I came across the TIME magazine Quotes page this week. These sets of paired quotes show that the reality in Iraq is a sometimes thing:
Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2006
"People are bewildered because of the weak response by the Americans. They used to patrol the city every day, but when the violence started, we didn't see any sign of them." - Unidentified Balad (Iraq) Resident, asking why American troops had not intervened when sectarian killings had begun
"The President has made it obvious, we're going to win. And that means, ultimately, providing an Iraq that is safe, secure, and an ally in the war on terror." - Tony Snow, the White House spokesman responded when asked if the U.S. is winning the war in Iraq
Monday, Oct. 16, 2006
"The fact is, America has achieved successes here by removing a dictatorship and establishing a stable, democratic system." - Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, the Iraqi leader, during an interview
"It's not going to be 'stay the course.' The bottom line is, [current U.S. policy] isn't working... there's got to be another way." - Iraq Options Committee Participant, on the one thing on which the 10-member panel has reached a unanimous consensus
So my questions are:
1. What do you think will be the US position in Iraq in six months, in a year? I'm increasingly convinced that the Baker panel, whose report will come out after the elections, will have a timetable - the same term, or a euphemism meaning the same thing - that will give political cover to the Administration that it had "stayed the course" while, in fact, cutting their losses, not to be confused with "cutting and running". There will be lots of troop in the region, probably in Kuwait.
2. The Democrats need 15 seats to take the House and 6 to take the Senate. How do they do? I think the Democrats might barely take the House (16-20 seats). The Senate could go either way (5-7 seats).
3. Will there beArmageddonddon in the "Left Behind" sense? Perhaps there will be, but I think it is an abomination of Christian belief to sit around waiting for it, or worse, to root for it. "No one knows the day or time" to me means one tries to live life fully feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, et al.
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Mark Evanier addresses What would Jack Kirby think of the war in Iraq. (And if you don't know who Kirby was, check this out.
Demographics of cigarette smoking
18 hours ago
2 comments:
Well, although I believe in a Universal Force that might as well be called "God," but I don't believe in individual immortality -- I don't think we're as important as we like to believe -- nah. No spiritual armaggeddon. Maybe enough stupidity and clumsiness to eliminate our species from the ecosystem, though. That's up to us and getting our bearings from God, though...
Hi Roger
Predictions in brief:
1) US pulls out of 90 percent of Iraq within a year. Charles Kennedy, ex-leader of the Lib Dems in the UK rightly says "We told you so".
2) Democrats take the House, the Senate is tied.
3) No Armageddon - except for the Man-made possibility of one or two nuclear bombs being used some time. That's my idea of hell, but there will be no rapture to go with it.
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