Iraq: What to do?
 

With ISIS taking over large parts of the country, what should the US do?

Iraq: What to do?
 

We should not listen to the war criminals who created this mess in the first place.

Ghastly as it may seem, as of right now, my attitude is that middle eastern democracy will be neither liberal or pluralistic. There are deep histories at play that we can't begin to understand. They may need to settle things on their own terms.

I appreciate how relatively calm the White House has been.

Contain it, offer humanitarian aid, but stay the fuck out.

I could see us backing an Iraqi government worth backing...at least in terms of diplomatic or economic support or even drones. But this Iraqi govt isn't it.

Backing this one (hostile to Sunnis) is about like aligning ourselves with Iran and that asshole al-Assad in Syria at the same time.

Getting involved in this in any way is probably like picking sides in a civil war. Horrific idea. And the idea that all these Bushie neocons are out their trumpeting our military involvement (once again) is endorsement enough to stay as much out as possible.

I think we should do what we've done. Send troops to the embassy.
If/when the shit hits the fan - get them out of there and wash our hands of it.

Honestly? Get the fuck out. Leave them to fight for their ideals. It's not worth risking the lives of so many men once again when there's such a deep hate between the people living in the country. We don't understand their ideals, they don't understand ours. Why meddle and play big brother when you've no control of anything at all?

Spot on. Once was more than enough.

Yes, but the oil!

Nothing.

This is just a distraction from Benghazi.

Cheney, Bill Kristol and Paul Bremer have all coming out bashing Obama for mishandling Iraq. The sheer chutzpah is pretty breathtaking.

they're trying to fix a narrative whereby "the surge" gave us "victory" in Iraq and now it's fallen apart because Obama.

Iraq: What to do?
 

Give Iraq to Syria
No more Iraq problem.

Why isn't Dick Cheney in jail?

This.

Because even jails have standards.

He should be in that hole Ras Al-Ghul was put in.

Or locked in his own man-sized safe?

Buried alive with a torchlight and a mobile phone with no credit on it. :up:

At least he'll have Candy Crush.

Now that Obama has decided to send troops and air power back into Iraq I think those ISIS guys will turn tail and head back to northern Syria in the weeks ahead.

That's a bit misleading. <300 troops to secure the US embassy and about the same to help train and strategize with Iraqi forces (aka, no direct combat roles), and the option of air strikes is being held "in reserve" - so it's not like we're going in with guns blazing.