I agree completely. "Career" politicians are a load of garbage. It was the intent of the founders that it be a BURDEN to serve in government, and in the early days they paid their own expenses, were in D.C. for a few months, then went back home for the majority of the year.
In any event, they should be limited in the terms they serve. As my pappy used to tell me... If govt service is a burden, it should be shared... if it is gravy, it should be passed around.
I agree 100%. The only reason those ungrateful wimps have survived as long as they have with their socialist economic programs is because they have been riding on our economic coattails. We have been paying the majority of their defense costs for better than 50 years, not to mention the billions that those bases pump into the local economies around them.
If they had lived up to their end of the agreements then I might agree that we are obligated to do so, but since they have failed to meet numerous deadlines as well, all such agreements are null and void. I am not advocating staying any further... fact is we would probably have been better off had we left after we got Saddam.. only time will tell. But in no way should they be allowed to even suggest that we left on anything but our OWN terms. We sent a good message to others in the region when we invaded... we demonstrated we had the balls to do it when they all thought we didn't. Whatever gains we get from sending that message will be lost, in spades, if we leave as anything but clear victors... otherwise we will merely have to go back again in a few years or so. The first conflict with Iraq should have taught us the foolishness about doing things in half measures.
"Sometimes, winning requires everyone else perceiving that you've lost."
You are welcome to that opinion, however, I do not agree with it. History shows that peace never comes when a vanquished enemy being allowed to think they are somehow a winner. Peace comes when your enemies have a clear understanding that you have, and can again, crush them. I hardly think the Iraqis are one bit prouder than the Germans or Japanese, and they are sure as hell not as fanatical about fighting to the death for their cause as the Japanese were.
I doubt that posturing on the part of Iraq will intimidate any of it's neighbors. Iran waged war with Iraq when Iraq was far more formidible opponent than Iran KNOWS they are now. Iraq's only real hope of preventing outside invasions is not it's own military force. The only thing acting as deterrent to invasion from Iran or Syria (or anyone else) is the perception that WE can do to them what we did to Iraq. If we leave Iraq with our tail between our legs... then that deterent will not exist either.
BTW, I assume you mention your service in order to suggest that your perspective is more valid than mine. Perhaps you are right. I served only 2 terms (in Iraq), in the Army rather than the navy, and came home a bit early in the second tour due to injuries received in combat. What do I know?
I am suggesting nothing as far as us throwing our weight around, nor am I suggesting we SHOULD stay any longer than we agreed (although, if circumstances change and it is not in our interest to leave at that time, we should not do so)... I am merely pointing out that it is amazing hubris to think that they can make any demands. Demands which one is unable to enforce are a joke, and this is certainly not one they can enforce if we should CHOOSE to stay there. They may make life uncomfortable, but they cannot force us to do anything, thus their "demands" are meaningless. I am reminded of the poster of the mouse flipping the eagle the bird, which is captioned "The Last Great Act of Defiance". Any governance they manage, they do so at our sufference. If they wish to make requests, that is one thing, but for us to allow them to make "demands" and we abide by them merely signals weakness and encourages further defiant and aggressive behavior from them. They should never be allowed to delude themselves into believing that THEY had anything to do with our actions... should NEVER be allowed to believe that they were ultimately the victors, unless we want to have to go back and do it all again.
Iraq sets a deadline on when troops must leave? or WHAT? LOL, Since when are the vanquished in a position to dictate withdrawal terms and timetables to the victors? Talk about hubris...
ACORN involved in voter fraud? Naaaaaaahhh.. you gotta be kidding. Who could possibly imagine such a thing?
(sarcasm of course.)
We MIGHT see some short-term economic improvements, but they will be only temporary. While the infusion of money thru various government projects may put some to work, they will either be temporary (such as bridges and roads that, once completed, the jobs are no longer there) or they will be ongoing jobs which will have to be supported by longer term tax increases. Hiring a few thousand cops, for example, from stimulus money means that in a couple years the money runs out and the jobs go byebye, or it will have to be further funded and what we have been told will be a temporary spending measure will become the baseline of the new budgets. In the end, the increase in spending that will be permanent, as well as the debt burden, will mean the govt will either have to increase taxes dramatically, or cut the projects they have begun which they will not do. Once that happens, either way, kiss any minor economic improvements we might see goodbye.
Damn.... and swine flu seemed to have so much potential for creating hysteria thus allowing the government to expand their powers too (not to mention the potential for squeezing some more foreign aid out of America for Mexico). But someone had to go suggest that since the flu was mainly in Mexico, sealing the borders might help contain the flu. Well, we cannot be having THAT idea catching on, so it is time for the feds to start dialing down the panic level some.
All of these folks coming back from Mexico with diahrea, fever, vomiting... swine flu huh? We used to call it Montezumas Revenge. There is a reason they warn you not to drink the water.
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