4,000 dead Americans

[theintensifier 0]

Awesome.

[Special K 0]

As to Obama: The man's just got charisma and a lot of charm. As stupid as it is, that goes a ways with me. So sue me, I do value a candidate with an eloquent, powerful speaking voice. Bush and Cheney's sneering soloques and Edwards' Smugness have just set my teeth on edge.

 

At this point, I's rather have an honest candidate than a disingenuous ass. If it goes Obama McCain, I will be very, very happy.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

The fact that some of these troops are going into their third tour really worries me. We're going to have another generation of Vietnam veterans on our hands, who are going to need mental counseling and medical care for years to come. Plus, if they make one wrong move and accidentally kill an Iraqi civilian, they get court martialed.

[SuperJerk 0]

Whatever dude. She was actually on the ground in Iraq for like, six hours. Fuck Hillary. I've honestly never understood why she was anointed a future Presidential candidate in the first place, and this is shit people can say without going on token "fact-finding missions" anyway. Cap troop levels, what a fuckin' cop-out Washington focus group compromise idea.

Nepotism. Name recognition. Novelty.

 

Take your pick.

[theintensifier 0]

The fact that some of these troops are going into their third tour really worries me. We're going to have another generation of Vietnam veterans on our hands, who are going to need mental counseling and medical care for years to come. Plus, if they make one wrong move and accidentally kill an Iraqi civilian, they get court martialed.

 

1. This is true for any extended conflict. However, this generation won't be as bad as Vietnam's.

 

2. Fog of war really starts to kick in after a couple of tours.

[CheesalaIsGood 0]

The fact that some of these troops are going into their third tour really worries me. We're going to have another generation of Vietnam veterans on our hands, who are going to need mental counseling and medical care for years to come. Plus, if they make one wrong move and accidentally kill an Iraqi civilian, they get court martialed.

Which when this war first started was MY one and only reason for not going. Now I have dozens of reasons. All thanks to a group of thoughtless assholes.

[snuffbox 0]

George McGovern will be talking Iraq tonight on Olberman's show.

 

I know, I know, he was a longhaired hippie playing an acoustic guitar at Woodstock and all but his real-life war experience viewpoint is always worth listening to. Even if America never has.

[Guest CWMwasmurdered]

Where are these extra troops supposed to come from? It's come out recently that things are slipping away in Afghanistan right now (though I'm not sure if those are facts, or the Dems exagerrating things). It's not like our "allies" are helping us any.

 

Not sure what capping troop levels is supposed to accomplish, either.

 

Good to know the Canadian troops fighting and dying in Afghanistan are not helping any.

[theintensifier 0]

Nations no longer participating in ground operations

 

2006 Withdrawals

Canada - Canada disclosed that there have been Canadian military liasion personnel "embedded in American and coalition forces since the beginning of the conflict." In addition, an undisclosed number of JTF2 operators were deployed to Iraq temporarily, working closely with US and British special forces to carry out the rescue of the Christian Peacemaker Hostages. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Canadian Security Intelligence Service were also involved in that operation. Canada was criticised by opposition parties for the participation of less than ten navy personnel participating in Iraq on a NATO exchange.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coalition_Forces

 

Evidence that Canada was involved in the war includes the use of Canadian military personnel aboard the US Air Force’s E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning And Control System air craft. The E-3 Sentry provides all-weather surveillance, command, control and communications for the military. According to the US Air Force, one such aircraft, "carried approximately 180 members from the 552nd Air Control Wing -- the wing's Canadian component -- and 513th Air Control Group reservists. The units were deployed supporting operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom

 

Observers also say that Canada aided the Iraq war by providing strategic support. Reuters reported that on February 11, before Canada had taken an official position on the possible war on Iraq, Canada transferred 25 military planners from US Central Command in Tampa, Florida to the US command post in Qatar. According to Canadian Defense Minister John McCallum, the only other three countries involved in military planning at this base were the United States, Britain and Australia. Defending the move, McCallum told reporters, "This is prudent military contingency planning. In the military, you have to hope for the best and plan for the worst."

