Comments on: Waiting For Petraeus: Stepping Back And Looking At Iraq http://themoderatevoice.com/15035/waiting-for-petraeus-stepping-back-and-looking-at-iraq/ An Internet hub for moderates, centrists, and independents, with domestic and international news, analysis, original reporting, and popular features from the left, center, and right Sun, 22 Nov 2009 22:16:22 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: jdledell http://themoderatevoice.com/15035/waiting-for-petraeus-stepping-back-and-looking-at-iraq/comment-page-1/#comment-97931 jdledell Mon, 10 Sep 2007 13:44:43 +0000 http://themoderatevoice.com/war/iraq/15035/waiting-for-petraeus-stepping-back-and-looking-at-iraq/#comment-97931 George Packer's summary of the situation and future of Iraq is well reasoned and comprehensive. It's one of the advantages of long form reporting. His reporting and analysis skills were also evident in his excellent book, Assassins' Gate. One of the major things I struggle with about the Iraq war is how to prevent such a Fiasco (another great book) in the future. I suspect the Iraq War will slowly wind down over the next 5 years leaving a barely functioning country with it's people and ecomomy broken and exhausted. On the US side the spinning will begin and the right will declare victory and the left- defeat. Like Vietnam tha actual facts will fade into irrelevence and soon plausible stories will circulate that we were only "days" from smashing the enemy. The miltary deaths and injuries will be swept away from the American conciousness as we struggle to pay our bills and raise a family. The money for the war was borrowed so it will be far off future generations that have to worry about that. I can see 10 years from now some future President saying lets go smash Iran - it will be a 6 month cakewalk. Once again we will find ourselves wondering how did this happen again. Forgive me my cynicism but from my perch of 62 years - the more things change, the more they stay the same. George Packer’s summary of the situation and future of Iraq is well reasoned and comprehensive. It’s one of the advantages of long form reporting. His reporting and analysis skills were also evident in his excellent book, Assassins’ Gate.

One of the major things I struggle with about the Iraq war is how to prevent such a Fiasco (another great book) in the future. I suspect the Iraq War will slowly wind down over the next 5 years leaving a barely functioning country with it’s people and ecomomy broken and exhausted. On the US side the spinning will begin and the right will declare victory and the left- defeat.

Like Vietnam tha actual facts will fade into irrelevence and soon plausible stories will circulate that we were only “days” from smashing the enemy. The miltary deaths and injuries will be swept away from the American conciousness as we struggle to pay our bills and raise a family. The money for the war was borrowed so it will be far off future generations that have to worry about that.

I can see 10 years from now some future President saying lets go smash Iran – it will be a 6 month cakewalk. Once again we will find ourselves wondering how did this happen again. Forgive me my cynicism but from my perch of 62 years – the more things change, the more they stay the same.

]]> By: Pre-Report Report http://themoderatevoice.com/15035/waiting-for-petraeus-stepping-back-and-looking-at-iraq/comment-page-1/#comment-97930 Pre-Report Report Mon, 10 Sep 2007 13:26:21 +0000 http://themoderatevoice.com/war/iraq/15035/waiting-for-petraeus-stepping-back-and-looking-at-iraq/#comment-97930 [...] The Moderate Voice: Waiting For Petraeus: Stepping Back And Looking At Iraq [...] [...] The Moderate Voice: Waiting For Petraeus: Stepping Back And Looking At Iraq [...]

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