hit us, that would unite Americans again and they don't want that!!

[innersanctum]

Is there really a victory in anything when we were lead into this war under false pretenses?

[hmxsgt]

Is there really a victory in anything when we were lead into this war under false pretenses?

Your opinion...........................

[innersanctum]

It starts to get old, doesn't it?

[oldmanMarine]

Bush's "plan" for Iraq was ill concived. He had absolutley no follow up plans.
It seems as though he thought we all we had to do was go in get rid of Hussen and his regime and then we could leave.
Unfortunaly, since we really can't leave now. But look on the bright side, VP Cheeney's old company Halibuton (sp?) sure made out finacialy what with those no bid contracts and all.

[Teufelhunde]

disapprove, bush isnt acting on his own, even a monkey can opperate a country with the right amount of training!

[gunga55]

Bush's "plan" for Iraq was ill concived. He had absolutley no follow up plans.
I will agree with you on the planning part to an extent. While the need to go in stronger wasn't a factor the occupying force should have been much bigger. Again to +++++ about the Army they can barely put up the smaller force what would happen if they need 2x the force as the did.
Follow up plans have a serious fault of interpretation. The basic follow up or eventual goal is to make Iraq a strong democracy and a valuable ally in the area. That has been publicly stated a number of times. However that term is often used in reference to an escape clause, as it would be called in the corporate world. In other words how do we get out of a loosing situation still saving face and cutting our losses. On a global military and political standing this is a very bad form of planning. If one is not going to see it through then one should not be their in the 1st place. NO major parties in WWII had a fall back plan/ follow up plan that said if we start loosing lets sue for peace at this point. If we in fact became cowards and wanted to sue for peace in this war exactly how would that be accomplished. Forget saving face, and forget cutting our losses. Could we pull the USS New Jersey out and sign some papers with Bin Laden and every thing would be hunky dory. In a word NO.
As for Steve's statement

Is there really a victory in anything when we were lead into this war under false pretenses?I have posted before the reasons for going to war regardless of the :bsflag:quoted as why. I won't bother to post them again but one can search them out and read them at their leisure. But in short it comes down to $ in 99.9% of cases

[duffman13]

I think the way George W is handling this is good. If we wouldn't have hit them when we did you never know what kind of plan they would have made to attack us harder than the 9/11. We are still in the foreign countries some 5 and some change years after the incident, but you never know what would have happened. That's just my two cents.

[mkennedy]

...you never know what kind of plan they would have made to attack us harder than the 9/11.

Don't forget that they are still planning and they started planning before Bush was ever in office. The terrorists do not think like we do ... there is no such thing as 'why can't we all just get along?' - I bet that mostly, only Americans think that way - and it's dangerous.

I'm not alone in thinking that pulling out to save face is impossible because we won't save face, the opposite is true. The experts who study terrorism pretty much all agree that it will only embolden them.

And did pulling out of Vietnam save our face? We have a whole generation of the military who still don't feel that they are appreciated for their sacrifice ...

Sorry, I don't mean to disrespect the opinion of others, I just get a bit frustrated when I hear comments that sound like they came straight from the newscast ....

[gunga55]

Sorry, I don't mean to disrespect the opinion of others, I just get a bit frustrated when I hear comments that sound like they came straight from the newscast ....
That is a good point I am always encouraging people to think for them selves not just get their opinion from a talking head. Taking things with a grain of salt and thinking about what is said what wasn't said and getting more than 1 source of information is paramount to having an informed opinion.
Don't feel bad for disagreeing it is one of the best ways to see all side of a story.

[USMCLynchPrincess]

The war is a very controversial issue to most. I support George Bush, and the decisions he's made. We needed to go to war. America is a country that fights, she doesn't let people walk all over her (well, at least, she didn't used to, it's kinda impossible to stop that now that her own citizens can't ever agree). The media does promote all the negative information even though there has been good done. Defending our country was an honorable decision, and I will stand behind that.



