You aren’t focused on Al Qaeda at all. Your statement is just untrue. If you were focused on Al Qaeda, you would be very positive over the counter-insurgency lessons learned in Iraq against AQ, that defeated AQ.

What you are focused on is Afghanistan, or specifically any place you decide to focus on. It has nothing to do with the threat of Al Qaeda, Mitsu.

I think the Iraq strategy was hugely costly and poorly executed

The reason why you think so is simple. Iraq wasn’t Afghanistan, thus people were wasting resources in a place you didn’t want to focus on.

I would agree that if it HAD been easy to do so, it might have been worth it

Easy things in warfare are worthwhile? You lack a certain tactical flexibility, Mitsu.

Everything worthwhile in war was hard, Mitsu. Stop trying to make things out to be a stroll in the mall.

This is as I’ve said also something that Obama has in particular been pushing.

And you’re pushing Obama because Obama is focused on the same 20/20 hindsight second guessing campaign that you are focused on, Mitsu.

We can’t undo the invasion so we have to deal with what we have done.

We want to fight a war. You want to win a conflict about getting resources focused on where you want them focused. Yes, we do have to deal with the things you have done, and you have to deal with the things our side has done. But let’s not fabricate the illusion that those that supported fighting terrorists in Iraq did the same thing as your side did, Mitsu.

You didn’t decide or support the decision to invade Iraq, Mitsu. So how do you expect to deal with things “you have done” that you haven’t?

Get rid of the doubletalk, and things get clearer.

This seems to be at odds with your view that a withdrawal now “would likely be a mistake”.

Mitsu was talking about a quick withdraw. So long as the withdrawal looks “slow” or fits the judgement of Mitsu, he won’t have a problem with it. In the end, it depends upon whether you trust Mitsu’s judgement, Harry, on whether a withdrawal is “too quick” or not.

Obama is pushing for the withdrawal of our troops. This seems to be at odds with your view that a withdrawal now “would likely be a mistake”.

Being successful in Iraq fight terrorism is far more significant than capturing/killing OBL. If you dont wish to dwell on the past, then stop doing so and get on our side.

This is as I’ve said also something that Obama has in particular been pushing.

I do agree that too quick withdrawal now would likely be a mistake, despite my opposition to the original invasion. We can’t undo the invasion so we have to deal with what we have done.

Well, nice that you’ll wait, X, but it would have better still if you’d tried to think in the first place, or even just read what I said. Let’s see if we can say this in a way that even you — or, if not you, a 6 year old — could understand: he IS saying that there are muslims who desire to undermine and conquer America — got that? And so am I. And so, for that matter, does everyone able to read or listen. I.e., nobody other than the most deranged and ridiculous fanatics would try to deny that there are such muslims.

What he did NOT say, on the other hand, is that all muslims desire to undermine and conquer America, which is what you said he said. A “substantial body of people”, “many times more numerous than the agents of Osama bin Ladin”, is just that — substantial. But to interpret it as meaning “all” is either a deliberate distortion of what Pipes actually said — i.e., a lie — or it’s simple stupidity. Take your pick.

http://img232.imageshack.us/my.php?image=911rtrs468x683nb4.jpg

Hey Baghdad Bob, whats this?

Bob D and Fischer really are making chess players look like mental patients.