Bush lied again.

[Tom]

Iraq sovereignty was two days early.

 

[BuzzH]

Does that mean we can now leave Iraq????

Yeah right...

 

[Tom]

I think there are several countries with troops staying as an international coalition to help out our new democratic arab neighbors in establishing their individual constitutional rights. You'd rather abandon them?

 

[JoseCuervo]

Hey Tom,

Yeppers, that "Willing Coalition" that Dubay and Powell bragged about might need our help....

U.S. Secretary of State Colin L. Powell stated on March 18, 2003, "We now have a coalition of the willing that includes some 30 nations who have publicly said they could be included in such a listing.... And there are 15 other nations, who, for one reason or another do not wish to be publicly named but will be supporting the coalition. [1]"

Many countries on the coalition list don't even have a military, White House aides concede, but they are nonetheless willing supporters. Such countries include Iceland, Micronesia, the Solomon Islands, Costa Rica and, everyone's favorite, Palau -- a tiny, unarmed paradise in the Pacific Ocean north of Australia. Basically, they have called or written to say they wish the United States well in its mission.


Of the 30 nations that were stated as providing support for the U.S. war with Iraq, only 5 of them provided any military troops in the effort during the invasion [2]:

Albania: 70
Australia: 2000
Poland: 200
Romania: 278
UK: 45,000

Supposedly, the Kingdom of Morroco offered up 2000 monkeys to be used for clearing land mines, the hardway.

My guess is we will need to leave plenty of ground troops in Iraq, making $2500 per month, to make sure it is safe for the Halliburton truck drivers who are making $7000 per month. Cheney is a genius.

 

[Tom]

Phyllis Bennis of the Institute for Policy Studies said this in an article today,
"their country is still occupied by 140,000 U.S. and 20,000 more international troops and 20,000 unaccountable private military contractors."

We still have troops in Europe since the '40s too.

Spain had troops there, South Korea is sending troops. Our soldiers get paid whether they are in Iraq or here.

Even if you count our losses at 1000 and Iraqi losses at 10,000, the 11,000 in a year is a lot of losses. Many of our are heroes. But, over 30 years, if it continued for 30 years, which is unlikely, its 330,000. Under Saddam as leader for 30 years, Iraq had about 1,000,000 citizens dissappear. We are far from that rate and we are helping them creat a democracy and fighting terrorism.

It could go worse, but its going pretty well, for a war.