TH

[cplcdtaylor]

As Marines and other service members we took an oath to defend this country from all enemies, foreign and domestic and to follow the orders of the President of the United States. Personally, I think that he is doing an excellent job. As well as our Military. My Karate Instructor has told us time and again that if our troops dont nip it in the bud over there and return home. All of those extremist factions will bring it to our shores again. Look at how this country was founded. The British didnt like the fact that we were wiggling out from under the thumb of George the 3rd and what did they do. . Brought it to our shores. What about the 1st & 2nd bombings of the WTC. . . they didnt like the fact that we are a Christian country.. . .and what did they do. . .they brought it to our shores. each time we retaliated. President Bush the first professed Born again Christian President sees that if we dont take care of it NOW we wont have a place to call home THEN! I say Praise God for above all being our God and I thank Him for placing a man in office that isnt afraid to make such unpopular decisions. I pray that we as a country can find another person with such morals and a deep belief in God & Country to replace him and continue the fight.

[innersanctum]

As Marines and other service members we took an oath to defend this country from all enemies, foreign and domestic and to follow the orders of the President of the United States. Personally, I think that he is doing an excellent job. As well as our Military. My Karate Instructor has told us time and again that if our troops dont nip it in the bud over there and return home. All of those extremist factions will bring it to our shores again. Look at how this country was founded. The British didnt like the fact that we were wiggling out from under the thumb of George the 3rd and what did they do. . Brought it to our shores. What about the 1st & 2nd bombings of the WTC. . . they didnt like the fact that we are a Christian country.. . .and what did they do. . .they brought it to our shores. each time we retaliated. President Bush the first professed Born again Christian President sees that if we dont take care of it NOW we wont have a place to call home THEN! I say Praise God for above all being our God and I thank Him for placing a man in office that isnt afraid to make such unpopular decisions. I pray that we as a country can find another person with such morals and a deep belief in God & Country to replace him and continue the fight.

Which God would you like our next President to believe in?

[cplcdtaylor]

Why the One True Living God, not someone or something that is still inhabiting their respective tombs. We need another Born Again Christian President.

[innersanctum]

So then are you saying that freedom of religion is only good for the President that believes in the God you believe in?

[mkennedy]

Which God would you like our next President to believe in?


Which Gods do I have to choose from?

[innersanctum]

I suppose any God that is protected under the First Amendment.

[kmarier2001]

My opinion? Whether or not I approve or disapprove of our Presidents handling of the war in Iraq, I believe in our men and women over there fighting. Period. The day that they as a whole, decide that they are not going to fight this fight anymore, is the day that I will stop believing we shouldn't be there. They are there. They have seen what I have not. They have seen the inhumane treatment of the people there. They have seen their fellow Military be hurt and even killed by the insurgents. They have seen these insurgents use human sacrifice, both young and old, to accomplish their sick deeds. They have also seen the good they are doing. They have helped to rebuild some of these peoples cities. They have helped some of those children to be able to go outside their homes and play like children should be able to. They have given some of the people the chance to walk outside their homes unafraid and to have a peaceful nights sleep without being awoken by some crazed maniac strapped with weapons, who wants to use them as a human sacrifice, in the eyes of "his God". In my opinion, they have made a difference, in the lives of these people.

[innersanctum]

My opinion? Whether or not I approve or disapprove of our Presidents handling of the war in Iraq, I believe in our men and women over there fighting. Period. The day that they as a whole, decide that they are not going to fight this fight anymore, is the day that I will stop believing we shouldn't be there. They are there. They have seen what I have not. They have seen the inhumane treatment of the people there. They have seen their fellow Military be hurt and even killed by the insurgents. They have seen these insurgents use human sacrifice, both young and old, to accomplish their sick deeds. They have also seen the good they are doing. They have helped to rebuild some of these peoples cities. They have helped some of those children to be able to go outside their homes and play like children should be able to. They have given some of the people the chance to walk outside their homes unafraid and to have a peaceful nights sleep without being awoken by some crazed maniac strapped with weapons, who wants to use them as a human sacrifice, in the eyes of "his God". In my opinion, they have made a difference, in the lives of these people.

