The Deadline

So in one of my previous blogs, I have stated severval times about the negoiations between Iraq and the U.S. and Britain about keeping their forces in Iraq after the end of the year.  Iraq has responded by agreeing if they were allowed certain actions.  One of them would be to restrict all U.S. attacks on countries surrounding Iraq (most likely a result of the Syria incident).  I feel that this is a very bold move made by the Iraqi government.  It shows that they do not want to be used by the U.S. for any kind of conflict that will draw more attention to themselves.  I feel that Iraq is starting to stand on its own two feet once more.  Do not mistake what I just said.  I do not feel Iraq can "walk on its own" just yet.

I found video to encourage you to vote (if you haven't already).  Don't worry if you cannot understand the rap.  The lyrics are to the left of the video (click on more info).  Enjoy.

In the Mirror: The Self Analysis

At the start of this blog project, I didn't really care that much for the Presidential Election.  "Why," you say?  I guess I felt that no matter what my opinions or values were, I would not be able to make any difference.  Now you might be saying, "Voting is a difference."  That is where my dreams are throw off the cliff because I CANNOT VOTE (bummer).  

So I felt, at first, that this project was some sort of ironic punishment.  However, the more I began to read about Iraq, the more I wanted to write about it.  Out of all the writing assignment I have had, I must honestly say that I enjoyed myself.  This assignment made me understand the importance of not just having a side but to be albe to evauate all sides and not use random assumptions that you have heard.  It allowed me to study my issue indepth so that i would be able to share with me classmates and answer their questions.  In a way, I started to actually become interested in the Presidential Election.  Even though I cannot vote, I can express my knowledge to people who like to assume things about the candidates rather than having evidence to support it.

At the start, I had strong feeling about us not entering Iraq, partially because of one of my relatives was sent there.  As I began to read more and write these blogs, my position began to sway a bit.  However I relized that I was focusing too much on the past and began to write about what our future holds with Iraq.  Instead judging the issue like I did at the start, I learned to take in different opinions in order to understand what the real issue was about.

And so with that, I encourage everyone who reads this blog to keep imformed with both sides of the issues that our country faces.  It may not seem that they affect you, however, our current economic status can tell you otherwise.  AND VOTE.  If not for yourself, then for the people in our country.

The Crossroads

Daniel,

Britain hasn't given up on Iraq.  At the end of this year, the UN mandate that allowed the U.S. and Britain to be in Iraq will end.  In order to stay in Iraq, we have to negotiate with the Iraqi government.  I feel that this withdraw of troops is Britain's way to ensure Iraq that they do not plan to stay for much longer.

It seems our nation finds itself on both sides of the road.  In this article (similar to the one in my Implications post), it talks about how we entered Syria to kill person associating with Al-Qaeda.  However, Syria believes the story to be false and therefore, a violation of international law.  So in this case, we are the anti-terrorists and the terrorists (really great for our involvement with the Middle East).  The longer we continue with our occupation in Iraq (as well as the War against Terrorism), the closer we are viewed as terrorists by the people in the Middle East.  

Course of Time: The Implications

For five (almost six) years, we have invaded and given Iraq back to its people.  However, our "results" have been small in comparison to what we have put into Iraq these past years.  We are at the point where our next move in Iraq is very critical to us and to the welfare of the "new" Iraq.  On thing is certain, we must start to see more positive results if we are going to be able to "leave".

Our current situation in Iraq is at a stand still.  We cannot withdraw all of our troops but we cannot remain there for much longer.  I feel that if we stay in Iraq any longer, we will start to lose the faith other countries had for us going to Iraq in the first place (if we haven't lost it already).  Iraq will serve as a constant reminder to many nations for future generations.  We may lose allies or support just because of our stay in Iraq which has been longer than any of the World Wars.  Then there is the military funding as well.  We simply cannot afford to spend money on this war like we have these last few years.  Our economy is in shambles.  The Rescue Plan is only prolonging the situation long enough for the next President to come into office.  Every single cent that our government spends is needed to help our economy.  Staying in Iraq only uses valuable funds that our country needs back home.

