Clarification/Follow-up by paraclete on 02/19/07 11:24 pm:
The only way the US will win the war in Iraq by November 2008 is to bomb them back to the stone age. Oh I forgot, you tried it already and this is why we have the problem

Clarification/Follow-up by ETWolverine on 02/20/07 4:57 pm:
Paraclete,

Exactly when did we try bombing them back into the Stone Age? Even when we were engaged in major combat in Iraq, we didn't "bomb them into the stone age". Our targets were well-chosen, very descriminating and designed to limit civillian casualties. We haven't even begun to try to bomb them back into the stone age. In the 4 years since the war began, that option has never been tried.

Now... if we used the larger thermobarics in our arsenal and carpet-bombed the entire country, do you think we would fail to pacify Iraq? Dead Iraqis are about as pacified as you can get. The problem isn't bombing them back into the stone age... its maintaining a democracy in Iraq after we're done.

Which is why I have said from the beginning that the problem in Iraq is one of trying to accomplish two diamentrically opposing goals at the same time: trying to win a war against the insurgents, and trying to "win the hearts and minds" of Iraqis. We need to win the war FIRST and once that is done we can worry about hearts and minds. Trying to do them both at the same time is a nearly impossible task... and yet one that the troops have STILL managed to accomplish with a surprising degree of success.

Elliot

Clarification/Follow-up by HANK1 on 02/20/07 8:20 pm:


Elliot: Guess Paraclete isn't going to comment! I agree with every word you wrote!