The question is how George is handling things not how our troops are. Troops are told to do things, like it or not, and they do it. Some believe in what they are doing, others do not... Discipline pushes them forward.

It's no secret how I feel about this president. I liked him in the beginning, mostly because I liked his father. But he wore out his welcome with me when around late 2003, early 2004. I do not like him nor his policies. I think he has done a lot unrepairable damage while trying to fix a long term problem. I don't deny that there was never a problem with terrorists but I don't think he did things in the most judicious (not sure if that is the word I am looking for or not but it fits on the surface) manner.

The ultimate judge will be history when we look back 20 years from now and really see who was right and who was wrong. If I am wrong, I will be sure to atone for my misguidance.

[mkennedy]

I still remember everyone saying how crazy and injudicious (yes, you used the word appropriately) Reagan was and that his policies were going to end up starting a nuclear holocaust ... And I also remember many who that Jimmy Carter (while in office) was one of the best presidents yet ....so yeh, let's see how things look 20 years from now ... in the meantime ....

[trlrtrash13]

I voted yes based on the way events have been unfolding since the "surge". I just blogged about this earlier today. I don't care to repost it, so if you wish to read it you can do so here (http://www.thestevilempire.com/phpBB2/weblog_entry.php?e=197). I was pretty discouraged at how long it took him to get more troops there, but I feel this war was neccesary and winning is the only option, and I think we are back on the right track now.

[usmc93]

I think he is doing a good job in protecting America from threats.

[stinemates1]

I think that he did what was best for this country. You know if it was these people that complain about what is being done that lived over there or were in the presidents shoes I don't think they could have done any better! I know that this has been drawen out but we are there to do what our country is know for doing FIGHTING FOR FREEDOM! http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=2030738782

I SAY SEMPER FI TO ALL OF YOU THAT HAVE DONE ALL AND MORE FOR THIS COUNTRY!:flag-marines::iwojima:salute:brutal_36:

[innersanctum]

I think that he did what was best for this country. You know if it was these people that complain about what is being done that lived over there or were in the presidents shoes I don't think they could have done any better! I know that this has been drawen out but we are there to do what our country is know for doing FIGHTING FOR FREEDOM! http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=2030738782

I SAY SEMPER FI TO ALL OF YOU THAT HAVE DONE ALL AND MORE FOR THIS COUNTRY!:flag-marines::iwojima:salute:brutal_36:

The problem is for me, it seems we are fighting for another country's freedom instead of our own.

[doggett]

There are a million and one ways people would do it differently, but like it or not it is his call. That's why he was voted in. He's doing a fine job. :)

[innersanctum]

I still think history will be the judge of how well he did his job. I don't think he is doing that well now but 20 years from now, I might be eating crow.

[gunga55]

I think that history will be kinder to GW than the current enviroment. Time will tell though

[namvet67]

I voted yes, and I agree with gunga55!! If the media was out of it and we fought them like we were trained, this war would have been over!! Also, I feel the enemy will not hit the US for a time, due to Americans being split because of the war!! If they hit us, that would unite Americans again and they don't want that!!
That would be a big yes!

[sully3169]

I must say that Bush is not perfect but at least he is willing to do something. And he only holds part of the power, so i do believe Bush is doing the best congress will allow him to.

[barr3to]

The Gunny sends..
The Prez is doing the best he can. He has to fight with the Democrates for everything. I strongly believe we need more Marines to finish the job.
Semper Fidelis......

[mkennedy]

That's where Reagan was better. He had the courage to tell Congress to go hang. Sometimes I see Bush glimmers of him having the cojones ... I keep hoping that he'll get fed up enough and go for it. I only caught part of his speech from last week (or was it the week before) and parts of it sounded fantastic. What I'd like to hear is, "I want our soldiers and Marines home too. It's time to win the war and I'm sending in enough troops now to get it done sooner instead of later."

