The Iraq Mess and America's Image in the World

It is difficult to grasp the mess that the Bush Administration has created by sheer incompetence in handling Iraq. Things would not be that bad if we didn't face a future in which terrorist, emboldened by this failure, will attempt further attacks on us.
America is the richest country and the most sophisticated high-tech military in the world. Yet we are being exhausted by insurgents with AK-47 rifles, rocket-propelled grenades and improvised bombs. With strong pressure on our lame duck President to withdraw from Iraq, jihadist, Muslim militants, Al-Qaeda and the like scent a victory as momentous and great as the eviction of the Soviet forces from Afghanistan in 1989, a defeat that helped dissolve the Soviet empire.
True, we have recovered from previous defeat and disasters (not least the Vietnam war, Lebanon, Somalia and the like). But our military troubles come at a time when the global strategic balance appears to be tilting away from America. Iran is filling the vacuum created in Iraq, and is accelerating its nuclear program. China's military punch is growing along with its booming economy. Russia is more beligerant. The NATO alliance is loveless (thanks, again, to Iraq). Across the world, anti-Americanism has increased to the point where our country is regarded as a threat to world peace rather than its guarantor.
You have to wonder whether the Iraq war has damaged our country so badly as to set us on a path to "imperial decline". Thanks to Bush and Co., it looks like if the American era in the Middle East is soon to be over, and because of the importance of the Middle East, American global power has also been weakened, for years if not for decades.
Assigning blame, to be honest, not everything happened during Dubya's watch: All the Presidents after the collapse of the Soviet Unuion are to blame for wasting America's moment of unipolar supremacy in the world. George Bush senior handled the fall of the Soviet empire with delicacy but failed to exploit the victory against Saddam in Kuwait to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict once for all. Bill Clinton vacillated similarly. George junior is the worst with his catastrophic and myopic leadership. Shame, to the point that the most powerful image of America is no longer the Statue of Liberty, but the prison camp at Guantanamo.
Unless the next elected President takes urgent steps to restore the political and moral standing of our country, the crisis of America could become terminal and the era of American dominance will be shortened.

The most powerful Army in the history of the world....

Submitted by Mixer on Sat, 07/21/2007 - 9:17am.

...is being beaten by a bunch of head chopping radicals?

Does anyone really believe that?

Well, one party (the defeatocrates) and the liberal media have been telling you that for five years and it appears the masses of sheep are off to the slaughter.

No, our military is not being defeated Harry Reid et al. No sir, they are not.

We are being defeated by liberal propaganda and cowardice so that a generation of Vietnam draft dodgers can have a second childhood or justify dodging war.

This is a complete political abortion of unprecedented consequences for political gain at the expense of future generations.

The cost of losing in this world wide (bumper sticker to Edwards) war on Radical Fundamental Islamic Extremists will be paid by you, your children, and every generation to follow.

This is the beginning of the 'Crusades' for Muslims determined to recapture Europe, destroy Israel, and then ultimately destroy the great Satan (America) in jihad to fulfill a twisted interpretation of prophecy.

Politicize it at your own peril.

Do you want to see some current examples of liberal media bias? Click Here.

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dragnet: very good

Submitted by dollaradayandfound on Sat, 07/21/2007 - 5:52am.

What you said is mostly true and no disagreement in general is needed.
I do think we can salvage this mess as you do, but it will take more than one man or woman being elected as President of the United States.
An administration is needed that doesn't pick all his appointments and staffers and judges, based upon his backer's thinking only.
That has proved to be disastrous in this administration.

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