USA Pulls Out of Iraq...

[Geo]

Koa, come out of your Democrat vs. Republican, conservative vs. liberal, "all Obama supporters are stupid" hole once in a while and you might see that we agree on many things.

Case in point-
have a look at a similar thread as this one which has a liberal (see post 7) making your point in a nonpartisan manner and a mix of conservatives and liberals *discussing* the issue. Let this be an example to us all that we can disagree without being disagreeable. And we can agree without being disagreeable too.

http://www.sowal.com/bb/politics-current-events/50161-last-combat-troops-leave-iraq.html

 

[Koa]

I didn't say there were no more US troops in Iraq, I said the only US troops remaining there were for training purposes - which is what it sounds like your friend is/has been doing.

You actually said that all combat troops had left Iraq, which it sounds like is not the case. They will remain in Iraq, but just change their stated purpose, if I correctly understand the other comments.

 

[AlphaCrab]

Speaking as a liberal Democrat, I have come to the conclusion that for me, going forward these two wars are now totally non partisan issues ( as in I have stopped blaming Bush/Cheney/Clinton).

I think every American citizen has an iterest in these ending as soon as possible, much good, non-partisan, common ground there. Although there will be residual forces there for some time to come in both Irag and Afghanistan.

Lets leave the national flags of these two countries up and remove the American flag there at some point..and remove the Democratic and Republican flags right now!

 

[Lynnie]

I thought after Hussein was captured we were to engage in combat only if fired upon. Our training of Iraqis started then.....approx 2004 time frame?? Did I dream this?

 

[scooterbug44]

You actually said that all combat troops had left Iraq, which it sounds like is not the case. They will remain in Iraq, but just change their stated purpose, if I correctly understand the other comments.

The last official US combat brigade left Iraq at dawn last Thursday. Some US units remain, but their primary mission is to train Iraqi troops and they are ALL supposed to leave by late 2011.

 

[BeachSiO2]

Here's my problem. I do not disagree that a large number of military personnel have come home, but how many "contractors" are there in addition to the 50k trainers. They are still funded by the US. Did anyone see the multi-issue series that ran in the Washington Post where the Secretary of Defernde could not say how many MI complex people were being paid by the government. Not to be an alarmist but I would wager that our "contract" force has nearly the same capability (number of personnel) as our military. We are privatizing our military and very few are catching on. I will take my foil hat off, but I am wondering if anyone can give a true accounting of how many people paid for by the US gov't are in Iraq and Afghan., and 2. How many military contractors have been killed in addition to US soldiers. I fear the numbers are very large and since the men and women aren't "in uniform" we will never know the "true costs" of our wars.

 

[AndrewG]

Here's my problem. I do not disagree that a large number of military personnel have come home, but how many "contractors" are there in addition to the 50k trainers. They are still funded by the US. Did anyone see the multi-issue series that ran in the Washington Post where the Secretary of Defernde could not say how many MI complex people were being paid by the government. Not to be an alarmist but I would wager that our "contract" force has nearly the same capability (number of personnel) as our military. We are privatizing our military and very few are catching on. I will take my foil hat off, but I am wondering if anyone can give a true accounting of how many people paid for by the US gov't are in Iraq and Afghan., and 2. How many military contractors have been killed in addition to US soldiers. I fear the numbers are very large and since the men and women aren't "in uniform" we will never know the "true costs" of our wars.

This is in fact the case. Glad you pointed this out. It's easy to forget since the media doesn't like to report it.

 

[scooterbug44]

Aside from the whole "mercenary" thing, I also resent that we pay the "military contractors" more to do the same job.

 

[BeachSiO2]

SB44, IMO the bigger question I have is what are their rules of engagement? Are they held to the same standards as the men and women in uniform?