It is difficult for me to comprehend that the U.S., the leader of all free nations, cannot develop and promote to the world a comprehensive plan for success in the Middle East. We have all of the resources needed to analyze the situation, devise a plan and execute it. Yet, it does not happen. I'm simply in disbelief and disgust.

The word War is a Force,where one controlling gvt. is over thowned and another takes over. To use the word loosely to bring and end to an event that poeple lives are unjustly bring taken to stop this event that the people of the America or the American Gvt. voted on to take place is wong! Civil Unrest is taking place not a war? The lawless and failure to install a Police Force to surpress or break-up the violences in order that the military can be rebuilt to protect the gvt. so both forces can help one another in restoring social calm between the Sunni, Shites and Kurds is what's happening. This is the beginning of establishing a Democray not a 2 hour Rambo movie. We are not their to vent frusation and leave but to make Democray work in a nation to stop the spread of nuclear weapons and bring preace to a region that's long over due. There will be questions to the right or wrong of entering of this country but we have taken the steps to do so and now we need to keep the determation to complete this untaking. Is the news media sure or is this to bring the men and women home who are serving there country . Both sides are bring hurt if you are not RIGHT.

As an independent I just read and compare. It sure seems like the majority of people no longer trust G.W.B. In my opinion he's going to be the new L.B.J.

My son will deploy to Iraq in a few months. He is a Marine and I am extremely proud of him. I know it is his duty to go and fight and he is anxious to go. However, I do not understand how Bush can justify sending our men and women to a country that is in the middle of a civil war. Why is it more important to "save face" than save American lives? Our country is being run with an adolescent frame of mind - how we look to others rather than focusing on what is important.

Bob,

The Americans are not taking the blunt of the pain in Iraq. Iraqi Civilians are. We are taking losses, but they are only a fraction of the total deaths in Iraq. I don't know why people say that we can't build a democracy with a military, we have done it (successfully) At least 4 times in the past. (West Germany, South Korea, Japan, and of course, ourselves)

We are letting politics get in the way of our soldiers ability to do their jobs correctly. The problem is that we transferred power to the Iraqis too quickly, before they had any type of security. We should have went in there with overwhelming force, stayed in there with overwhelming force, and created a secure country first. Once people were actually secure and began living in relative freedom, albeit under an occupation, we could have given them more time to learn and understand about democracy and freedom before asking them to vote for someone to lead them.

That is the real issue, not that we are there, not that they want us gone, but that we have been doing this incorrectly from the beginning. We have 150,000 troops in the entire country. That's 1 troop for every 173 Iraqis. Can you tell me there's any one person who can look after 173 people? We need to have gone in there with about 4-600,000 troops. Contrary to popular belief, that would reduce our casualties because of our overwhelming force and response time.

Send 100-150,000 troops to Baghdad alone. Send 100,000 to Al-Anbar Province. Take another 100,000 and distribute them elsewhere in the 'Sunni Triangle' and then spread the remaining ones out around the country and along the borders with Iran, Syria, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. Make clear cut rules that are not bendable by Maliki or anyone else.

That would establish security. Now it may be too late, because if we put that many troops in there now it would likely cause a huge uproar. Had we had them in there from the beginning, it wouldn't have been anything new. Now our best bet would just be to make a huge increase in troops in Baghdad only.

http://tlocfym.blogspot.com
http://tlocfym.blogspot.com/2006/11/red-fish-blue-fish.html

Not only do we have to worry about terrorists killing us with bombs, but we should also worry about terrorists killing our kids with drugs. All thanks to Bush and the Republican Party:

Opium production in Afghanistan, which provides more than 90 percent of the world's heroin, broke all records in 2006, reaching a historic high despite ongoing U.S.-sponsored eradication efforts, the Bush administration reported yesterday.

In addition to a 26 percent production increase over past year -- for a total of 5,644 metric tons -- the amount of land under cultivation in opium poppies grew by 61 percent. Cultivation in the two main production provinces, Helmand in the southwest and Oruzgan in central Afghanistan, was up by 132 percent.

You cannot bestow democracy on a people they must earn it. What did the iraqi's do to earn it did they overthrow Saddam Hussein, No the U.S. Army did. Not everyone wants democracy or even freedom. In some countries and cultures Order,Honor, and Tribal Loyalties motivate people no less than Freedom motivates us. We would do well to heed the personal views of Secretary of State John Quincy Adams on July 4th 1821,: And now, friends and countrymen, if the wise and learned philosophers of the elder world, the first observers of nutation and aberration, the discoverers of maddening ether and invisible planets, the inventors of Congreve rockets and Shrapnel shells, should find their hearts disposed to enquire what has America done for the benefit of mankind?

