Just thought this would be a change of pace from everyone who keeps claiming the presence of US troops have been the worst thing to happen to Iraqis since Babylon fell...During a news conference, President Ghazi al-Yawer was asked whether the presence of foreign troops might be fueling the Sunni Arab revolt by encouraging rebel attacks.
"It's only complete nonsense to ask the troops to leave in this chaos and this vacuum of power," al-Yawer, a Sunni Arab, said.
"By the end of this year, we could see the number of foreign troops decreasing," al-Yawer said.
Al-Yawer had been a strong critic of some aspects of the U.S. military's performance in Iraq, including the three-week Marine siege of the Sunni rebel city of Fallujah in April.
"There were some mistakes" in the occupation "but to be fair ... I think all in all it was positive, the contribution of the foreign forces in Iraq," al-Yawer said. "It was worth it."
Without making this into a debate about the presence of US troops in Iraq,ocean976124 said:Just thought this would be a change of pace from everyone who keeps claiming the presence of US troops have been the worst thing to happen to Iraqis since Babylon fell...
That's about the one and only response that can be made to such a post and such a quote.danmand said:Without making this into a debate about the presence of US troops in Iraq,
you must be aware that the statements of a president of an occupied country is unlikely to be unfavourable to the occupation forces.
So you don't think he speaks for a segment of the Iraqi people who may feel this way? I can hear the phrase "Bush puppet" forming in the minds of some as I type this but I think it's a bit insulting to discount the view so easily.danmand said:Without making this into a debate about the presence of US troops in Iraq,
you must be aware that the statements of a president of an occupied country is unlikely to be unfavourable to the occupation forces.
Well, picture this OTB: a few years ago an Afghani leader said that Soviet forces were good for the Afghan people and for the country. Would you have argued the same thing then?onthebottom said:So you don't think he speaks for a segment of the Iraqi people who may feel this way? I can hear the phrase "Bush puppet" forming in the minds of some as I type this but I think it's a bit insulting to discount the view so easily.
OTB
LOL, yes, I do agree anything positive can't be true...danmand said:Without making this into a debate about the presence of US troops in Iraq,
you must be aware that the statements of a president of an occupied country is unlikely to be unfavourable to the occupation forces.
OTB, don't you get it by now? The liberals don't believe that Iraqis or Arabs are sophisticated enough to form their own opinions or be able to sort their way through a difficult period.onthebottom said:So you don't think he speaks for a segment of the Iraqi people who may feel this way? I can hear the phrase "Bush puppet" forming in the minds of some as I type this but I think it's a bit insulting to discount the view so easily.
OTB
Its highly unlikely that Iraq would become a theocracy. The Iraqis (Shiites & Kurds) tried overthrowing Saddam after the first Gulf War and failed. We just finished the job for them.yychobbyist said:Hey, it was you guys who figured out you had to help the Iraqis find their own way by invading them. I'd love to hear your tune a year from now if they decide to turn it into a theocracy. Will you then say "well, it was their decision and more power to them"? Nope, you'll be on here bitching and moaning about how it's your country's destiny to lead the world to freedom.
And you think that is an appropriate comparison?yychobbyist said:Well, picture this OTB: a few years ago an Afghani leader said that Soviet forces were good for the Afghan people and for the country. Would you have argued the same thing then?
You guys have a way of muddying the waters and answering questions with questions. Look, consider any example you want, the reality is that if a foreign occupation force is responsible for someone being in a position of power then it's pretty unrealistic to take what that person says in favour of that occupation force as representative of much. What do you expect the guy to say? That the Americans should never have invaded?onthebottom said:And you think that is an appropriate comparison?
OTB
I don't think it's so much that as it is that they hate Bush and are suspicious of America so they need to find a problem with everything Bush does. The fact that he's on a tear at the moment is making them look more and more ridiculous.ocean976124 said:OTB, don't you get it by now? The liberals don't believe that Iraqis or Arabs are sophisticated enough to form their own opinions or be able to sort their way through a difficult period.
