Hindsight 20/20: Iraq and Afghanistan: would you do it?

[Zanza]

Voted no on both. Attacking Al Qaida and the Taleban in 2001 and 2002 was obviously necessary and it was right in hindsight too. But the ten years in Afghanistan after that were a mistake in hindsight.

[11B4V]

This poll is stupid. What's the point of talking about hindsight if you are going to ignore it anyway?

It's Languish.

And it's a Marty poll to boot. That is like Languish x Languish.

In your formula (Languish x Languish), is Languish the constant or variable? 

[Ideologue]

23 people on Languish support fascism.  JAPAN YES; GERMANY NO

[Eddie Teach]

Well, considering Hitler declared war on us first it didn't matter.

[Ideologue]

Well, considering Hitler declared war on us first it didn't matter.

Only because we were fighting an undeclared war on him in the Atlantic.  NO BLOOD FOR JEWS.

[Eddie Teach]

NO BLOOD FOR JEWS.

Quoting Shakespeare, eh?

[CountDeMoney]

23 people on Languish support fascism.  JAPAN YES; GERMANY NO

C'mon man, what do you expect?  A forum predominantly stacked over-educated snot-nosed white boys, whose only base connection is a Swedish video game from 10 years ago?

[11B4V]

23 people on Languish support fascism.  JAPAN YES; GERMANY NO

C'mon man, what do you expect?  A forum predominantly stacked over-educated snot-nosed white boys, whose only base connection is a Swedish video game from 10 years ago?

I have never played EU......

[CountDeMoney]

23 people on Languish support fascism.  JAPAN YES; GERMANY NO

C'mon man, what do you expect?  A forum predominantly stacked over-educated snot-nosed white boys, whose only base connection is a Swedish video game from 10 years ago?

I have never played EU......

I said "predominantly".  Whitey.

[derspiess]

Save all the post-9/11 international street cred for action against Iran.

That had an expiration date, and a short one at that (Iraq or no Iraq).  Unless you were thinking about doing the Iran thing around the same timeframe as Iraq.

Voted yes & yes, but I don't like the question.  We pretty much had to do the Afghanistan thing, but I don't think we needed to stay as long as we have.  I also think invading Iraq was the correct thing to do given Saddam's provocations, violations of the terms of our ceasefire with him, etc. but disagree with the neocon post-invasion plan.

[Josquius]

There was no choice for Afghanistan. Yes. But do it differently.

Iraq though no. In hindsight we know there were no WMDs and it perhaps even slowed down the democracy movement in the middle east.

[CountDeMoney]

Unless you were thinking about doing the Iran thing around the same timeframe as Iraq.

Yes, I am.  The "Axis of Evil" speech set the stage as a direct policy statement with historical implications.  Want to stop terrorism?  You go straight for the biggest state sponsor.  And uncovering and verifying the facilities at Natanz and Arak through 2002-3 with European assistance and IAEA credibility was just the icing on top. 

Bush had the opportunity to reposition the US with the greatest post-Cold War US foreign policy initiative imaginable, with the absolute moral authority on two of the most justifiable international security concerns in today's world:  addressing the state actors that actively support terrorism, and enforcing nuclear non-proliferation.  It doesn't get much more international than that. 

But no. Never had so much international support and sympathy had been pissed away so completely by going after Iraq.  Goddamned shame, really.

[derspiess]

Unless you were thinking about doing the Iran thing around the same timeframe as Iraq.

Yes, I am.  The "Axis of Evil" speech set the stage as a direct policy statement with historical implications.  Want to stop terrorism?  You go straight for the biggest state sponsor.  And uncovering and verifying the facilities at Natanz and Arak through 2002-3 with European assistance and IAEA credibility was just the icing on top. 

Bush had the opportunity to reposition the US with the greatest post-Cold War US foreign policy initiative imaginable, with the absolute moral authority on two of the most justifiable international security concerns in today's world:  addressing the state actors that actively support terrorism, and enforcing nuclear non-proliferation.  It doesn't get much more international than that. 

But no. Never had so much international support and sympathy had been pissed away so completely by going after Iraq.  Goddamned shame, really.

Okay, so let's hear some details for your 2003 plan to deal with Iran.

[Jacob]

My opinion is the same as it was then. Don't invade Iraq, do what you have to do to get rid of the Taliban and hit bin Laden.

[Berkut]

Iraq no, Afghanistan yes.

In hindsight, the cost for Iraq was not worth the payoff.

On the other hand, if we are using hindsight, chances are we could have reduced the cost considerably with a less completely non-existent post-war plan...so who knows, really.