Alright, alright, settle down.  Ried didn't really need to call Pace "incompetent," but as Senate Maj leader, he is within his bounds to do so. Usual "tempest in a teapot" right wing radio will keep it alive for a few days as some heinous atrocity - the war is a disaster but let's focus on this one comment about a guy who is already been declared "gone" by the SecDef. Until the next big storm brews.

Everybody and his brother thinks they know how to run a war when the only experience they have is shooting off their mouths.  That goes double for Harry Reid.  He is only good for cannon fodder.  Hey Harry, if you know so much where are all of your solutions?

A country went to war to overthrow a trannyical government.  They had no formal represetnation and had to develop it.  They asked for and received foreign assistance from some of the most powerful nations at the time.  From the time the war began, to it's ending, ratification of a constitution and agreement on how the government was to be established, and the continuing continuity of the government took 21 years.  Of course there were several defeats, thousands of lives lost, scandals, claims of incompetence, traitorism, and questioning of the government's handling of a variety of issues, one thing was a constant - Unity!

Amazing how a country in the modern era is attempting the same thing and is declared a failure in just 4 years, even with the assistance of the most powerful nation on earth. Guess the adage of immediate gratification is the norm now.

The country that took 21 years? The United States of America.  Learn your history

Food4thought - "They asked for and received foreign assistance from some of the most powerful nations at the time." Iraq didn't ask for our help. The "Decider" simple decided he wanted to invade. There's a difference between "We're not gonna take it any more!!!" and "gee, Ali this sucks."

Robb, STL
"Iraq didn't ask for our help"

You so sure about that?

I seem to remember Iraqi Disidents being butchered by IIS Assasins all over Europe, and the Kurds asking for help against the IIS backed Ansar al-Islam.

The Iraq refugees showing up in western hospitals for treatment of limbs severed by Saddam's fanatics and fitting of prosthetics is still a fairly fresh memory.
Stories of atheletes tortured for weeks for missing practice and Saddam's wackier son kicking old men to death at parties then sending his thugs out to pick up little girls for him seemed to rouse some ire at one time.
Memories are short.
Of course if we'd deposed Saddam earlier some of those 400 thousand plus bodies in the mass graves might have been able to go on with their lives.
The usual copperhead response is , well those killings were years ago.
Fact is the Duelfer report shows that prisoners were being used in Biowarfare experiments up until weeks before the invasion.
Another little tidbit from that report that no one mentions is that Saddam's Biowar scientists had been told to concentrate research on Rotaviruses since they were more effective against Americans because we bathe more often.
That along with Iraq's undeclared long range missile programs were why at least some weapons inspectors  said Iraq was in fact more of a threat than we had thought before the invasion.

Food4thought, how naive can you get. There is one, simple yet huge difference in the United States of America at the time of our revolution and Iraq of today. The difference? The will of the people. Yes, those pesky little peasents who have no power or control over government, even over an elected government. The will of the American colonists is the driving force that saw the American revolution thru to its glorious conclusion... the formation of the United States. Yes my friend, it was the people's will... even if their core reasons differed... religion, business, public service, the individual reasons melded together to form a singular, united will for freedom. Now, while I have no doubt that the good people of Iraq crave freedom just as any civilized people would, the fundamental difference between them and the American colonists is their will. The people of Iraq are obviously not ready to be governd by a democracy as the American colonists were. If they were ready, it would have been their will, their choice. They would have been the ones to over-throw Saddam Hussain, most certainly with the help of some of the most powerful nations in the world today. But, sadly, it was not the will of the Iraqi people. It was, finally, the will of just one man. One individual. George W. Bush. You know. Dubbya. Dubbya, the guy who when our airliners crashed into buildings in New Youk, D.C. and a field in Pennsylvania turned to his staff and his first words were "Find the Saddam connection." I know this is hard for so many to accept. Heck, it was hard for me to accept. As I have said in my previous entries, I was a Bush supporter. But it has become impossible to ignore the totalitarian nature of this president and the administration he has put into place. Rather than aiding the will of the Iraqi people (as the French did our fore-fathers) George W. Bush imposed HIS will on the Iraqi people, their nation and in fact the entire region. Now, rather than having allies in the middle east who would have helped us root out and destroy the seeds of terrorism, we now have an entire region of the world who by and large views the United States as the terrorists who impose its will and beliefs on others. Now, rather than allies, our enemies have multiplied by a factor none of us can truly know.

