I just saw Mark Steyn on the tube. He had a great line about our immaturity in tackling Iraq. Why are our attention spans so short and why is our determination to finish things so weak? Jeez, you think this had gone on for a decade with tremendous losses. It's no news to me this would take time. The hope for democracy in Iraq and the ME was always going to be a 20 year project, even if the troop presence was small. I think the President is to blame for much of it, he should have been out front hammering this from the beginningm making the case over and over. Of course, the MSM has much to answer for. Personal experience has taught me the lies of the media become facts to much of the public.

My fervent hope is that with Gates coming in we don't revert to the failed realist policies that put us in this bind to begin with. Either we deal with this now or we will pay much more dearly in the not so distant future.
Southside | Email | Homepage | 11.09.06 - 9:21 pm | #

This election confirmed my beleif that half the population is too stupid to vote. They also don't bother to get the facts on Iraq which are available almost everywhere. The people I have talked with take the MSM as gospel. When I try to tell them they are being lied to, they stare like a deer in the headlights (the Nasty Leprosi look). They are making a willful decision to not perceive reality. It is pointless for Bush to restate the case for Iraq over and over, which he has done. They may come to realize the threat when we are living in dhimmitude, but I seriously doubt it.
debass | Email | Homepage | 11.09.06 - 9:43 pm | #

Iran is now counting the days before the liberal Democrats commit United States troops to "redeployment" (i.e. - "cut-and-run", "full frontal retreat", etc.) out of Iraq. The Iraq government, as weak as it is, will collapse, Iran will invade, take over oil production and along with Syria, create a stronger radical Islamis regime with more power, more economic resources and a larger, more aggressive terrorist presence. The Iraqi people must be terribly concerned now.
Carl | Email | Homepage | 11.09.06 - 9:53 pm | #

"War is like sex. You're either in or you're out."

And that, in these post-modern, post-Monica times, depends on what the meaning of "is" is.
Alan Furman | Email | Homepage | 11.09.06 - 11:42 pm | #

The troops and the Iraqis have one thing going for them: If the Dems think they have a mandate, especially having campaigned in the successful states as "conservative Democrats" they are smoking more wacky weed than usual.

Don't think they don't know it. Lamont lost, remember?

They can try to "redeploy" and incur the wrath of voters who were stupid enough to give them the 3 or 4-digit margin in '06, or they can try to wait until the Kos Kidz start making noises about voting Green and/or screwing with the 2008 primary. This will be, IMHO, the first of many poisoned cups the Class of 2006 will be made to drink.
RS | Email | Homepage | 11.10.06 - 12:27 am | #

I believe Nancy Pelosi inadvertently provided the defining comment for this election:

“The gavel of the speaker of the House is in the hands of special interests and now it will be in the hands of America's children.”
Nancy Pelosi as quoted by Lexington in the Economist (Nov 4)

The Democrats having been elected by a populace tired of uncontrolled spending, corruption and social activism by Congress, will have to sell a new brand of uncontrolled spending, corruption and activism. And as we see, they will try very hard to provide an alternative to winning the war. Those of us not part of the "reality-based community" will see this as surrender but that's just because we aren't open-minded.
JKB | Email | Homepage | 11.10.06 - 12:34 am | #

The continued existance of possibly every muslim on this planet depends on our success in Iraq and Afghanistan.

If we are fail the test again and cut and run, we're through. We'll have to pull back behind our "borders" and no longer have the will or ability to stand up a fighting force.

We'll continue to get hit and when that last straw finally breaks we'll lash out with the only option remaining.

Every major muslim population center will cease to exist in the flash of nukes and those remaining will be hunted down to make sure we dont have to play this thing again later.
Grimmy | Email | Homepage | 11.10.06 - 12:50 am | #

I think the elections have delivered to the world a message of US weakness, and that will cost the US at least one more serious terrorist attack. I hope that can be averted. As Mark Twain said, "I hope it but I doubt it."

Predators prey on the weak. They attack the defenseless, not the strong. Predators do not risk attacking the strong because the strong may kill them. Thus weakness - even the appearance of weakness - is provocative to a predator. All of us know this is true from our early school days dealing with bullies. But too many of us want to forget. Too many of us want to believe that a bully can be placated; that a predator can be persuaded not to be predatory. Those people permit their hopes to defeat reality. If they alone could bear the results of their foolish hopes, it would be bad enough. But my children will bear that weight and my grandchildren.