[Trapper]

I am going to go with sully and barr here...

[Guide Plt.2129]

Hey All- Voted approved.
BUT, there are ways it could be improved.
I've read alot of the posts,and found alot of what I feel also. Really need to take the leash off the dogs and let us do the job -(waiting for firing orders, what the hell is that all about?)- Ramp it some, go back to the stuff learned in Nam. S&D. I'm not advocating "kill them all and let allah sort them out" but known positions and individuals should be dealt with, like in the beginning of the war. Find 'em zap 'em. Hear less of this all the time. Are we running out of insurgants and top bad guys and it's just teenagers goofing around with roadside bombs and car bombs? Yeah, right.
7-4-1776, the birtday of a new nation. 11-10-1775, birthday of My Beloved Marine Corp. Do the math , Marine Corp born,roughly 7 months later, America is a democracy. Where ever there is a dictator, a tyrant, a madman, beating a nation down, keeping the people oppressed, without a voice, hopeless and helpless, THAT is a Marine Corp application waiting to happen. Sadamn was a weapon of mass destruction himself, tell me that country didn't need liberating? Don't much care for Mr.Bush as a person, But we are the Presidents own and I would go where I was sent no questions asked-we need to send more -all Marines and flood them out and get the mission accomplished, he does not need congressional approval to send Marines any where, anytime, anyplace, any reason.
"Loose the hounds"
Ranted.
Semper Fi Fratres Aeterni
Rusty :rankm-lcpl: :flag-marines: :pow-mia: :salute

[mkennedy]

I'm not advocating "kill them all and let allah sort them out" but known positions and individuals should be dealt with, like in the beginning of the war. Find 'em zap 'em.

Some would argue, "Why not?"


America is a democracy.
Rusty :rankm-lcpl: :flag-marines: :pow-mia: :salute

You see, this may be part of the problem, we're supposed to be a representative republic, not a democracy - but too many have forgotten, including Congress, key word - representative.

One thing that I thought of, there was a poll saying that only 34% (or somewhere thereabouts) of Americans approved of the war on terror. At the same time another poll was released that said that only 14% of Americans approved of congress. That means that nearly twice as many people approve of the war than they do of congress ... so tell me, which needs to change first?

[semperfidd]

Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling the situation in Iraq?
I think if the Military would been able to handle it from the beginning without the politions involved Iraq would of been secured along time ago.

[innersanctum]

Yeah, that wouldn't be a bad idea. We should just let the military leaders be the leaders of the free world. You know, martial law would solve so many problems.

[gunga55]

I think I missed that day in government class

[AncientVoice]

Like it or not, he is the commander. While he is in charge, we follow and complete the mission.

[hawkeye]

As a Vietnam Vet I am afraid this conflict is headed in the same direction. There is no way of actually knowing who the enemy is, and we are starting to limit what -when & where our soldiers are allowed to engage. I also think the Iraqi military is NOT doing there part in defending their own country. There are to many governing bodies to ever unite this country, thus making this conflict even more impossible to win!

[Guide Plt.2129]

[quote=mkennedy;41614]Some would argue, "Why not?"

Couldn't stomache killing 83 year old women that cant walk or feed herself-but a 15 year old kid with a rifle shootin at me would be fair game for anything from capture to a round to the head or even better-maimed for life(takes more enemy to haul off the wounded than a corpse then they have to care for him for life-short as it could be.).
Plan "B"- introduce the enemy to cocaine,crank/crack, herion,and opium, in 10 years they would be to hooked or dead from the things that come along with it to put up to much of a fight-look at the sub cultures in America.
Poloticians have nothing to say unless they have served and understand what it takes. Just approve the frickin military budget,shut thier damn mouths and let the military run the military--military dont dont try to run the country do they????



You see, this may be part of the problem, we're supposed to be a representative republic, not a democracy - but too many have forgotten, including Congress, key word - representative.



