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The recent failed attack on Najaf was by a group made up of both Sunnis and Shites.

from:

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"Col. Ali Jraiwi said the insurgents detained after Sunday's fighting told Najaf police they are members of a group called "Soldiers of Heaven" and are a mix of Sunni and Shiite Muslims."

Too sad the thing that brought the two sects together was a desire to bring on a Muslim version of "The End Times".

I'm a new member & just wanted to tip my hat to you all.I've enjoyed all the posts I've read & look forward to participating myself as soon as I come up with something worthwhile to add.

I just watched an Inconvenient Truth-and I am more than dismayed and just a little frightened. Right now Mother Nature is visiting a lot of "inconvenience" on mankind and it is only going to get worse. The Gore family raised tobacco, inspite of evidence it contributes to lung cancer. Then they lost a daughter, to lung cancer. Our President is an oil man and a friend to the Saudis--burning oil, a fossil fuel, contributes greatly to global warning and many terrorists are Saudis. Perhaps, Bush just by virtue of family position cannot examine the issues and be unbiased. He is still growing the "tobacco" and promoting old technologies that now threaten mankind.

May I respectfully disagree with this statement: "We can't squander the Regular military in Iraq any more. They and their equipment are wore out and all they train for is duty in Iraq."

As the mother of an Army colonel, cousin of a Marine captain (deployed three times and anxious to return), and grandmother of a West Point graduate who will soon be deployed to Iraq, I know better. Our troops are NOT worn out; they are eager for the mission and they, more than anyone else, see what has been and is being accomplished there.

Training is comprehensive as always and. although desert training is a large part, they are also being trained for possible deployments in Africa, not to mention other parts of the world where they've been for years.

I'm afraid you've been reading -- and believing -- the American media who simply do not report the truth about the war. Who knows what their agenda is, or why it is what it is, but it certainly is not to tell the truth to the American people.

Hi All!

I am from Chicago. Hope to get to know all of you!

Jude55

This Iraq war started after we invaded Afghanistan, where Saddam Hussan threatened our troops on the ground! Why is that so convienently forgotten? EVERY member of Congress, The UK, France, Italy,Greece, Germany ect... thought Iraq had hidden stashes on WMD's.(Found on the Syrian border and documentation shipped to Syria by the Hussan brothers). Stop re-writing history to suit you. Or do you really not know the truth?

Eveyone here wants put pull out and let the Iraqis sort it out, assuming we cannot have a winning strategy. I am so glad that is the message you and the main stream media are sending to our troops. Bush made mistakes, correct, but pulling out and letting the Iranians take over is a recipe for disaster. Somewhere lost in this discussion is that the terrorists who are running amuk now in Iraq really want to destroy Western Civilization as we know it. So just let us take a breath and see if the new military commander and the proposed strategy works. The cost if it doesn't would be much more difficult to bear. This is coming from a Viet Nam era Vet and mother of two well educated Marines who did serve in Iraq.

I heard on the Dennis Praeger radio show today from Jeff Babin something that I hadn't heard before. This occurred before Bush made the decision to go into Iraq in 2003. He was presented with 2 choices:
1, Colin Powell's plan, which we followed, to go in and nation-build. (We don't have an army designated for that task, ie. plumbing electricity, etc.)

2, Go in, take out Sadam, help them set up replacement government and then get out. Rumsfeld was in favor of this plan.

So poor Rumsfeld had to take over Colin Powell's idea while Powell slipped away. And Rumsfeld gets to take all the flack from the "failed" mission.

Food for thought.

Let's not start re-writing history at this point. I believe it was Colin Powell who warned GW regarding Iraq "if you break it you own it"

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The fact is Powell should have left a lot sooner than he did maybe then he would have retained some of his stature as a statesman.

21,500 more troops (for how long?) to secure Bagdad with Iraqi support. $1B in Iraqi jobs money.

Before the war started, the DOD estimated that 250,000 troops were required. Things are far worse now, and Bush suggests going from ~135,000 to ~155,000 will maybe grab victory from defeat.

And $1B in aid is not enough to do much even if it were spent effectively. But Iraqi ministries are fiefdoms for personal and sectarian enrichment. The money will make no great difference to the people at large.

The professional classes of Iraq have fled the country; there are not enough managers around to direct reconstruction even if enough money was made available and it wasn't stolen.

And Bush is suggesting that hostilities may be opened with Iran and Syria.

Bush see's the USA has a losing hand and he double downs the bet while keeping the same cards! Somebody please bring in the adults and some sanity to this administration.