No one wants war. No one. But the world situation does NOT present a question of war vs. no war. Because of the bellicosity of the Islamists, we face a question of war sooner, or war later. War later means the Iranians and North Koreans will have nuclear weapons. War is deferred to the enemy's sole advantage. The Democrat party seems so pleased to be complicit in this deferral.

BTW there have been many remembrances this month for the coourageous Hungarian revolution against the Soviets 50 years ago. It was brave and it was crushed and no nation came to their aid. But it shook the Soviets because, IMO, the world witnessed it. The Hungarian revolution, for a few brief heady days, was the first such event ever televised. The world sided with the revolutionaries. Lesson learned? Militarily, all one needs to do is survive long enough for the media to propagate your message. If this can be done, you can win without winning militarily. Who learned this lesson? Everyone but the Americans, it would appear.
John Fembup | Email | Homepage | 11.10.06 - 1:18 am | #

This whole ordeal is one of those journeys that if you knew the hardship it would entail in the beginning, you would never concieve of undertaking it. We may yet see 6 years of capitulation, then 4 years of frustrating aggression....Then 3 years of who knows what. One thing im counting on. All of this will somehow get people out of their divided idealogical heads, and back to living with humbled and appreciative hearts.
SteveH | Email | Homepage | 11.10.06 - 7:16 am | #

Jihadis and Dhimmicrats = Natural allies.

I fear we have truly lost our way. This may be the beginning of the end of American influence as a strong nation in the world. Most governments only last about 250 years. Our time may be up for I fear we do not have the strength of the Romans and they too eventually fell.

Lights are going out all over the world.

The Hobo
Robohobo | Email | Homepage | 11.10.06 - 8:32 am | #

SteveH:

From day one this whole GWoT and each of the subsequent fronts in this war have been openly described as hard fights, long fights, generational war, long hard roads etc etc.

It is amazing to me just how quickly and easily so many of our society have given up their ability to reason and think to the soft idiocy of the propaganda of the self haters, cult of cowardice, equivocators and the enemy sympathisers.

There's no excuse and in the end, there's likely to be no forgiveness either.

For reference, consider how the euros turned on their known and suspected collaborators as each village, town or city was liberated from the Germans.

People might want to consider waking up and smelling the smoldering smoke. There's a thin sheet of ice that the appeasers, quiters and equivocators are skating along and under that ice is a very strong current of barely contained rage. If that ice is broken and the skaters drop into that current it has the potential to be as bloody and violent as the last time our folk took up arms against each other.
Grimmy | Email | Homepage | 11.10.06 - 9:27 am | #

I saw tidbits of Pelosi interview with Brit Hume yesterday.

Basically she said the same thing, telling Brit "We can define (quote) winning however we see fit, the most important thing is to keep our troops SAFE (un-quote) by pulling them out of the unwinnable situation in Iraq".
Americans went to the polls with their eyes open on Tuesday, knowing full well what a Democrat victory entails.

Folks, get used to the taunting by everybody esle, it's coming. We just made sure we (and/or the next generation) are going to pay a much much higher blood price down the road.
always right | Email | Homepage | 11.10.06 - 10:22 am | #

Grimmy, Just maybe what we're all about to go through is the only cure for what ails the "cult of cowardice" as you correctly called it. When words and reason fail to grab peoples attention, what the hell else can you do? I get around these people and feel like im arguing with someone who is insisting the sky isnt blue and water isnt wet. I certainly never thought i would witness such a display of psychological denial in masse in my lifetime.

We are it seems, due a major mindset correction in this country before we can really begin to fight this GWOT. It scares me to think about how we're gonna get that done.
SteveH | Email | Homepage | 11.10.06 - 12:11 pm | #

Think of it as the Dems picking up where Jimmy Carter left off...
bugs | Email | Homepage | 11.10.06 - 1:02 pm | #

SteveH...I had one such a conversation with a business man in NYC. Even after 9/11, he was convinced that there was "no terrorist threat", that the 600 detainees in Gitmo were "innocent" but in the same breath he told me of a real and present threat of "our civil rights being violated by Bush". Of course when challenged, he could not name one individual that had had his rights violated, yet he believed in the threat nevertheless. Meantime back at the ranch this guy was, believe it or not, a Jew...It boggles the mind what kind of denial and self-loathing infect the Dhimmis.