The will of the people my friend. It is a powerful thing. Our history has proven that. But the will of the individual, while powerful in its own right, is a terribly dangerous thing. The will of an individual is the shadow of greed. That is how dictators begin. My friend, do be careful when you refer to history. History is replete with subtle nuances that if left un-noticed, will not give you the whole picture of the way it was... and still is.

"If we are going to commit American troops, we must be certain they have a clear mission, an achievable goal and an exit strategy."
 
-Karen Hughes, speaking on behalf of presidential candidate George W. Bush on Clinton sending troops to  Kosovo

Bravo Food Food4thought! If my fellow liberals would turn away from the alter of Bush hate and splash some cold water on their faces maybe they would see that what we are trying to accomplish in Iraq is one the great liberal causes of the ages. If a Democract has the guts to stand up to the  moveon antidemocractic racist radicals and say that they will bring the troops home -- when they are victorious I will be right there with them. Untill then this liberal will proudly stand with the neocons and the Republicans!

Anyone remember Tom Daschle? Next election Reid and Pelosi will answer to the voters. These people are selling the American people down a river!!! Wake up republicans and democrats alike. Do you really agree with these kinds of tactics? Do Americans really want to declare defeat in the Iraq war? They need to truly listen to the people they represent. The last election was not a signal from the people to declare defeat nobody truly wants that what the voters were saying is lets see progress in the war progress towards victory. I have always heard my whole life that you don't want a democrat in office during times of war because they are weak and boy has that been proven. These people need to remember Tom Daschle the big mouth where is he now?

You knew mexico was in trouble when 180 texans and others took out half of the 6,000 man mexican army at the Alamo.  I could really say something here susan, but it just plays into the socialist plans in here.

Food4Thought  - your comparison of the Iraq War to the American Revolution and your comments on our growing impatience with the war is evidence of the fantasy land where neocons dwell. Learn our history? Where and in which colony were there wholesale executions and slaughter of say Catholics by Protestants? Or how do you compare aspect of oil to anything from 1776? And finally who do you think the Iraqis really view as being the Redcoats? Or perhaps you think our role in Irag is comparable to the French in the Revolution.

Garbage brains: what "most powerful nations on Earth" did we ask help from? England? I sure hope you're not going to acknowledge the help of the "surrender monkeys," as the chicken hawks love to call them. Anyway, the French was also warring with England and it suited them to do it in N. America, and we paid the Hessians. Sadam Hussien never asked for our help, so neither one of us has any idea of what you're talking about.

Everybody and his brother thinks they know how to run a CONGRESS when the only experience they have is shooting off their mouths.

Jedi:
"Rather than aiding the will of the Iraqi people (as the French did our fore-fathers) George W. Bush imposed HIS will on the Iraqi people, their nation and in fact the entire region."

And how exactly do you explain the Iraqis showing up at the polls in such massive numbers despite suicide bombings and other attempts to subvert the Democratic process?
They voted their present form of government in, and some aspects of it are not entirely to our liking, but we abide by their decision because its their decision to make.
Our Troops are there at the request of the Democractically elected representatives of the Iraqi people.

al-Zarqawi and his ilk made it plain that they hated Democracy and would do anything they could to destroy it.

Time to empty the trash
"Anyway, the French was also warring with England and it suited them to do it in N. America, and we paid the Hessians."
Correction.
The Hessians fought for the British, they were German peasants conscripted by Prussian Princes and their services sold to the British.
"The Treaty of Alliance signed by the United States and France on February 6, 1778, was promptly followed by a declaration of war by Great Britain against the latter, "
Britian went to war against France because the French chose to support the Americans.
The French King had tried to prevent French Volunteers from joining the cause precisely because the British objected.

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