House, 218 to 212, Votes to Set Date for Iraq Pullout

[piercehawkeye45]

I am agnostic on pulling out. I extremely disagree with the reasons we went there for and think we should have never been there in the first place but we created a new mess that is even bigger than Vietnam. 50-500 thousand Iraqi civilians have died already and if we pull out, we will only make it worse for them.

If we do pull out, there is likely to be a very bloody civil war that will last a few years and then stablize (hopefully). If we don't, we can wait for it to stablize, which may never happen, or eventually just give up. Assuming Iraq will stabilize, we have to choose between a short war with many deaths or a long war with fewer deaths.

[tw]

Originally Posted by piercehawkeye45

I am agnostic on pulling out. ...
If we do pull out, there is likely to be a very bloody civil war that will last a few years and then stablize (hopefully).

If we stay, that blooshed becomes inevitable. However, because the threat of an America pullout exists, suddenly there is massive talking and a massive interest in peaceful compromise.

[piercehawkeye45]

Originally Posted by tw

If we stay, that blooshed becomes inevitable. However, because the threat of an America pullout exists, suddenly there is massive talking and a massive interest in peaceful compromise.

Great point. If it gets the silent majority to start speaking we will have accomplished something great.

[WabUfvot5]

Originally Posted by tw

If we stay, that blooshed becomes inevitable. However, because the threat of an America pullout exists, suddenly there is massive talking and a massive interest in peaceful compromise.

An Iraq vet I spoke to is pretty sure things will degrade once we leave. I'm not sure what will happen; only that our presence there is not healing the divide.

[bluesdave]

Going into Iraq in 2003 was a mistake. Pulling out now may cause a catastrophe, and with a potentially a cascading effect. The Iraqi army and police cannot manage on their own. They freely admit this, and US troops on the ground have no faith in the Iraqi army or police. If you do not believe me, take the time to listen to this - it goes for just over 6 minutes, but please listen to it.

The situation in Iraq is far worse than some elements of the media would have you believe. This is *not* a reason to pull out. It shows how desperate the Iraqi people are. Remember, "we" invaded them. "We" were supposed to make life better for them. It is now "our" responsibility to see this through to a peaceful end.