patrick.net

Anyone still think allowing these fanatics to participate in the new Iraqi government would be a good idea for longterm reconciliation with the majority Shia and Kurds?

So much for the argument that Saddam's Baathists were all a bunch of secular Sunnis and keeping the jihadis at bay.

These guys ran and hid during the initial invasion in 2003 and were getting a beating during the surge being driven into Syria. Too bad we didn't keep enough troops in Iraq to finish them off.

We kept troops in Iraq longer than we were involved in WW2. A competent government would have been able to handle it.

Why do they look so dirty if they like to party in the bath?

History teaches us a 40-50 year minimum* is required...WW2 numbers are puny in comparison.
A competent government would have realized this and hunkered down for the long haul... *

* germany, japan, south korea

thunderlips11 says

We kept troops in Iraq longer than we were involved in WW2. A competent government would have been able to handle it.

Mission accomplished!

socal2 says

These guys ran and hid during the initial invasion in 2003 and were getting a beating during the surge being driven into Syria. Too bad we didn't keep enough troops in Iraq to finish them off.

Strategy and geography aren't your strong point. The surge secured the immediate area of baghdad and the oil terminals at basra. At the peak of the surge there were 75 battalions in iraq, only a dozen were more than 50 miles from baghdad or basra, most of those in kurdish territory. There was only 1 battalion between baghdad and syria. No one was driving the insurgents into syria.

SoftShell says

History teaches us a 40-50 year minimum* is required...WW2 numbers are puny in comparison.

So, the Bush Administration was talking 40-50 year occupation in Winter 2002-2003? That Iraqi Oil revenue was supposed to pay for all that?

What taxes were passed to pay for this?