Barry - I have to agree with Sean on all of this - both sides (Dems and Republicans) hold responsibility on this issue equally. It is the OVERALL foreign policy of the US government that has caused our current state of affairs. And it does not have anything specifically to do with one particular thing (the Iraq war) that Bush did. This actually finds a big chunk of its roots in the Crusades (yep - the Muslim world is still pretty upset at the persecution they felt during that time when the Christian world wanted to convert all of Islam into Christianity). Israel coming in and claiming lands that the Muslim believe is theirs didn't help. US foreign policy (yep, democratic policies) using US resources to install and maintain regimes to "control" middle east lands. And, of course, the US decision to put soldiers boots on the ground on what are considered to "Holy" and "Sacred" lands to the Muslim world isn't helping. Sorry, Barry, but it did start WELL BEFORE we removed Sadam...
So - let's be isolationist... Let's pull ALL of our troops out of foreign lands and bring them home. That'll put an end to it... NOT
Let's pull our troops out of Iraq - that'll put an end to it... NOT Just like the Soviets leaving Afghanistan, things will get interesting in Iraq if that happens. I hate to say it - there wasn't a stable government in Iraq BEFORE we removed Sadam - there isn't one there now - and there won't be for some time to come. But there are at least a couple of governments (Syria and Iran, for example) that would love to control the riches beneath Iraq. Us pulling out right now certainly would allow for that region to be under the control of the very governments that spurned the creation and maintainence of Hezbollah. That would be a GREAT call for everyone concerned...![]()
Straightening out this whole terrorist mess is not going to be solved by a change in the current administration. While you may not want to agree with it, George Bush was very prophetic when he initially said (after the 9/11 attacks) that this "war on terror" is going to go on for a VERY long time. Essentially, it will take GENERATIONS to straighten out the mess our previous generations have created for us.
Sincerely - Barry - it's going to take a VERY long and VERY concerted effort from ALL SIDES (Republicans, Democrats and Independents) to make this whole thing go away. One election is not going to do it - and polarization of sides is only going to make it worse.
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