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Broder on Reid — 18 Comments

  1. I totally understand. It must be terrible for Republicans to have muddle-headed men George W. Bush and John Boehner leading your party in place of principled conservatives like Chuck Hagel, Walter Jones, Ron Paul, and Lincoln Chafee. I feel your pain. I do hope for your party’s sake that your leadership comes to its senses and starts representing the best values of your party and your country.

    Best wishes.

  2. “If I were still a democrat”

    Still using that tired old “I was a lifelong democrat until …” ploy. The trouble is that so many lifelong republicans have turned away from the party that this supposed lifelong democrat can’t seem to find her way back to. You were never a democrat. Prove otherwise or drop your nonsense.

  3. Here’s the original quote from Reid:

    “I believe … that this war is lost, and this surge is not accomplishing anything, as is shown by the extreme violence in Iraq this week….I know I was the odd guy out at the White House, but I told [Bush] at least what he needed to hear….I believe the war at this stage can only be won diplomatically, politically and economically”

  4. None: I’m not really sure I understand your point (and yes, I do realize you’re trying to be ironic), but Ron Paul and Lincoln Chafee have very little in common.

    Neo has “proven otherwise” repeatedly. You obviously haven’t read much of her stuff (most notably the “mind is a difficult thing to change” series). Either “prove otherwise or cut YOUR nonsense.”

    And to my own point, considering the current state of the dems, I don’t think they can find a better leader than Reid. Even Pelosi is getting protesters in her office now. If Pelosi’s not radical enough for them, imagine the hell somebody who’s actually reasonable would have to endure.

  5. whitehouse.govThanks jpe for posting that full quote. I think everyone knows what he meant, it’s just easier for some people to yell “Traitor!” than figure out how to win a war diplomatically, politically and economically.”

    I think Reid makes a very sound case for the bill on his website, doesn’t sound like “giving up” to me.

    I have heard Bush himself state on at least 2 occasions that victory in Iraq will not mean “zero car bombs”:

    “You know, victory in Iraq is not going to be like victory in World War II. It’s one of the challenges I have to explain to the American people what Iraq will look like in a situation that will enable us to say we have accomplished our mission.

    First, the — Iraq will be a society in which there is relative peace. I say “relative peace” because if it’s like zero car bombings, it never will happen that way.”

    Who makes car bombs? Terrorists do. Even Al-Qaeda terrorists. So Bush has accepted a vision of victory in Iraq that includes a certain level of ongoing Al-Qaeda terrorist activity.

  6. It’s undoubtedly true that we need to win the war “diplomatically, politically, and economically,” but we also have to do it militarily. Petraeus claimed we need to work on all fronts, that the military alone can’t do it. Reid then says that “this war is lost” and says he’s parrotting Petraeus.

    To claim that the war can “only” be won diplomaticall…” is to claim that people who use guns and bombs to kill innocent people are more likely to be stopped by understanding, cooperation, and economic development than force. I find this to be hopelessly naive, at best, and a recipe for disaster at worst.

    As a matter of fact, even in advanced countries, thinkgs work economically and politically because people with guns can enforce economic and political rights.

    Yes, I’ve read the entire quote, and it’s still quite easy for me to yell “traitor!” By harming our military efforts, he makes it all but impossible to win “diplomatically, economically, and politically.”

    And as far as “zero car bombs” goes, if you believe that victory in Iraq can be achieved only if not a single person in Iraq is willing and able to take innocent life, then there’s not a society on the planet that hasn’t lost the war against its own undesirable elements.

  7. Being a conservative Republican I want the Democrats to have better leaders. I want them to have leaders who understand the place and time the U.S. is in the nature of our enemies. In this time of war we need a united front.

  8. Of, course, UB can’t name ANY war in history that has been won diplomatically, politically, and economically. It has NEVER been done, yet, he says the democrats can do it this time. Wishful thinking NEVER acomplished anything.
    C’mon, UB, show me the precedent.
    Where’s your example from history, Sam? Don’t have one? That’s what I thought. Stop this nonsense. Put up or shut up!

