Foster's decade over Iraqi Kurdistan
From Foster's current position on Iraq,
The deep religious conflicts in Iraq have led many to believe that the most promising strategy for the Iraqis is to partition their country into separate religious and tribal enclaves. Should the Iraqis embrace this strategy of separating the religious groups, the U.S. could play a supportive role - much as the American lead NATO effort did successfully in Bosnia, or the "no-fly zone" that protected the Kurds for the decade [Baar's emphasis] between Gulf Wars . Under all circumstances, American ground forces must begin the process of coming home as soon as possible.Except for the Air Force over Kurdistan I guess, but go ahead and read the full position though, and compare it with this exchange between Laesch and Foster during the election (HT Illinois Review)
"'John, you believe wrong. I am fully committed to getting our troops out of Iraq, and I am fully committed to using the power of the purse intelligently to accomplish it. And the way you do it is to put a bill on President Bush's desk, the next time a supplemental comes through, would have explicit, rifle-shot language, that says, 'these, this money is not to be used for ongoing combat operations, patrolling the street of Iraq, getting our kids blown up, day in and day out.' You can attach very specific language to an appropriations bill, and we should do it. And we certainly, that will be what I vote for, and I will support, when I am in Congress four months from now.' [1]Compare the positions, then and now, and I think you'll find Foster, as Carl Davidson wrote of Barack O'Bomb 'em: a triangulator par excellence.
[1] Kane County Democrat Forum, October 23, 2007. Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoFaP_iUugE
Colonel Morgenthaler wrote,
The men who did terrible things to the Kuwaitis, especially the Kuwaiti women are very similar to the men we are fighting. As people get upset about Abu Ghraib, one thing that should never be forgotten: these are men who have murdered Americans and would continue to murder Americans if given the opportunity.I'm not convinced the men abused at Abu Ghraib were terrorists, but I'm convinced we fight a foe in Iraq who will continue to murder Americans if given the opportunity.
Bill Poscoe's quoted over at IR condemning the early Foster position for raising the white flag just as General Petraeus's new strategy is working.
Triangulation is worse than raising the white flag though. If the war is the wrong stratgy, the only sane solution is get out now. That's an honorable stand.
But if Morgenthaler right, and we face a murderous foe committed to our destruction, than too triangulate as Foster does now, is not worthy of an America at war. It plays politics about an enemy we can't redeploy from to safety behind our shores..
3 comments:
The Iraqi supposed atrocities in Kuwait were very exagerrated in Gulf War 1.
There is no doubt that Saddam Hussein was a brutal dictator and bad man but he is not part of Al-Qaeda nor that particular brand of Islamic fundamentalism nor the Iranian Shia brand either--in fact Saddam Hussein was considered a secular leader and moderate to liberal religiously and an enemy of Al-Qaeda and Iran.
There is little education and distinction in much of this writing.
I think Foster may be on to something, but whether it works is open to question. Iraq was artificially created by the western powers after WWI. Recently, it was held together by a dictator, much like Yugoslovia. The Kurds would like to separate and it will only be a matter of time before the Sunni (whom we are rearming via the "surge") will recommence their struggle against the Shiites. Bill and his neocon friends should have learned one thing by now, there are no "experts" when it comes to Iraq.
With convicted minister of electricity Alsammarae apparantly at Blagojevich's side, and Auchi's millions heading to Rezko and Kelly for lawyers, maybe Illinois Democrats have become experts on Iraq....
Foster clearly changing tunes...this position wasn't what he was talking during the debates.
Another decade over Iraqi Kurdistan or an open ended committment as in Bosnia wasn't something I heard him say before the election.
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