I will say, I worked with a guy that was part of the initial taking of Fallujah. His Humvee was blown up TWICE. They had very little protection those first weeks that they had the city. He came back and was a mess after seeing everything that he saw. Now, all that time and loss, and we are going not back to square one, we are going to the opposite side of the spectrum. I wonder how he feels about this?

I agree! Not all, but some want to blame this president for anything and everything, he can't win no matter what he does.

 

As I posted earlier, people like McCain and Graham were blasting the president for not arming the Syrian rebels, and here these same rebels are now in Iraq, the same people who are causing the current trouble, and the same people trashing Obama then for not arming the rebels are blasting him for not helping more to stop them in Iraq?

 

I do give credit to our own Mnt Ref, if I am not mistaken he even said it was a bad idea to arm the Syrian rebels.

But now some want to blame Obama for the troops leaving Iraq? As you asked, how much longer do people thing we are needed? 1 year? 5 years? Another 12 years? How about 15 or 20 more years? It's already our longest war, and we have spent far to much in this war! We are already in a mess economically over it, should we have to pay to continue the war? I'm not apposed to a war if it's needed. BUT, if we are going in to "save" a country, if that country can afford it, they need to pay us to come bail them out, no more free garbage! If I recall correctly, Gulf War I was supposed to be paid off in oil, until we got paid back, what ever happened to that? It could have been either I or II, but pretty sure it was I.

 

I don't care how we got here, or who may or may not have made a mistake in going back into Iraq! That is not the issue!! The issue is how do we get out ? How are we able to leave without creating a vacuum and having insurgences just laying back waiting for the day we leave?

 

Here is an idea. The top 7 private military groups such as Academi (formerly known as Black Water) are now merging. Send private military over if needed! It would cost a lot less and Iraq can pay them to be there, the US can help with Intel and drone strikes.

 

No matter what we do, the insurgences will lay back and wait for us to leave, they are doing it now in Afghanistan. How much longer do we stay there as well? Answers without blaming others, just answers on how the heck do we finally end our longest war? Or do we have too much pride to just give up and say we didn't win, and stay there hoping things will finally roll our way?

 

I just sat through a presentation about this at the KBA Annual Convention. It is not that cut and dry. There are two factions of Syrian Rebels. The former army-led rebels and then there are the fundamental Islamic militants. Those two groups float in and out of being allies, but the former army-led rebels do not trust them. They accept help more from necessity. So arming the one group would have helped depose an absolutely ruthless leader, but on the other hand, there is little guarantee that those arms wouldn't have made it into the hands of Islamic militants.

Rebels seize former chemical weapons plant; Sistani urges formation of new government - The Washington Post

 

"BAGHDAD — Islamist insurgents continued to bear down on Iraqi forces Friday, seizing a former chemical weapons facility...

 

The al-Qaeda-inspired militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), who launched a lightning offensive across northern Iraq last week, seized the former chemical weapons complex, which contains stockpiles of chemical munitions that are not considered usable, a State Department spokeswoman said. The destroyed facility was once part of deposed dictator Saddam Hussein’s arsenal..."

 

Yes he did, no he didn't (have chemical weapons)....so confusing....

^ He definitely had some chemical weapons. He used them. \

Egypt is not going to let the radicals turn their country into an Islamic state.

 

Egypt Confirms Over 180 Death Sentences In Mass Trial, Including Brotherhood Leader

 

MINYA, Egypt (AP) — The Muslim Brotherhood's spiritual leader and over 180 others were sentenced to death Saturday by an Egyptian court in the latest mass trial following last year's overthrow of the country's Islamist president.

...

The mass trials have drawn worldwide rebuke. However, the trials have continued with many Egyptians appearing to approve of the heavy-handed measures as a way to end the turmoil roiling their country since its 2011 revolt against autocrat Hosni Mubarak.

At risk of becoming too philosophical and not practical, it is Iraq an independent nation and not Iraq the 51st state. We don't control what happens there. We can't leave troops, send in troops, airstrikes, etc. just because we want to send them in. Right?

300 Green Berets Combat Troops going in to "Train" Iraqi Forces?

 

Iraqis have been Trained for the past 10+ years...how slow of learners are they?

300 Green Berets Combat Troops going in to "Train" Iraqi Forces?

 

Iraqis have been Trained for the past 10+ years...how slow of learners are they?

The Iraqis or Obama? I would say very to both.

ISIS has captured many of the tanks that we left behind, captured a couple of helicopters and shot down two or three others. Iraqi forces have been launching Hellfire missiles from tow Cessnas but they have run out of missiles.

 

The Iraqis do not need more training, they need air support. It is a shame that the U.S. will probably need to destroy many of what were once our tanks.

ISIS has captured many of the tanks that we left behind, captured a couple of helicopters and shot down two or three others. Iraqi forces have been launching Hellfire missiles from tow Cessnas but they have run out of missiles.

 

The Iraqis do not need more training, they need air support. It is a shame that the U.S. will probably need to destroy many of what were once our tanks.

We should be used to that. We probably did that once before in the '91 war with Iraq. :thumb:

ISIS has captured many of the tanks that we left behind, captured a couple of helicopters and shot down two or three others. Iraqi forces have been launching Hellfire missiles from tow Cessnas but they have run out of missiles.

 

The Iraqis do not need more training, they need air support. It is a shame that the U.S. will probably need to destroy many of what were once our tanks.

 

 

I guess when we pulled out we left them with no air power at all? Cessinas with Hellfires? Thats it?

 

Since we have announced the full retirement of the A-10 fleet we could have given those to them. They would be perfect (as their past performance indicates).

At risk of becoming too philosophical and not practical, it is Iraq an independent nation and not Iraq the 51st state. We don't control what happens there. We can't leave troops, send in troops, airstrikes, etc. just because we want to send them in. Right?

 

Part of the reason to create an Iraqi government was to have an American ally in the region. That does have strategic importance (or did). We have interest in keeping Iraq from going over the radical Islamist. Or we should. VJ is calling the shots on this and her agenda is murky at best.

 

I guess when we pulled out we left them with no air power at all? Cessinas with Hellfires? Thats it?

 

Since we have announced the full retirement of the A-10 fleet we could have given those to them. They would be perfect (as their past performance indicates).

 

Actually the house recently voted to block the retirement of the A-10.

Actually the house recently voted to block the retirement of the A-10.

 

Great. I had heard they were going to use F-16s as their replacement. Still can not figure out how anyone justifies replacing the greatest ground support aircraft ever with a fighter designed to be the best single engine air-superiority dog-fighter. It seemed all political or monetarily driven.

Obama refused to heed months and months of warnings on what was happening in Iraq.. Why the White House Ignored All Those Warnings About ISIS - The Daily Beast