Now, for those who want to pack up our troops and send them back home, hit the brakes.  Our involvement with Iraq is so deep, we CANNOT do that.  With all the money we have spent, we simply just cannot walk away.  We have to finish what we have started, one way or another.  I feel that to leave Iraq will draw more countries to despise us.  We went in and completely changed their whole government structure and wiped out their former armed forces.  Now in order to leave, we must re-arm them, build up their forces, and stabilize their government.  If not, they will be helpless and defenseless against Al-Qaeda or the countries surrounding them, especially Iran.  However, our prolonged stay could prove different to Iraq.

Time is a valuable source.  But we have wasted too much of it in Iraq.  Whether we like it or not, our time in Iraq is coming to an end.  But how will our new President be able to use it to our advantage?  Only time will tell...

The Extension

I read in an article from CNN that Britain and the United States must negotiate with the Iraqi government in order to let their forces remain in Iraq after the end of this year.  Britain stated that they plan to take some of their troops out of Iraq early next year.  However, the U. S. still has no plan for leaving Iraq yet.  This has somewhat to do with the Presidential Election in the next couple of weeks.  Our exit plan will solely rely on who our next President is (see earlier posts for candidates' views on Iraq).  Until next time...

Closing the Gap: The Theory

Throughout the history of man, people have taken opposite sides on every kind of issue, especially war.  During the American Revolution, some people wanted freedom from Britain while other did not.  During the American Civil War, half of the country wanted to create their own country and the other half would not let them.  During World War I and II, we stayed neutral at the start but found ourselves fighting at the end.  War has many different sides, particularly whether one should be in it or not.  However, those two sides area luxury to us, since we find ourselves in another war, the War in Iraq.

The issue at hand at this current moment is should we leave or stay in Iraq.  Both are very conflicting views due to the fact that both sides have meaningful reasons.  Some people believe if we withdraw our troops from Iraq, we would stop using billions of dollars that could have been used to help our declining economy.  Others feel that we are still needed in Iraq due to our slow progress in Iraq these past several years.

I believe that these sides are too extreme for the current situations in Iraq.  With enough understanding, I feel that both sides can see that both of them are right but choosing one or the other is preposterous.  I believe, as I have stated in earlier blogs, that we still need to stay in Iraq long enough for them to take control of their own country and then leave as soon as possible.  However, most people do not see the "bridge," only the two "cliffs"....

The Final Debate

Last Wednesday was the third and last Presidentila Debate between Obama and McCain.  As usual, the economy was the main topic at hand.  However, they had touched on other topics, like eduacation and taxes.  I enjoyed this debate over the second one since there was not that many interuptions.  The constant back-and-forth between candidates proved, to me, their devotion to becoming President.  Also, there were able to comment on each others statements which showed their readiness for any situations.  This election will sure be one to watch.

The Rescue

We find ourselves in trouble.  Our economy is in shambles.  Our government has made a plan.  Very similar to those of Britain and other European countries.  To spend more money to save ourselves.  700 billion is the price they will pay.  350 billion will be used by next year.  It will be used to buy bank stocks.  Banks will have much more money.  Our government will sell all the stocks.  For a price higher than what they bought them for.  It will not solve our problem.  This will only delay it.

This leads to a much bigger question.  How will we get our economy back?  Our next President will be tested.  350 billion dollars will be used.  350 billion will be left.  How will he use it?  Only time shall tell.  Until next time, Revan.

The Countdown

Tommy,

I feel that the money being spent on the war in Iraq could be helping our economic status.  With that being said, I have also written in my blogs numerous times that we cannot leave Iraq.  I suggest either cut down our forces or try to help Iraq get on its feet as quickly as possible.  I'm not sure how much money was spent in Afghanistan due to the fact that it is low compared to the money spent in Iraq.

Kia,

Thanks for sharing your input on my topic.

Duckblogger,

I have to say that our next actions will be determined by the next President.  Yes, we have spent so much money for the war in Iraq.  But now, we simply cannot leave them alone.  I feel that we are going to be spending much more money until our troops are finally able to come home.

