It starts in earnest...

[carrrnuttt]

Operation 'Phantom Fury' started today in earnest.

All my blessings go out to the young men and women fighting for...something.

Whatever the justification, or unjustification for this 'war' may be for you, please wish them well, and may all come home healthy.

[Flatrater]

I wish them well and may they have a safe journey and hopefully they will be home soon.

[thegladhatter]

Glad to see it start. It is high time to stop fiddle-farting around over there. They need to get done and get out!

[taranaki]

As I understood it they were going after Saddam,because he had weapons that could harm America.When this turned out to be untrue, they were going after Saddam for oppressing all of his opponents.Now they have installed a puppet government, they are in their helping to suppress the opposition to said puppet government........

Good luck to the poor sods who actually have to fight this war.If people wanted them out of there so badly, they shouldn't have extended Bush's tenure.

[Flatrater]

Originally Posted by taranaki

Good luck to the poor sods who actually have to fight this war.If people wanted them out of there so badly, they shouldn't have extended Bush's tenure.

Bush's tenure has nothing to do with this. If Kerry won would they be coming home? I think not. Bush winning the election has nothing to do with the American people wanting their soliders home. No human being want people to get killed war or no war. Don't confuse my being a republican with me being a human. I wish no ill on any people except terrorists who kill innocent people.

[taranaki]

Originally Posted by Flatrater

Bush's tenure has nothing to do with this. If Kerry won would they be coming home?

Maybe not today, but certainly a lot sooner,and with fewer casualties.It's hypothetical now of course, unless you just got stuck at the front lines.

[aloharocky]

Originally Posted by taranaki

Maybe not today, but certainly a lot sooner,and with fewer casualties.It's hypothetical now of course, unless you just got stuck at the front lines.

How? By surrendering? Kerry NEVER said how he could do it any differently, and his actions prove he has no clue. He only fooled the very young, the idealists. That's why he's been sent back to the Massachusetts Kennedy afternoon-tea & crumpets-served-by-the-black-servants crowd.

[taranaki]

52/48.

[Savage Messiah]

Not by surrendering but by not persisting to dig us deeper. Good luck to all our soldiers out there...

[Tehvisseeus]

Wish the soldiers over there the best of luck

[fredjacksonsan]

They're over there doing a damn tough job. Regardless of whether we agree or not, they're Americans and deserve our support and respect.

An argument could be made that Saddam was not in compliance with the surrender terms from the first gulf war, so that's why we went over there.

Pundits on the other side could say that the current Bush was showing his daddy he could do it. Now before anyone goes off on that comment, it was for illustration only.

It's a complex situation, from oil to human rights to free choice to you name it.

There are numerous reasons that Iraq is happening, and there are an awful lot of things that "We The People" are not and will not be privy to. It sucks that the government can't or won't tell the citizens it works for what they want to know. Whether the reason is security or concealment doesn't matter, they ain't telling.

I'd like the whole truth and so would alot of folks. But we're likely not going to get it; so for all those out there in Iraq, "Doing the Job", Godspeed and safe return.

[TRD2000]

ummm... how bout soldiers who kill innocent people.

I hope that they ALL come out of this alive... but most of all the civilians.

[TRD2000]

Originally Posted by fredjacksonsan

Regardless of whether we agree or not, they're Americans and deserve our support and respect.

i'm sorry but whether or not you agree. Being American is never going to be enough to deserve support, or especially respect!

[fredjacksonsan]

Agreed TRD. There will be many (as always in a war) that get killed senselessly. And Americans do not necessarily deserve to be respected just for being Americans; it's who you are, not what you're called.

That said, I was trying to make the point that the majority of military people don't make policy, but are sent to implement it and have to do the best they can in the situation they find themselves in. Iraq is a sticky mess for sure, and there's alot of people over there that have had it thrust upon them.

[TRD2000]

that's true, and unfortunately i suspect many of the people on the ground in fallujah would not be from a demographic that would support this war in Iraq. (separating war on terror from war in Iraq, i think everyone supports the war on terror, just now people ask more questions)