The 100 Years Defense Makes No Sense Posted by Ilan Goldenberg

John McCain has been insisting that his 100 years in Iraq comment is being taken out of context.  That in fact what he meant is that American troops can stay in Iraq for fifty or 100 years if American troops are no longer being attacked.  This assertion leads to a whole new set of questions that reflect McCain's lack of understanding of what is going on inside Iraq.

First of all, how exactly does Senator McCain envision getting to a point where there are no American casualties in Iraq?  The idea of a large American troop presence in Iraq that does not draw any fire is farfetched.  What we have in Iraq today is some odd and complicated mix of numerous sectarian conflicts with Americans stuck in the middle.  This isn’t Korea.  There will be no armistice or Demilitarized Zone.  Senator McCain has not laid out any kind of a roadmap or strategy for how we get to this idealized scenario where American forces are no longer being fired upon.

Second, how long does he think it will take to get to this end state that he envisions?  Will it take 10 years?  Will it take 20?  30?  When under his plan do American troops stop taking casualties?  It would be good to know.

Finally, there is the question of a permanent presence in Iraq and the strategic costs to the United States.  One of the Bush Administration’s premises for the war in Iraq, was the idea that we needed to eliminate Al Qaeda.  But one of the major inspirations for Al Qaeda, was the American presence in Saudi Arabia.  In a similar way, creating a large permanent troop presence in Iraq would act as a recruiting tool for Al Qaeda and draw anger and suspicion from all over the Arab World.

In the end, whether it’s fighting in Iraq for 100 years or just staying in Iraq for 100 years under some fantastical scenario where our troops stop being targets, neither idea really makes much sense.

Comments

[Don Bacon]

re: troops as targets

Let's call "troops" what they are. Each one, in large, is a frightened teenager from next door who couldn't find a job because the US government has had a policy of outsourcing jobs, through "free trade" and other schemes, which results in said teenager from next door sacrificing his life -- the only tribute he has to offer -- so that the well-connected can profit from war concocted on fictitious premises and continued under the cover of blatant falsehoods.

news report:
A 2007 Bloom Trail High School graduate, Shane Penley joined the Army because he was frustrated trying to find a good job. He waited on tables at Glenwood Oaks Restaurant for a while. "He said, ‘Dad, I can’t stand this,’ " David Penley said.

Shane’s three sisters --Crystal, 29; Amber, 25; and Ashley, 21 -- tried in vain to talk him out of joining the Army, his family said. "I [also] tried, but once he sets his mind to something, he stays with it. So I had to come to terms with it," said his mother, Dena Penley.

Grief counselors were on hand at Bloom Trail High School in Steger, helping students cope with Shane’s death. Penley, 19, was killed on April 8th by a sniper’s bullet while on guard duty at a patrol base in Iraq.

COMMENT: The trigger on the rifle that killed Shane Penley was, in effect, pulled by politicians in Washington, including especially John McCain, but also including Hillary Clinton, who have acted through proxies in Iraq who are defending their country against a foreign invader.

[Matt]

Mr. Bacon, that is a very disgusting comment and you should be ashamed of yourself. As a veteran of the first Iraq war, husband of a Navy doctor serving there now, and one who comes from a large family of veterans, I know that the picture you paint of those serving in our armed forces is false. Also false and equally disturbing is the description you give to our enemies in Iraq, who are not only fighting us, but Iraqis who desire democracy and freedom as well. You deserve both pity and contempt.

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