Debate topic:The future of the Iraq War

[southsider2k5]

Iraq

 

Iraq was one of the biggest things on the minds of voters during our last election cycle. What would be your biggest priority in Iraq? Are you in favor of immeditate withdrawl, timelined withdrawl, adding more troops, or continuing with current troop levels until such a time we feel it is OK to leave?

 

 

 

 

 

****************************************************************************************

 

--Each candidate can make one initial position post in each thread, of NO MORE THAN 500 words.

--Each candidate also gets to respond to ONE other candidate's post IN EACH of those threads, with the same 500 word limit.

--The candidate who was responded to then gets ONE MORE POST to retort (to each response/question, so that may be more than once in the same thread), again, limit 500 words.

--The threads will remain open until Sunday night late, at which time I will close them (the election is Tuesday). This should give people 5 or 6 days, which should be plenty of time.

--ONLY CANDIDATES SHOULD POST IN THE ACTUAL DEBATE THREADS.

[sox4lifeinPA]

I, as many others, have friends that have served or are serving in the military either in Iraq, Afghanistan or other locations around the world. My first action as President is to see that all of these soldiers are rewarded with the highest quality supplies that a world class military deserves. Our men and women overseas need to know that we want them to be safe while they are protecting our domestic and international interests. When these soldiers come home they should receive the best care for their emotional and physical wounds and have assistance with acclimating to civilian life. These individuals are heroes to us all and are in need of our support in whatever form it may be required of us.

 

Iraq is a volatile and complex situation. One that cannot be summed up by Plan X, Y or Z; however, I understand the need for an exit strategy. Whether it is one month, one year, or twenty years truly depends on the level of expanded international involvement. My plan would be to sit all of the major parties, both regional and international, and lay it all on the table. I believe that in order to find stability in the region, Egypt, Jordan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Israel and an independent Palestinian state must face facts. Culturally, these countries are bitter rivals; economically, they all have one thing in common: The United States of America.

 

I feel the Bush Administration has played all of their cards, and as President, I would have to face harsh facts that much of what had preceded my administration has nothing to do with how business will be conducted, yet will be judged as though it were. The United States has an economic advantage over all of these countries, however, this advantage does not equate to independence. I would make it my goal over my term to rebuild what has been destroyed. I believe as the last world super power, we have the distinct opportunity and responsibility to encourage working together to recognize sovereignty of nation-states and bring equality to the diverse of people groups of the world. To threaten those who do not play by our set of rules only provokes, it does not solve problems.

 

My plan is to discuss with nations, who are regionally vested in Iraq’s future, how they would like to proceed in aiding a free and sovereign Iraqi government. I believe sectarian violence can only be suppressed by other Middle Eastern government’s involvement in the conflict. So this is paramount to stability for all countries in the region.

 

U.S. troops should continue to train and provide security until a viable Iraqi police force can be assembled. As I have stated before, they must receive immediate high grade supplies and equipment to do so effectively and safely. This too will be aided by international assistance. I believe the time will be right when a coalition has been built to honestly and earnestly resolve what is going on in Iraq.

 

Thank you for taking the time to consider my initiatives on the crisis in Iraq.

 

PA

[Texsox]

We have gone around and around on this issue, and if anyone truly cares about my position, just look at any thread on the subject, I've usually jumped in. Instead I would appreciate everyone taking a moment and thinking about Keith Matthew "Matt" Maupin. and Ahmed_Qusai_al-Taayie

 

It's sad to put anyone's life into a "nutshell" but they are the only US Serviceman currently missing in Iraq. Please pray to the God of your choice for them and their families.

 

There are times that this fun diversion swerves into something more serious and the loss of American lives is about as serious as I can think.

[Rex Kickass]

I think the future of the Iraq War isn't a very pretty one. With us or without us. It's a reality that Americans have to be ready to accept. Too often I hear people who report reality confronted with the - "They aren't reporting the good things that are happening out there too!" People like Sean Hannity might have a point, if they weren't saying it right after 50 people are kidnapped in broad daylight during a full curfew, or when the Iraqi President has to receive our President in Jordan because the situation has become so insecure that the President can no longer safely schedule secret visits in the country.

 

When it comes to the issue of war, I'm no expert. I do know this, however. We are stuck between a rock and a hard place. If we leave Iraq now, we run the risk of an Iranian puppet government coming to power and offering Iran more power in a region where we'd like to see its reach limited. If we stay, we could find ourselves still in the middle of a civil war and losing more American lives. One that could end up with the same feared result of our departure. Iranian influence in an area where we don't want to see it.

 

At this point, despite the frequent and massive missteps that we have made over the last three years, I think that there are solutions to be found. To keep a stable Iraq, and one that is more free than its neighbors. But the solutions are more political than military. We need to open dialogue with the various sectarian powers in Iraq. We need to open dialogue with its neighbors in the region. We need to find their common ground and work to expand it.

 

And we need to do it, quickly. Because if we don't solve our problem soon - it will be beyond our grasp.

[southsider2k5]

Bump. I noticed this had fallen off of the front page!

[NorthSideSox72]

Its time to enter the fray on this, what may be, the most fractious issue on the board. Some have avoided it entirely. I have a lot of respect for those candidates who have put their positions out here for consideration.

 

Its been suggested by military officials that we have three current strategic options: “Go big, go long, or go home.” But really, those are not strategies at all – they are methodologies. And here the administration shows again a lack of planning and preparation. I will lay out here the actual strategy my administration would promote in order to get to the best possible end in this conflict. I’ve boiled it down to these 4 initiatives…

 

1. First, I agree heartily with Rex and PA here, in saying that dialogue with regional stakeholders has to be one of the key pieces. Determine what each wants to see in Iraq, and come up with ways to fit our ends (and means) with those countries’ desires.

 

2. Energy independence. In the long view, nothing is more important. We can neither achieve our goals in the Middle East nor elect to leave the region, if we continue to be over the barrel. We must enter any and all negotiations from a position of strength, not weakness. See my 7 point plan for energy independence for details.

 

3. Kurdistan must be allowed independence. Despite its internal problems (the two main parties’ conflicts), and the fact that they make Turkey very, very nervous… They are the best shot we have at an independent, democratic state in the region. Turkey’s issues can be combated directly by our military and economic involvement – we already have a strong relationship with that country, and we can leverage that and enhance it by assisting them in that area. Plus, when Kurdistan becomes independent, those Kurds who are causing problems inside Turkey will have a home to go to. Another advantage to having a presence concentrated in Kurdistan is that it puts us right next to Iran, who we need to keep a close eye on.

 

4. Finally, the rest of Iraq. I’ll say this first – I have changed my view on this topic. I’ve changed it because I feel the situation has changed. I no longer feel that more troops, or further/changed commitment, would result in anything positive. Therefore, I am now in favor of focusing on training the Iraqi forces as far as possible within a few months, and then begin a phased pullout. It saddens me to make that statement, but I simply no longer see a winning option. The pullout should include concentrating troops in Kurdistan as noted earlier, as well as in Iraq for regional stabilization, but ultimately result in a drastic reduction of force in Iraq. I believe this is the best path left available to us.

[NorthSideSox72]

TOPIC CLOSED.