So, it's only a couple more weeks until Election Day.  According to the CNN poll, Obama and McCain are 50-42.  It is still anyone's game.  Have you decided on who you want the next President to be?  With our economy in the crisis it's in and the war we have been fighting, which has lasted longer than both World War I and II.  Keep in mind the candidates views on the issues that our country is facing when selecting a candidate to vote for.  The time is coming soon.  Real soon.  So I ask you, do  you know why you support the candidate that you are voting for?  Because such a reason will determine the future of our country.

Over the Horizon: The Analysis

The 2008 Presidential Election is only 26 days away.  As the year is coming to a close, the next President will decide the course of these United States for the next 4, possibly 8, years.  However, the new President will take on many responsibilities, such as the economic crisis our country is in, illegal immigration, renewable energy sources but more importantly, the war in Iraq.  So, let's get this show on the road.

The war in Iraq has not had much recent attention during the election.  In the second Presidential Debate, it was mostly concerning the economic situation and the candidates' solutions.  However, one of the questions in that debate was "What are the lessons of Iraq?"  It allowed the candidates to speak on what the war still needs to be done in Iraq and how we go about accomplishing it.  McCain and Obama go face-to-face on the issues of Iraq.  I feel that this question drew the attention of the people off of the economy and put it back on the war in Iraq.  

Obama views the war on Iraq as a distraction from our true goals at the beginning of the War on Terrorism.  He feels that the current situation in Iraq was not worth the sacrifices our country has made.  The 700 billion dollars used in funding the war in Iraq.  The 4000+ soldiers that were lost these past five years.  The failure of finding "weapons of mass destruction."  Obama wants to end the war in Iraq as quickly as possible and focus more on bringing Al-Qaeda down, particularly in Afghanistan.  He wants to cut down the forces in Iraq but leave some to continue to supervise the growth of the Iraqi government and forces.  Obama knows that Iraq cannot just be left so he plans to stabilize the country by other means besides military force and to insure that Al-Qaeda leaves and never tries to come back to Iraq.

McCain views the war in Iraq as a necessary step in the War on Terrorism.  He views the first four years of the war in Iraq as bad military tactics.  He feels that it is still far too early to pull out of Iraq.  He believes that the Iraqi government is in a crucial state and that our forces are needed there more than ever.  McCain supported the surge, the increase of troops in Iraq.  McCain also wants to use Iraq as an ally to keep the neighboring countries from making rash decisions. 

I believe that both candidates want to end the war in Iraq.  I believe our involvement in Iraq has become a crutch to them.  They rely solely on us, however, we cannot be there the whole time.  Iran has a great influence on Iraq, since they share borders with each other.  With the threat of Iran's nuclear projects, the U.S. should not and will not leave Iraq by itself.  

I feel that the candidates feel it has gone on longer then it should have.  They both want to continue to build the strength of Iraq but they want to do it in fairly different ways.  But their end goals are the same.  A stable ally in the Middle East.  Our troops to return home.  Defeating Al-Qaeda once and for all.  However, will that be the outcome of the war in Iraq?  Only time will tell.....

The Confrontation

Tommy,

I might not have made myself clear in my last blog.  The Iraqi people were grateful when we came in and ended Hussein's rule.  However, that was 5 years ago.  Now, I want you to just imagine how the Iraqis feel about having another country's military force in their country for 5 years.  While terrorists are coming and attacking our troops, who do you think are in the background?  The people.  Even though more than 4000 of our troops have died, have you considered how many people where caught in the middle of the fighting and the suicide bombings?  Second, the U.S. has spent about 700 billion dollars on the war in Iraq.  Here is a article that describes what 700 billion dollars can be used for.

Kia,

Obama plans to remove the troops in a 16-month period.  However, he wants to have a small faction of our troops to remain, in order to continue fighting terrorists, aid the Iraqi government, and train the Iraqi forces .  However, he does not want to build a permanent base in Iraq.