Let our answer be this: America, with the same voice which spoke herself into existence as a nation, proclaimed to mankind the inextinguishable rights of human nature, and the only lawful foundations of government. America, in the assembly of nations, since her admission among them, has invariably, though often fruitlessly, held forth to them the hand of honest friendship, of equal freedom, of generous reciprocity.

She has uniformly spoken among them, though often to heedless and often to disdainful ears, the language of equal liberty, of equal justice, and of equal rights.

She has, in the lapse of nearly half a century, without a single exception, respected the independence of other nations while asserting and maintaining her own.

She has abstained from interference in the concerns of others, even when conflict has been for principles to which she clings, as to the last vital drop that visits the heart.

She has seen that probably for centuries to come, all the contests of that Aceldama the European world, will be contests of inveterate power, and emerging right.

Wherever the standard of freedom and Independence has been or shall be unfurled, there will her heart, her benedictions and her prayers be.

But she goes not abroad, in search of monsters to destroy.

She is the well-wisher to the freedom and independence of all.

She is the champion and vindicator only of her own.

She will commend the general cause by the countenance of her voice, and the benignant sympathy of her example.

She well knows that by once enlisting under other banners than her own, were they even the banners of foreign independence, she would involve herself beyond the power of extrication, in all the wars of interest and intrigue, of individual avarice, envy, and ambition, which assume the colors and usurp the standard of freedom.

The fundamental maxims of her policy would insensibly change from liberty to force....

She might become the dictatress of the world. She would be no longer the ruler of her own spirit....

[America's] glory is not dominion, but liberty. Her march is the march of the mind. She has a spear and a shield: but the motto upon her shield is, Freedom, Independence, Peace. This has been her Declaration: this has been, as far as her necessary intercourse with the rest of mankind would permit, her practice.

Nobody asked the Iraqi people if they wanted the invasion.

Many experts confidently predicted this sectarian strife.

I can't believe I see people insulting the Iraqi people for leaving. The big bad USA military can't do JACK against a bunch of goatherders with 1950s technology...those Iraqis have left...they gave the incompetant military THREE YEARS to sort this out.

I'd leave too, and probably hate Americans for the rest of my life. What a mess!

This is not the US's fight. However this is Bush's doing. The more that goes on in Iraq, the more I fear for the people of America. Bush and his predicessor's put people in power like Saddam, and then condem them when things go wrong. They make the monsters, and then try to be the hero's. Everyone needs to be more aware that their fear is misguided. Don't fear the terrorists, or the Iraqi's, you need to fear your government.

Bush43 says our troops will only leave Iraq when victory is achieved.
Does anyone know Bush43's definition of victory (including Bush43)?

Supposedly, the will of he citizens is to be basic to deciions of government. It seem a government for the people and by the people as certainly lost meaning when it comes to Bush disregard to citzen wishes. I am saddened by the outcome of this war and lack of respect for our rights. I am saddened also by the disrespect for our officers of government openly displayed by those with popular power and who do not have the expertise to properly have opinions, however, there comes a time when the power is abused no matter the honest attempts to protect this nation.

"..a network of help centers for growing numbers of needy Shiites. His followers distribute food, money and medical aid... and get political support in return."

Action like that is EXACTLLY what Iraqi's are seeking. Who can blame them? Living day to day with constant fear of death and destruction.

I have NO idea of how we should proceed at this point. I hear many opinions of why we shouldn't have gone to Iraq, but at this juncture-does it matter?

What I don't want to start hearing is 'Blame the Iraqi people' meme - I imagine if I were in their shoes I'd be seduced by the promise of safety and support al-Sadr's militia provides them.

We can only hope now that there will be a solution-
one that all of Iraq can accept. What that could be, I have NO idea.

Scott from Dallas, remarks like yours are what gives Dallas a bad name. Support our troops?! Like, watching our death toll climb and seeing all the disabled veterans live out 80 more years or so, unable to be productive in many cases, and seeing our taxes increase to pay for their disability pensions? Seeing our taxes wasted on war instead of using the monies for badly-needed social services here in the U.S.? I think, for all your flag-waving, YOU are the person not supporting our troops by wanting to send more to get killed and injured.

Mimi from Dallas

First of all I will never visit Bush museum.
Second, The person responsible for all the death and dictruction in Iraq, Is Bush.
All this American Heros kill in Iraq for no reason at all.
All those Iraquies people death, more that Hussein would a kill in his life time, is not right.
We all american knew that Hussein was bad, but was better off to leave this guy alone, after all those Arabs countries way of life has been that way for thousands of years, we have no bussiness to go there.
NOt for oil, not for sand, not for lies, not for blood, or for the well been of all those Corporation, that are the only one that are making money on this unesessary war.