  9. washingtonpost.comBunnies, don’t just read the entire quote, read the entire proposal.

    And as far as “zero car bombs” goes, if you believe that victory in Iraq can be achieved only if not a single person in Iraq is willing and able to take innocent life, then there’s not a society on the planet that hasn’t lost the war…

    I hate to say it, but I think you may be dodging again. 🙂

    Accepting terrorist car bombings in Iraq in your definition of “victory” has nothing to do with establishing a zero murder rate, as you imply.

    I applaud Bush’s statement, I think it’s one of the most realistic things he’s said in his entire time in office.

    Reid didn’t just pull “no military solution” out of his hiney. According to the Aug 2006 Marine Corps assessment on the situation in al-Anbar province:

    “The social and political situation has deteriorated to a point that MNF [Multi-National Forces] and ISF [Iraq Security Forces] are no longer capable of militarily defeating the insurgency in al-Anbar.”

    The zeal of the vanguard remains relatively intact – there can be no realistic expectation that AQI will negotiate with the IG [Iraqi Government] or MNF short of accepting absolute surrender and ascension to power. The perceived indecisiveness and moral weakness of both the IG and MNF directly feed the resolve of AQI, as well as the grudging acceptance of AQI by the populace. As long as the status quo between the central government and the al-Anbar Sunni remains, AQI is an intractable problem.

    Another realistic statement. You guys watch too much Rambo.

    (Speaking of Rambo, did you see that police estimate Cho fired a round every 3 seconds for the last nine minutes of his rampage? And people here had the nerve to criticize the victims for their “lack of survival instinct.”)

    Lee, sorry but I am not going to talk to you until you calm down, you are way too excited for me.

    regards

  10. “the perceived indeciciveness and moral weakness of both the IG and MNF directly feed the resolve of AQI…”
    Not “actual” weakness, but “perceived”.
    And where do you think they get this “perception”, UB?

  11. Whose “dodging” questions, UB?
    Still havent named the war in history won diplomatically, politically, and economically yet, have you, UB?

  12. Bunnies was referring to “terrorists” not “murderers” as you imply in order do “dodge” the issue and avoid addrressing it.

  13. Terrorists are murderers, and islamofascists are murderers inspired by an extremely warped ideology. Those with warped ideologies will always be with us, both here and in Iraq.

    If we define victory as the complete and utter inability for those with (or without) warped ideologies to cause harm, we will never win, nor will anybody else, ever.

    What we can do is ensure that Iraq has a stable government in which most people can lead normal lives in relative freedom. This would be an obivous victory for the Iraqis, but would be a defeat for the terrorists in that we can remove the incentive for their random killings, and a victory for us for countless reasons. Yes, some of the terrorists will never get it, but we can at least remove the incentive some of them have of thinking they can beat the “great Satan” and make car bombings the exception to the rule.

    I’m glad you applaud that statement, but you also used it as fodder for criticism. Things wil never be perfect in Iraq (they aren’t even perfect here), but we can’t let perfect be the enemy of better.

    Whatever Reid says or doesn’t say in his proposal, he said to the world that we lost the war and excused his comment by distorting Gen. Petraeus’s comments. I neither know nor care whether or not Reid is giving up–I know beyond any shadow of a doubt that he’s hurting our efforts. I can’t reconcile a desire for victory with a declaration of defeat, no matter how detailed his plans.

  14. Speaking of winning in ways other than militarily, Bush proposed political, economic, and diplomatic solutions from the very beginning. The military part was taking out Saddam, then we help the Iraqis rebuild, build a democracy, and so help stabilize the region. Those were the initial goals, and they have always been a package deal as proposed by the Bush administration. To pretend that Bush has been trying to force a military-only strategy is either ignorance of the facts (like the war powers authorization) or dishonesty.

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