Quiet Britons outpace US in taming Iraq

[Arrian]

Tripledoc,

You aren't actually suggesting that the 99.9% vote Saddam got was a true reflection of his popularity, are you? The likelihood of "disappearing" if you voted against him - that had nothing to do with the results, eh?

-Arrian

[Kuciwalker]

Saddam was defying the imperialist powers from 1991 to 2003 within his fortress Iraq. This included incessant airial bombardmnet, sanctions, hunger, disease. That is not a great achievement to the Arab nationalist?

Yep, he was really holding off the vast forces arrayed against him that's why Baghdad is still free of the evil imperialist Americans

We were bombing him with impunity. The only reason he wasn't hurt more during the sanctions was because we held ourselves back.

[Agathon]

Actually if there were free and fair elections in Iraq I think Saddam would do surprisingly well. Hell, Milosevic is in prison on trial for crimes against humanity and he and his ideological allies managed to pull off a decent showing in this week's elections.

[Verto]

Originally posted by Tripledoc


Saddam was defying the imperialist powers from 1991 to 2003 within his fortress Iraq. This included incessant airial bombardmnet, sanctions, hunger, disease. That is not a great achievement to the Arab nationalist?

I just can't click it enough. Defying the imperialist powers? As skywalker said, the only reason Hussein was left reasonably unharmed during that period was because of our self-restraint.

[TCO]

Originally posted by Whaleboy


Whaleboy wishes for mod powers... or a tazer...

You are of course correct, I don't support the war, never did, however troops are in now, and I cannot turn back the clock. Thus I only wish for the best outcome given the current situation, and the British approach appears to be the best path to that.

No...you don't wish the best. You are not happy about the successes in the South. You just want to piss and moan about the problems in the North. You don't have the intellectual ability to even consider a function with two independant variables. You are a moron as well as a *****. Go move your howitzers around. I bet you are a combat reloader.

[Agathon]

Originally posted by Verto

I just can't click it enough. Defying the imperialist powers? As skywalker said, the only reason Hussein was left reasonably unharmed during that period was because of our self-restraint.

Um, he's sort of right. The whole Ba'ath movement is based on the notions of Arab Nationalism and anti-colonialism.

Given that the region has spent most of its time under foreign domination of one sort or another (the Ottomans, the British, the puppet rulers) it's not a totally unreasonable claim, although it is no doubt exaggerated for political effect.

[Ned]

If the solution to the problem is the British approach, then let's put the British in charge of the Sunni triangle.

How do you Brits feel about that?

[Verto]

Quiet, you imperialist.

[CerberusIV]

Originally posted by Ned
How do you Brits feel about that?

You wanted Baghdad and the triangle for both military and political reasons - you deal with it.

FWIW I don't think the British approach will work any better than the American efforts in the medium term, there is going to be something of a power struggle between the various ethnic and religious groups. Short term the British Army will keep a lid on problems in the south. Long term - it depends which group(s) dominate politically in a democratized Iraq and what their agenda is.

[Tripledoc]

Originally posted by skywalker
We were bombing him with impunity. The only reason he wasn't hurt more during the sanctions was because we held ourselves back.

The skill of your opponent reflects on the honour of your victory.

Are Americans not an honorable nation?

In fact the news is that the US is going to provide Saddam with a luxury prison in Sweden.

[Verto]

The skill of your opponent reflects on the honour of your victory.

Are Americans not an honorable nation?

We've fried bigger fish than Saddam.

[JimmyCracksCorn]

Originally posted by Agathon
Actually if there were free and fair elections in Iraq I think Saddam would do surprisingly well. Hell, Milosevic is in prison on trial for crimes against humanity and he and his ideological allies managed to pull off a decent showing in this week's elections.

So, physically abused wives and husbands will continutally say they love their spouse, and very often will return to them again and again... only to be beaten up, again and again. Its like battered wives syndrome, doesn't mean they actually like him (Saddam, et al) or even approve of what he does.

[Tripledoc]

Originally posted by Verto




We've fried bigger fish than Saddam.

Like Allende?

[JimmyCracksCorn]

Originally posted by Ned
If the solution to the problem is the British approach, then let's put the British in charge of the Sunni triangle.

How do you Brits feel about that?

Haha... yeah, right.

[Tripledoc]

Originally posted by JimmyCracksCorn


So, physically abused wives and husbands will continutally say they love their spouse, and very often will return to them again and again... only to be beaten up, again and again. Its like battered wives syndrome, doesn't mean they actually like him (Saddam, et al) or even approve of what he does.

Both Saddam and Milosovich fought a seccesionist movement within their nation's borders. In that regard what is the difference between them and Lincoln?

If Lincoln had been armed with helicopters, and the seccesionist with Ak 47s do you think the conflict would have been substantially different?