I can't quite figure the "Representative Republic" thing. Don't remember that from school. The past USSR was a Republic, and VietNam was a republic,I was under the assumption that we were a Democracy, just currently run by a Republic-an :o
Somebody please start a US Goverment Ed page please, and call it the "Dumbing down of Americans" thread. I've discovered the rules have changed fron 1969 to now>
Semper Fi Fratres Aeterni
Rusty :rankm-lcpl: :flag-marines: :pow-mia:

[mkennedy]

True democracy (meaning one man, one vote with majority ruling) never works ... that's why we have representatives. I'm about the same time period as you are, by the way, but I do remember learning for the first time in Govt/Eco class that we were weren't a democracy even though we take pride in our democratic ideals. I may be splitting hairs, but there is a difference. When voting for a president, we don't actually vote - at least, each one of our votes don't count individually. Yes, we vote but it is the electors who actually 'vote' for the president. That is why there can be significant differences between the popular vote and who actually gets elected. We don't pass laws, our representatives (senators & congressmen) vote in our name. The assumption by our founding fathers was that the people themselves needed the guidance of those who were better informed about political matters to make the big decisions about our laws, etc.

This analogy is a bit simplistic but imagine letting the students vote on how a class is run. If I ask my students whether or not we should have homework and/or tests, most will vote, "no". In a democracy, I would have to quit assigning homework and giving tests even if I think having them is in their best interest.

I'm not a government teacher, so I'm probably not explaining this as well as someone else could. Any help out there?

Ideally, democracy could work if we were all perfect and had only noble, selfless intentions and were truly informed ... but we're only human and by nature not perfect.

[gunga55]

That pretty much sums it up though

[Guide Plt.2129]

I've always understood that my vote only counts at a local level,and understand the Electorial college thing, it was the terminology that was confusing. The first time I had heard the term "Bi-partisan" , I thought it meant a politican would sleep with dem's or rpubs or independants! Go ahead, laugh. I did. Found out later they were just up for re-election or goin with the winner in thier districts-whimpy sell outs. Most vote party line so your vote never gets heard.
Hey you taught anyone who reads these and didnt know about this tho. The inner workings I know;terminology some times I dont remember.
Thanks tho
Rusty :rankm-lcpl: :flag-marines: :pow-mia:

[mkennedy]

I I thought it meant a politican would sleep with dem's or rpubs or independants! Go ahead, laugh. I did. :rankm-lcpl: :flag-marines: :pow-mia:

Couldn't help myself - that is just toooo funny, especially with all the scandals going around now! Maybe it's more fitting than we know! :D

[innersanctum]

I've always understood that my vote only counts at a local level,and understand the Electorial college thing, it was the terminology that was confusing. The first time I had heard the term "Bi-partisan" , I thought it meant a politican would sleep with dem's or rpubs or independants! Go ahead, laugh. I did. Found out later they were just up for re-election or goin with the winner in thier districts-whimpy sell outs. Most vote party line so your vote never gets heard.
Hey you taught anyone who reads these and didnt know about this tho. The inner workings I know;terminology some times I dont remember.
Thanks tho
Rusty :rankm-lcpl: :flag-marines: :pow-mia:

The voters for the electoral college will vote the way of the state. If a state votes to elect Mickey Mouse, the electoral college will vote for Mickey Mouse. Your state's vote is a direct reflection of the number of members in the House. So if you state has 18 Representatives, they will have 18 votes in the electoral college. I can not think of any election in history where a state elected one individual and their reps didn't vote for that state's winner.

[gunga55]

I can not think of any election in history where a state elected one individual and their reps didn't vote for that state's winner.
The Electorate is not required to vote according to popular vote state wide or no. There has been some cases I will see if I can find them.

