39 US Soldiers Dead in just over a Week

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Alexander's Horse
the Iraqi government is a joke - and even if it can get its act together it can't escape being seen as a US puppet whilst US forces guarantee its security.

what about it exactly is a joke? The current govt was only formed a couple of months ago, and has a very difficult situation to deal with.

Seen as a US puppet by whom? By the folks who voted for it? By the Sunnis who boycotted, but are now participating in talks on the constitution? By the insurgents? By the Jihadi suicide bombers? By left leaning aussies? Some of those groups already dont see it as a puppet and some will always see any iraqi govt that isnt hostile to the US as a puppet.

[Alexander's Horse]

the trouble with people like you and the Bush administration is you are incapable of seeing the situation as it is rather than as you would like it to be.

Bush in particular seems completely unable to separate facts and reality from aspirations and spin.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara


According to Scott Ritter, they did allow full inspections of what they were supposed to allow. The only thing they tried to keep hidden from the inspection team was Hussein's where abouts, which given that the CIA was using the inspection team as intel gathering, was hardly undreasonable, and beyond the scope of the inspection regime anyway. The catch-22 was, of course, that until the inspectors knew what the Iraqis were hiding, they couldn't know it wasn't something they weren't charged with looking at, and being naturally suspicious, assumed it was something they should be looking at.

there is no evidence other than Ritter that the CIA was using the inspectors to gather general Intell. The CIA WAS consulting with inspectors, to let them know of suspected weapons sites - as were other western intell agencies as well.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Alexander's Horse
the trouble with people like you and the Bush administration is you are incapable of seeing the situation as it is rather than as you would like it to be.

please indicate precisely what i have said that doesnt match how the situation is. In doing so please note i dont share all the beliefs of the Bush admin, so dont attribute them to me.

[Pekka]

Ok here's a clue. No one sees it nothing but US puppet gov right now. The whole world is the right answer to your question who doesn't see it as blaablaablaa. That's the right answer like it or not. I'm not attacking you or the gov. I'm saying like it is.

[Alexander's Horse]

Originally posted by lord of the mark


there is no evidence other than Ritter that the CIA was using the inspectors to gather general Intell. The CIA WAS consulting with inspectors, to let them know of suspected weapons sites - as were other western intell agencies as well.

Are you living in a complete dream world? This post perfectly illustrates my point about your capacity for wishful thinking.

[Ming]

HEY! Discuss the topic... NOT THE POSTERS...

[Pekka]

But it's not like it would be possible any other way.. so it's not a blame game. That 'power' was given. And what is given can be taken away, and therefore it's not truly real as of now. But like I said, in the future the status will change.

[Patroklos]

well it does actually because that creature in your avatar and others like him such as Rumsfeld have deliberately kept troops numbers down to keep casualties down, which has meant coalition forces have never had the numbers to do their job properly.

Well, that is a very interesting and lonely viewpoint, because the thinking of everyone else on your side of the fence is that Rumsfelds insistance on using less troops is the reason for the "high" casualties we are experiancing now.

You guys need to get your story straight.

[Patroklos]

have more sympathy for the reservists. The understanding was that they were weekend warriors, to be mobilized briefly in an emergency.

That was their understanding, it was definetly not what they signed up for.

The fact is if you joined the reserves after the gulf war and left before 9/11, you basically got a free extra salary. I don't hold that against them, but when your called up you go.

I personally think we could do the job with all active duty units, but oh well.

[Alexander's Horse]

Originally posted by Patroklos


Well, that is a very interesting and lonely viewpoint, because the thinking of everyone else on your side of the fence is that Rumsfelds insistance on using less troops is the reason for the "high" casualties we are experiancing now.

You guys need to get your story straight.

Its hardly a lonely viewpoint. every time coalition forces go to plug one hole a new one is created somewhere else.

[Patroklos]

Which of course means that too few troops is the reason for "high" casualties.

That is the opposite of what you said.

[Alexander's Horse]

no thats not what I said.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Patroklos


That was their understanding, it was definetly not what they signed up for.

The fact is if you joined the reserves after the gulf war and left before 9/11, you basically got a free extra salary. I don't hold that against them, but when your called up you go.

I personally think we could do the job with all active duty units, but oh well.

Im not denying what their legal obligation was. I dont think anyone in 1994, say, expected wed have this level of NG mobilization at a time when the whole society and economy were so unmobilized.

[DanS]

Patrokolos: I think AH is content to bash the decisions that others are making and it will be very difficult to pin him down on an opinion about what should be done positively.