It's so frustrating when all you hear about is our government waiting and waiting to talk to this person, or the other, about what to do in Iraq, instead of talking to people who can really influence things on the ground, like Muqtada al-Sadr.

As James Baker has said, you must talk to your enemies. It's so ridiculous how little the Bush administration is willing to seek solutions to problems by talking to those who we have problems with.

That's like not talking to your wife about marital problems and talking to some stranger down at the local bar, which might be a wife beater himself, and just tells you to beat her into submission. Sure talking to an ex-husband or boyfriend might give you some insight, but it won't be nearly as effective as actually talking to your wife.

Then again you'll have to be willing to listen and compromise, two things that President Bush has displayed to be seriously lacking.

I’d start with Muqtada al-Sadr, and work with him to find solutions to end the violence in Iraq. Sure that might require stopping the construction of the emerald city embassy complex, turning over our permanent military bases, kicking Halliburton and Black Water out, and turning over the companies sold to foreign companies back to Iraqis, but hey, we have to show that we are genuine in our resolve to bring peace and prosperity to the Iraqi people, with NO strings attached.

We are trying to ram good ol’ American corruption down the Iraqis throats, and they aren’t going to stand for it.

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"Shake off all the fears of servile prejudices, under which weak minds are servilely crouched. Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call on her tribunal for every fact, every opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason than that of blindfolded fear."

"An honest man can feel no pleasure in the exercise of power over his fellow citizens."

-Thomas Jefferson

Iraq isn't working for the GOP as a campaign issue, we'll be out of Iraq before the next election. Blame will be assigned to the Iraqis, and to the incompetance of the military and of course to Clinton.
But the Iraq war is going to wind down, because it has no champions left, Victory has a thousand fathers, Defeat is an orphan.

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“The thought of his being president sends a cold chill down my spine.”

Senator Thad Cochran, Mississippi (R)
on McCain

“I decided I didn’t want this guy anywhere near a trigger.”
Senator Pete Domenici, New Mexico (R)
on McCain

“My anger did not help my campaign ... People don’t like angry candidates very much.”

McCain on McCain

HUH?! What's the fact that it's the 10th of Nov have to do with it?

What's the facination with body counts?

I hope everyone realizes that leaving Iraq is not all that easy. I hope the dems really look ahead to all the unintended consequences of leaving. Let's make sure that their government is doing ok, that their military and police force are fine and whatever else needs to happen, before we just start pulling out.

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Anyone ask Hillary what kind of underwear she wears, yet?

Lt. Gov Diane Denish on Bill Richardson "The governor, she said, "pinches my neck. He touches my hip, my thigh, sort of the side of my leg."

So what? Where were you when the casuaties decreased 4 months in a row? Wasnt it news then? My thoughts are that casualty statistics are meaningless. I definetly think that the democrats will be able to turn this things around and really make this number mean something when they make it 3000 american civilian casualties at home instead soldiers in Iraq.

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http://www.fairtax.org

Elminate all taxes on income and replace with a national sales tax.

I heard someone once say, don't remember where, that AQ no longer needs to attack us here. Instead they got us to send Americans to them to kill. It is cheaper for them.

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The universe grows smaller every day and the threat of aggression by any group anywhere can no longer be tolerated. There must be security for all or no one is secure... - Klaatu

So why do you think they want to kill Americans?

In your opinion, what is their strategic goal?

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... ..................
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

Statistics are meaningless, eh? Yikes - not good. In the Vietnam war, we were lied to about the war casualty statistics. I personally want to know the statistics. It shows just how poorly the war has been conducted. It's very important.

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Power is not a means, it is an end. One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution in order to establish the dictatorship. The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power.

- George Orwell, 1984

I'm not fascinated- more like discusted. It means at least 3 American soldiers in Iraq have already died per day, as it stands in only 10 days. Last, month at least 4 per day total. This tells you nothing??

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Power is not a means, it is an end. One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution in order to establish the dictatorship. The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power.

- George Orwell, 1984

Then compare it the lives saved or the enemy killed. Youll find that is much higher and shows just HOW WELL the war has been conducted.

__________________
http://www.fairtax.org

Elminate all taxes on income and replace with a national sales tax.

Ironmaiden, do you follow any statistic beyond the US KIA bodycount? It is easy to follow, I agree, but any others?

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Don't startle him, Joe - it's almost full!

The Democrats do not take over until January the 2nd. So let's all hold our horses until that day to start demanding action NOW! Or else we will trow you bums OUT. Seriously, Iraq is a mess that will take longer than a few days to straighten out. We really have only two options, remembering that we no longer can order the Iraqis to do anything. And probably also remembering that the Prime minister will fight us if we want to institute reforms in that country. A- We go home ASAP and leave them to their misery and B- We ship in another 150,000 soldiers to see if that will get us control of the violence. Senator McCain, the one we all love so much, is in favor of B. However, we all know how well that worked in Vietnam. I think that if the bastards stop killing each other they could have a lovely country with lots of resources. If their own prime Minister is unwilling to help accomplish that, f*ck them, lets go home. We put them in the mess they are in so we owe them some help but they and their government must help too. So far they have been unwilling to do so. Let's see if we threatened to leave what would they do.

Give every Iraqi a half a million bucks each and pull out. Cheaper in the long run.

The Father of the New Iraq has created such squalor that they don't need his protection, they just need his money.

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668.....the neighbour of the beast.

Yanqui, go home.

The commanders on the ground have repeatedly said that more troops are not the answer. I tend to believe them rather than the politicians in Congress, and I think that is the mistake we are making, allowing civilians, and politicians at that to fight wars. Soldiers win wars, not politicians.

__________________
http://www.fairtax.org

Elminate all taxes on income and replace with a national sales tax.