 

Further, the Canadian Government allowed US planes on route to Iraq to fly through Canadian air space and to refuel in the country. However, according to the Ottawa Citizen, officials in Newfoundland said that the US’s use of the airports for refueling dropped after the first 3 weeks in March because of "bad blood between Canada and the United States over the war in Iraq." A spokeswoman at the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa told the Citizen that there had been no change in policy towards Newfoundland.

 

http://newstandardnews.net/content/?action...&itemid=128

 

http://coat.ncf.ca/our_magazine/links/58/Articles/50-51.pdf

 

I can't find where any Canadian soldiers have died in this war.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

Yes, nations like Canada are assisting, but the brunt of the fighting is being done by US troops.

[Big Ol' Smitty 0]

CWM was talking about Afghanistan, not Iraq, intensifier.

[Big Ol' Smitty 0]

I'm not sure how that wasn't obvious when he said

 

Good to know the Canadian troops fighting and dying in Afghanistan are not helping any.

[snuffbox 0]

If things keep going at the current rate there will be more Canadians fighting in Afghanistan than Americans.

[Big Ol' Smitty 0]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Forc..._in_Afghanistan

[Big Ol' Smitty 0]

Ha!

 

Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki says that the Bush Administration is emboldening the terrorists.

 

Maliki disputed President Bush's remarks broadcast Tuesday that the execution of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein "looked like it was kind of a revenge killing" and took exception to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's Senate testimony last week that Maliki's administration was on "borrowed time."

The prime minister said statements such as Rice's "give morale boosts for the terrorists and push them toward making an extra effort and making them believe they have defeated the American administration," Maliki said. "But I can tell you that they have not defeated the Iraqi government."

[snuffbox 0]

Anyone else see McGovern tonight?

[theintensifier 0]

I'm not sure how that wasn't obvious when he said

 

Good to know the Canadian troops fighting and dying in Afghanistan are not helping any.

My mistake then. I guess I didn't even notice, sorry about the mix up. Thanks for pointing that out bigolsmitty.

[snuffbox 0]

13 more dead Americans in a helicopter crash today. And 5 more by Iraqi militia fighters.

[snuffbox 0]

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070121/D8MPBKH00.html

 

Ended up being at least 20 total on Saturday January 20. Worst day in two years, third worst since the war started.

[Your Paragon of Virtue 0]

The final number was 22 according to this BBC article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6283817.stm

[snuffbox 0]

US officials announced 6 more today for Saturday...at least 25 dead in one day.

[snuffbox 0]

2 more dead on Sunday.

 

Susan Collins of Maine has joined the Republicans opposed to the escalation (or 'Iraqi boob job' as Condi wants us to call it)

[Big Ol' Smitty 0]

Funny how all of these Rs up for reelection in 08 keep coming out against the surge. I think Elizabeth Dole just made some noise recently, too.

[snuffbox 0]

Can't blame 'em for that. The Mike DeWine toadie approach didn't pan out too well in the end.

 

Better to be disengenuous and right then disengenuous and wrong, I guess.

[NoCalMike 0]

Funny how all of these Rs up for reelection in 08 keep coming out against the surge. I think Elizabeth Dole just made some noise recently, too.

 

 

They must be for tearing and walking, rather then cutting and running....

[Big Ol' Smitty 0]

In honor of tonight's SotU address, here's an excerpt from last year's:

 

Fellow citizens, we are in this fight to win, and we are winning.

 

The road of victory is the road that will take our troops home. As we make progress on the ground, and Iraqi forces increasingly take the lead, we should be able to further decrease our troop levels---but those decisions will be made by our military commanders, not by politicians in Washington, D.C.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

Nice. Hope someone brings that up after his speech tonight.

[snuffbox 0]

Too bad the SPs in the liberal media refuse to play that clip even a quarter of the times that Howard Dean's "Yeah!" was aired.

 

But really what's worse? Bullshitting about a war where thousands of Americans are dying or a guy yelling with a bunch of college kids? Clearly it was Howard.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

Well, the media hasn't saddled up with a candidate yet, only to realize they didn't pick right later on. So there you go.

[snuffbox 0]

What?

 

You're not really saying that Howard was already eliminated before 'Yeah!' was aired a zillion times are you?

 

And how would any of that prevent the liberal media from reporting Bush's consistent bullshit and flip-flopping on his own war anyway?