I'm with the writer on the lack of sacrifice .. but we're damned if we stay, and we're damned if we leave.

Finally, one of the Triad's and America's GREATEST GENERATION speaks up truthfully about the Iraqi boondoogle!

Yet another who feels that it is useless (my word). Peace is the answer....bring the troops home, NOW!

Shalom

Thank you Mr. Maddox for your wonderful letter; truly words of wisdom. Pres. Nixon at long last decided to end the Vietnam fiasco and simply ordered the army to leave - leave Vietnam to the Vietnamese. That is what we need to do in Iraqnam - simply pack up and leave - leave Iraq to the Iraqis. (And leave Halibuton to try and collect their balance due from the Iraqis.)

THANK YOU Mr. Maddox!!
We have all made mistakes in our lives, we are not perfect. Whether it was a job that we thought that we should take and was miserable at, a project that we started and failed badly with (I do this all the time), or a cross word with a friend or family member, we make mistakes. Not even the most fervent Bush supporter can say with a straight face that this adventure is going well. That said, what to do? It was once said by someone smarter than me that insanity is defined as doing the same stupid thing over and over again.
We can not, will not be able to transform those people to 'democracy'. It is as alien to their way of life as eating goat meat is to us. If we really believe the mantra of diversity as we are preached to in this country, then we have to accept diversity in a nations form of government. Heck, we do not even have a good form of government here. Every day it is something new, the Supreme Court controversy, conflict in congress, even the claims of fraud during the last two presidential elections. Our deficit leaves us no room to tell someone else that our way of running things is better. As far as moral issues, it had gotten to the point that I relate to their values more than 'American way of life'. Should they be forced to send their kids to schools where gang violence and drug use is the norm?
No, even if President Bush went in with the best of intentions, we need to get out as smoothly as possible. Unfotunatly, the same people who got us in this mess are still running the show and I really believe that they do not have the mental aptitude to figure out how.

So should we have given Hitler a "timeline" and told him we were leaving Europe on, say, December 31, 1943, whether we were finished or not?
How about if we'd told the Japanese, "We're quitting in the Pacific in August 1944, whether we're done or not." ??
What do you think the outcome of those conflicts would have been had we done something so ridiculous?

All I can think about is the National Guardsmen from LA and MS who are watching from Iraq the devastation of Katrina. Most have not been able to contact their loved ones, most wish they could be serving their duties saving the lives of their brothers and sisters at home. Yet our administration feels we should stay the course and dump all our resources in a country where we are unwanted--at the expense of our wallets at the pump, at the expense of our own worldly reputation, at the expense of a national deficit , at the expense of common morality. SEND OUR TROOPS HOME NOW!

I don't believe you were in World War 2. I think you are being less than truthful.

Mr. Maddox, we lost more Americans on 9/11 than we did at Pearl Harbor. Sorry pal, you're all wet on this one.

What is the point in noting how many people died when/where? They died in war. War should NEVER happen.

It is so amazing that for so many in America to proclaim the Christian faith of America, yet deny the Prince of Peace. Where are the peace precepts in war? War begets war, violence begets violence. Peace brings unity and love. Why not try that for a different twist.

Bring the troops home, NOW!

Shalom

Buscuit,they had liberals back then too. But they didn't call the president a murderer or try to hold him personally responsible fot the death of a soldier as today's crop of libs want to do.

Tokyo Rose. Hanoi Jane in nam. Who will be this era's darling of the left? Perhaps Hanoi Jane. As she is showing signs of a comeback.

Larry, Our wars with Germany and Japan were declared wars, not "conflicts". They were not elective, ie, we did not pre-emptively attack them. They were the aggressors, the attackers.

I am not arguing the merits nor the pitfalls of these wars. I am only saying they were different and cannot be compared to the Iraqi "conflict". Bush made the decision to invade a sovereign country, they did not attack us. (And please spare me the 9/11 argument. Almost EVERYONE knows the attackers on 9/11 were not Iraqi.)

Since Bush started this invasion, why can't he decide to end it? IMO it's because he is a power-hungry, single-minded spoiled rich kid who never grew up. He even rebelled aganist the advise of his more wise and mature father re involving us in this "conflict" to begin with. Again like an immature child.

IF we wait until the Iraqi people decide to "get along" and take responsibility for their own country, our grandchildren could be dead and gone.

Bush got us into this mess. He need to get us out.

At some point in time we are going to have to decide what "success in Iraq" means. I would prefer that we decide that we have succeeded sooner than later.

Mr Maddox: I agree with everything you said in your letter. Thank you.

So, Yvonne, we have to wait until someone actually attacks us before we can take action?
If your son or husband was a police officer, would you expect him to face a gunman and wait until the gunman shoots him before can take action? We have to be killed first before we can strike our enemies?
Your logic-fu is seriously lacking.

I had these same thoughts "... the National Guardsmen from LA and MS who are watching from Iraq the devastation of Katrina."

Most signed up specifically to help in these times.

If Katrina does one thing, perhaps it will help us decide our priorities - which imho would place Iraq on a tier lower than America.

JDR, I wish someone in authority had your priority levels!

Shalom