What will be Bush ,Chaney, Rumsfeld, shares when all this is over.
I say big BUCK.
Thank you From Puerto Rico with Love
Rene Rivera

This is so sad. Imagine living in such chaos day in and day out. I hate to say it, but Irag under Hussein at least worked. Now we have thousands of aspiring Husseins to deal with instead of just one. There had to be a better way to handle this other than destroy a country then take on the responsibility of building it brick by brick. Even the coalition of the willing (a joke) is getting the heck out of Dodge.

al Sadr should have been arrested when we had the chance long ago.

Regarding Iraq...

What does Congressman-elect Chris Carney (D-Pennsylvania) know about Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda?

Newly elected Pennsylvania Congressman, Democrat Chris Carney, a former Senior Terrorism and Intelligence Advisor at the Pentagon, has recently been quoted in a number of publications discussing his knowledge of and role in prewar Iraq intelligence, particularly on the issue Saddam Hussein’s links to al Qaeda...
http://regimeofterror.com/archives/2006/12/what_does_congressman_elect_ch/

It is apparent we no longer have a president, but a dictator, who over looks the wishes of all Americans, Iraq's, and the world to leave. What ever happen to congress send a bill to the president for Veto, return to the congress, ovride the veto and pass it. Get out of Iraq? The Demo congress hasn't got it either, to afarid of him.

We got involved in a conflict for the wrong reasons thanks to Mr. George Bush, WMD did not exist as he stated, nor was Al-Quida in Iraq. So Mr.Bush in order to cover his egregious error stated it was a war for democracy. We cannot impose a democracy on a people or region who do not have the west's cultural,political or religious institutions/background. Also, I would argue that democracy is not achieved by trying to impose it through military force by a foreign power no matter how well intentioned that power maybe. Mr. Bush needs to admit to himself that he made a huge error, apologize to the American public and get the hell out of a country that sees us as foreign invaders.

Baghdad is a mess but Baghdad ian't all of Iraq. Other areas of the country are fairing well in spite of the slant the news media puts on its stories. Speak with people who have been there and you hear a much different story. Iran and Syria are largely to blame for the problems in and around Baghdad as they are supplying money, weapons, and martyrs. They know the weak-willed people of America will back down because they have seen it happen before under the leadership of Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton. Defeat them there or we will have them back here in the USA.

To Scott in Dallas: How dare you blame the liberals for the predicament in Iraq. Get it through your head-We have NO good solutions there. There were no terrorists in Iraq until we toppled the government and had no plans to rebuild-and anarchy took over. Meanwhile the Repubs in Congress turned a blind eye to it all. Liberals (and many level-headed repubs like Colin Powell) were against this from the get-go, because this result could be seen. Now we're stuck. What do you think we should do?

there are no winners in any war. We have another Vietnam in our war in Iraq. Also what makes the coalition think it can change Afganistan? The Soviet Union tried and failed. When does the Bush Administration wake up?

Is it possible to replace the current (Single-Leader) Iraqi Prime Minister Leadership with a sort of Triumvirate as was formed during the Early Roman Empire? If so, who would compose this Triumvirate? Is it possible to form the Triumvirate with a Shiite Leader who has 33% of the Legislative Voting Power, a Sunni Leader who has 33% of the Legislative Voting Power, a Kurdish Leader who has 33% of the Legislative Voting Power, and a Secularist Leader who has the Deciding 1% of the Legislative Voting Power in times of a Stalemate? Could this possibly work to Unite, rather than to Divide the Iraqi Government, and thereby the Iraqi People?

Seems like the fools who try to mess with the status quo, with no concept of what it is. have always visited horrendous consequences on the rest of us. Johnson, Bush and the next nefarious world changer deserve scorn not a place of respect in history. Let people alone. Get a real job you stupid bloody crusaders.

3-Star General reveals additional details of former regime’s ties to terror......

You guys should look into this.

http://regimeofterror.com/archives/2006/09/3star_general_reveals_addition/

Sunnis, Shia, and Kurds may all be different sects but in the end they all fall under the same category, Muslims in need of a strong leader to bring them together and end sectarian violence, right now there is only one man capable of this and its not Al-Maliki and its not Talibani. As horrible as it may seem Al-Sadr is the only man with enough public support to control post occupied Iraq, his popularity grows everyday, and with the shia majority among the Iraqi people it's likely that we will see him play an important role in the near future of this warn torn country. It would be a catastrophic mistake on the part of the coalition forces to dismiss the "Robin Hood" of Iraq.