Merritt,

As it stands now, we simply can't cut the funds of our forces in Iraq.  Cutting funds would mean a serious evacuation and we just can't do that due to the status of the Iraqi government and its forces.  By now, it is already too late to abandon Iraq.  Iraq has ultimately changed from the inside out.  There is no doubt that Iraq can be very valuable in our War on Terrorism due to its oil, location of the country in general, and the fact that it is right next to Iran.  I feel that we need to focus more on capturing Bin Laden, since we started this war in order to stop him.

Grace,

I feel that our withdrawal is necessary but not a full withdrawal.  I feel that we need to cut down our forces in Iraq in order to cut down on the cost of the war.  As I have stated above, we simply cannot leave Iraq in the state that is in.  However, we can decrease the number of forces we have there.

Last night was the second Presidential Debate between Obama and McCain.  For the people who have missed it, I suggest you watch it ASAP.  I felt the main focal point was our economic situation, due to the effects of the Rescue Bill the last couple of days.  Still the candidates were able to talk about about other major issues, including the war on Iraq.  McCain strongly supports going into Iraq and states that Iraq will be a great ally in the Middle East.  As you can see on this map, Iraq is in the middle of the Middle East.  To have Iraq as an ally would allow us to keep tabs on the surrounding countries, especially Iran.  McCain felt that our troops were doing an excellent job and stresses on bringing the troops back home.  Obama opposes the war in Iraq.  He mentions how the war in Iraq drew away from us stopping Al-Qaeda.  He feels that Iraq took too many soldiers from Afghanistan and used up a lot of our federal budget which was widely spread out and still is.  We hear more about Iraq then we do about Afghanistan.  Yet, we have soldiers still looking for Bin Laden in Afghanistan, even though their numbers are much lower than when the War on Terrorism began.  However, if you confused about what I am saying, this video on a part of the Presidential Debate will help.

The Upcoming Future

Tommy, 

Thank you for replying to my post.  To answer your question, I feel that the war in Iraq became the central battlefront in the war due to the U.S. completely changing the whole Iraqi government.  I feel that the war in Iraq was not a distraction from Afganistan, but the media focused on it more.  Feel frre to respond.

Merritt,

Thank you for replying to my post.  I find your comment on the war in Iraq very interesting.  I feel that our true intent of the war in Iraq was to establish some sort of "ally" in order to make our War on Terrorism be successful.  However, to try to change whole Iraq government may have been hoping for too much.  Feel free to respond.

During the next month, it will become a critical time for the Presidential candidates as Election Day approaches.  Both Obama and McCain have stood out above the rest.  It will come down to this election that will decide the course and fate of our nation for the next four years.  More importantly, It will determine the path of our involvement with Iraq.  Obama publicly expressed his opinions of the war on Iraq as wrong and unnecessary before he became a U.S. Senator.  McCain supported Bush's decision of attacking Iraq and feels we need to "change" Iraq into an ally rather than an enemy.  I believe, as I previously stated, that our goals for going into Iraq were great.  However, to stay there for 5 years while the people become more and more aggravated with our presence only serves as greater threat to our troops.  Why are we still in Iraq?  To help with their new government and army?  That's fine, but do we really need to spend so much money in Iraq when our own economy is in a crisis?  McCain, as well as other politicians, have briefly mentioned the threat of Iran.  Are we in Iraq only to apply pressure on Iran?  Will having Iraq as an "ally" help keep Iran in check or will it provoke them further?  Until next time.

Found a video on the web about the soldiers in Iraq.  Although they may or may not want to be there, they are soldiers.  They are suppose to follow the orders of their superiors and their nation.  While watching this video, please remember and support our troops, who are in danger every single day.

The Story Thus Far.....

Five years.  Five years.  Five years since we decided to invade Iraq.  To eliminate the threat of weapons of mass destruction.  To bring down the tyrant, Saddam Hussein.  To free the people.  To help usher in a new government.  To fight terrorism.  Along the way, we lost people on all sides, including the innocent people we went in to save.  More than what we thought we would lose.  Five years.  Five years.  Five years later, and we are still in Iraq.  What is our motives of still being there?  What is going to happen when we elect our new President, Obama or McCain, into office?  Will the war in Iraq end?  What is next for the War on Terrorism?  When will our soldiers come back for good?  Thus begins my blog, Fighting the "Enemy".