[gunga55]

Must electors vote for the candidate who won their State's popular vote? There is no Constitutional provision or Federal law that requires electors to vote according to the results of the popular vote in their States. Some States, however, require electors to cast their votes according to the popular vote. These pledges fall into two categories -- electors bound by State law and those bound by pledges to political parties.
Which States bind electors to popular vote results? Refer to Electors Bound by State Law and Pledges (http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/laws.html) to find out.
The Supreme Court has held that the Constitution does not require that electors be completely free to act as they choose and therefore, political parties may extract pledges from electors to vote for the parties' nominees. Some State laws provide that so-called "faithless electors" may be subject to fines or may be disqualified for casting an invalid vote and be replaced by a substitute elector. The Supreme Court has not specifically ruled on the question of whether pledges and penalties for failure to vote as pledged may be enforced under the Constitution. No elector has ever been prosecuted for failing to vote as pledged.
Today, it is rare for electors to disregard the popular vote by casting their electoral vote for someone other than their party's candidate. Electors generally hold a leadership position in their party or were chosen to recognize years of loyal service to the party. Throughout our history as a nation, more than 99 percent of electors have voted as pledged.

http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/faq.html#meaningful

[OgreUSMC]

I disapprove the way the war is being waged:mad:I think we should add more troops and turn them loose.Cordon and search the whole damn country if need be.and seal their borders(even though we can't seem to plug our own)Why must we follow the rules of conduct if our enemies don't?Semper Fi!

[Nick352]

I disapprove the way the war is being waged:mad:I think we should add more troops and turn them loose.Cordon and search the whole damn country if need be.and seal their borders(even though we can't seem to plug our own)Why must we follow the rules of conduct if our enemies don't?Semper Fi!


Now This guy I like. I love our generation of Marines.

[Teri]

I disapprove the way the war is being waged:mad:I think we should add more troops and turn them loose.Cordon and search the whole damn country if need be.and seal their borders(even though we can't seem to plug our own)Why must we follow the rules of conduct if our enemies don't?Semper Fi!

I have to agree with this. Just let our troops do the job they were trained for. If we had done this to start with maybe we could get back to bin Lodin. (SP)

[jmonzie]

I approve, however I wish the politicans would stay out of it. I guess everone has forgotten the country lost thousands of innocents when this country was attacked. To me it was the same as Pearl Harbor.

[TrevelyanInc]

The "homegrown" insurgents pretty often come from Iran or Syria. Sealing the border would go a long way in changing my opinion of the conflict.

[barr3to]

Unfortunately we can't even seal our own borders...

[gunga55]

I think all the home owners who paid big bucks to live ocean side would be pretty pissed off with a big giant wall obstructing their view and access to the beach. We must keep in mind unlike small little countries We are the 3rd largest country in the world and have 4 borders (break out the flintlock and cutlasses)
A little buck an ear humor there.

[patoloco]

When contractors outnumber troops in theater...something is wrong.:2cents:

[michaeldean]

No-one knew why we went to Afghanistan, and we still don't know. Everyone says it was really because of oil, but I don't believe that though. That is the main reason we are still there, on top of that, us pulling out now, would result in disaster. We have nothing to fall back on. An agreement with the government in Iraq right now doesn't add up to squat right now. Who's to say as soon as we pull out the government isn't overthrown by some anti-American force?

[patoloco]

No-one knew why we went to Afghanistan, and we still don't know.

Uhm, well Usama Bin Laden was there. The headquarters for al-Qaeda was there. The plot to attack the U.S. was finalized and Bin Laden gave the "OK" to launch the attack from Afghanistan. I don't think there's any question "why" we went to Afghanistan.

Unless you believe the "911 was an inside job" nutbags....then there's no helping you understand.

[Sichelski]

The Marines that I have talked to who have been over there agree that there is progress over there. It will take time and there will be more Amrican deaths. Once the objectives are met and we leave when the job is completed, I believe that we will show the world we are not trying to colonize the world.

[gunga55]

When contractors outnumber troops in theater...something is wrong.:2cents:
Actually that is a very positive thing. If you need one armed troop per contractor that would be bad it should really have a 4:1 contractor to troop ratio minimum

[gking15]

He's handling the war about like he's handling the economy. From a distance.