wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

Good analysis

How to Get Out of Iraq
Rapprochement with Iran, hands off Iraqi politics, and let the chips fall where they may
http://antiwar.com/justin/?articleid=11344

I'm disappointed that Brian red baited us by using the phrase "possible genocide" in reference to U.S. troop withdrawal. it reminds me of the phrase
"weapons of mass destruction" used to paralyze those who spoke out against the invasion of Iraq.
The U.S. occupation fuels the violence in Iraq.
The so called civil war is a tactic against the occupation. The longer we stay there the worst the outcome. If anything plead with other countries
to come in and help us clean up our mess. Most of all hold the Bush/Cheney regime responsible for thier reckless and deadly actions.

We have no choice but to stay and clean up. George W. Bush is a bratty, nasty messy little schoolyard bully who goes and creates a giant, horrible ugly mess because of his sense of entitlement. Now he cannot admit that he made a mistake. So, like the schoolyard brat, he makes everyone else clean up after him.

One word: Apologize.
Our support will be accepted as such, if it is viewed as truly such. Something we've never done, yet would make ALL the difference in the world.

It is a political solution that will yield much better results in our entire foreign policy.

I think that the idea that it is the military is a problem. Military in general is a very aggressive part of our country to have in Iraq. I say we put in peace keepers - re brand, remake our military into peace keepers. Have them police the country, help them rebuild and protect the borders between Syria and Iran. That's it. Let things work themselves out. If they need our help, they can ask for it, but we need to give the country some independence from our occupation.

The United States has a moral obligation to stay in Iraq. If we withdraw our troops thousands and thousands of innocent people will be killed. We created this problem and cannot just walk away from it. We never should have went to war there, but we did and now we have to see it through.

The US cannot and should not pull out the troops, but unfortunately I believe the troops will ultimately be pulled out.

Strategically, the way the pull out will be explained/sold to us, is that the then President under constant pressure from Congress, will plead that the US tried it's best (as evidenced by massive loss of troops' lives and resources invested/spent in Iraq) but the Iraqi people, through "their" dysfunctional government, were simply unwilling to cooperate.

There are options that aren't being discussed. Why can't we get the UN to take over our positions? Or even better, why can't we hand our positions over to the Arab League? That way we'll protect the Iraqi government from unrest and insurgency, and balance the Iranian problem without using our troops.

Trick question -- no right answer!

That's why the pre-war protesters so significant -- and the ignorance of those protests by our Republican and Democratic leaders -- and for that matter our media including the NY Times, so sad.

Never again, as they say, until next time.