Remember what happened to America after the last cut-and-run in the 70's.

Who do the Dhimmis think are going to defend them? Jimmy Carter is the reason I'm a proud Chicken Hawk today. After seeing how he led those men to their death in Iran and then abandond them and our people held as hostages I decided to change my plans. My Son is presently considering a career as an officer but has already told me he will not be led by those who would undermine him.

You think the military is worried about re-enlistment rates? Watch how they drop now!
Wr_guy | Email | Homepage | 11.10.06 - 1:57 pm | #

I think I'm acctually looking forward to the first big event (terrorist strike)to happen with the Dems in charge. We will atleast know that the other shoe has dropped. This suspense is really starting to get to me. I'm just glad I live out here in the middle of nowhere fly over country because we will not get hit.
southdakotaboy | Email | Homepage | 11.10.06 - 2:49 pm | #

sdboy,

No, not a direct hit (kill) but the ripple effect will be felt by all and all will suffer.

I hope them Dems know what in the hell they're doing. A lot can happen in two years. But as my wife reminds me, have faith in God and believe that things happen for a reason. I hope she's right. God I hope she's right.
Ghost of Josey Wales | Email | Homepage | 11.10.06 - 4:31 pm | #

Ghost,

According to Pelosi on Sunday 60 minutes: If we just leave Iraq and Afghanistan, the terrorists will just go away.

Yeah, for example, go away to where and doing what? Can't believe her (and those think like her) mindset.
always right | Email | Homepage | 11.10.06 - 4:43 pm | #

Im reading the news of Israel apologising for 18 Palestinian deaths. WTF? They had a weaponry computer glitch and women and children died. Excuse me...are those software glitches in the suicide belts these Palestinian terrorist use? Is that why children at bus stops are maimed and murdered? Israel doesnt have a damn thing to apologise for. If Palestinians dont want their people killed perhaps they should stop firing rockets into Israel.
When we've had enough of playing defense with impossible rules of engagement we will turn the tide in this struggle. When we stop this silly game of prefering to end up dead rather than appear IMPERIALISTIC..OHH NOOOO...WHAT WILL THE WORLD THINK! The way i see it, we got two choices. Get creative at killing our enemy (that includes the culture that breeds him) or they will kill us.

If thats called IMPERIALISM then so be it.
SteveH | Email | Homepage | 11.10.06 - 4:50 pm | #

Okay, I don't know if anyone saw this a few days ago but there was a shoot out in Gaza between the Palies and the Israelis and the Palies called out their women to be human shields. They got shot. Want to know what happened next?(Pause) Thats right nothing. The Muzzies need to realize that we are not going to interfer(sp) with the Israelis anymore.
southdakotaboy | Email | Homepage | 11.10.06 - 5:41 pm | #

I think I'm acctually looking forward to the first big event (terrorist strike)to happen with the Dems in charge.

Aaaand we've reached a new low here. You all just can't wait for a terrorist attack on American soil, now that Democrats are in charge.
anonymous | Email | Homepage | 11.10.06 - 6:30 pm | #

anon, dont worry. The buck never stops at a democrat. We'll accept blame for the carnage. You kiddies just run along and work on the big stuff like pell grants or minimum wage issues
SteveH | Email | Homepage | 11.10.06 - 9:20 pm | #

Funny how someone else says he hopes for terrorist attacks on American soil, and you choose to try and put *me* down.

Say what you will about your "leftist" "trolls", I don't believe any of them ever hoped for another terrorist attack on America. You guys are showing your true colors.
anonymous | Email | Homepage | 11.10.06 - 9:35 pm | #

No one wants war. No one.

-John Fernbup

Oh really? I do. Considering they already started it.

Every major muslim population center will cease to exist in the flash of nukes and those remaining will be hunted down to make sure we dont have to play this thing again later.

- Grimmy

Good. Should have happened on 9/12.
Steve Johnson | Email | Homepage | 11.11.06 - 12:13 am | #

Steve Johnson,

I am intrigued by your ideas. Who/Where would you have bombed?
anonymous | Email | Homepage | 11.11.06 - 12:31 am | #

Actually,
I'd put you both down. One for taking the comment of one writer and then ascribing it to "you all" here, and two for speaking for all of us.

I do not want another terrorist attack, period.
Ariel | Email | Homepage | 11.15.06 - 12:40 pm | #