BFD! Where’s the Ace of Spades Bush? Huh? Capturing Saddam was about as hard as getting Ed Morrissey to blog about anything anti-Obama. 4200 dead Americans, over 1/2 billion dollars and over 5 years invested without democracy or oil/payment for service.

dk on December 13, 2008 at 4:59 PM

If it was so easy,why didn’t Clinton do it instead of lobbying millions of dollars worth of hardware and coming up with nothing.He made regime change American policy.
Of course this is the same guy that let Osama walk over..and over…and over….and over….and over,even turned down having him delivered to us on a silver platter.
Just freaking brillant.
When you liberals come up with a way to defeat our enemies in war without it costing money and losing lives,let us see the plan.Until then,we’ll see if you hold your chicken hawk
president that wants to invade Pakistan,send more troops to Afghanistan,and blow Iran off the map with nuclear weapons,to the same standards that you hold Bush.

Baxter Greene on December 13, 2008 at 5:17 PM

If you have a problem with people who have conversations with God,than you need to take it up with your hero Obama
liberal:

“Its’ not formal, me getting on my knees. I think I have an ongoing conversation with God. I think throughout the day, I’m constantly asking myself questions about what I’m doing, why am I doing it.”
Obama on his conversations with God
2004,Chicago tribune

Bush Sr. won the Gulf war genius,the idea of letting Saddam
stay was worked out with the UN you and your liberal friends
are always stating should have the last word.It your “Global test” idiot,live with it.
I noticed you didn’t come up with any answers to your whining about wars costing lives and money.Typical liberal to sit on the sidelines and complain about something you can’t handle yourself.
Iraq has had 3 elections,has a representative government put there by the people.Millions are going to school and opening business’s they were not able to do before.
25 million people have been liberated and all you can do is
whine.
Go back and make another “save Darfur” bumper sticker and keep waving the peace sign to everybody,it has accomplished so much so far.

you might try educating yourself on a subject you appear to know nothing about,it’s called Freedom:

March 24, 2008
The Liberation of Karmah, Part I

http://www.michaeltotten.com/archives/2008/03/the-liberation.php
KARMAH, IRAQ – Just beyond the outskirts of Fallujah lies the terror-wracked city of Karmah. While you may not have heard of this small city of 35,000 people, American soldiers and Marines who served in Anbar Province know it as a terrifying place of oppression, death, and destruction. “It was much worse than Fallujah” said more than a dozen Marines who were themselves based in Fallujah.
“Karmah was so important to the insurgency because we’ve got Baghdad right there,” Lieutenant Andrew Macak told me. “This is part of the periphery of Baghdad. At the same time, it is part of the periphery of Fallujah.”

Yea right,freeing people from blood thirsty terrorist that your liberal heroes were to afraid to confront is just terrible.

Baxter Greene on December 13, 2008 at 5:50 PM

I said CAPTURING was the easy part and MANAGING THE COUNTRY was the challenge. If you can’t follow along it’s probably best not to try and chime in.

dk on December 13, 2008 at 6:16 PM

Maybe you should try backing up your left wing idiocy before you tell other people what they need to do idiot.

Baxter Greene on December 13, 2008 at 6:24 PM

Here is a rundown of some of the success and accomplishments that are going on in a Free Iraq thanks to
President Bush/American Soldier:

A roundup of the past two weeks’ good news from Iraq.
by ARTHUR CHRENKOFF
Monday, December 6, 2004 12:01 A.M. EST
http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110005986

It takes a lot to get a man of God annoyed, and Louis Sako, the Chaldean Archbishop of Kirkuk, is a very frustrated man these days. “It is not all death and destruction,” says the archbishop. “Much is positive in Iraq today. . . . Universities are operating, schools are open, people go out onto the streets normally. . . . Where there’s a kidnapping or a homicide the news gets out immediately, and this causes fear among the people. . . . Those who commit such violence are resisting against Iraqis who want to build their country.”
It’s not just the terrorists who, according to His Eminence, are creating problems for Iraq: Elections in January “will be a starting point for a new Iraq,” he says. Yet “Western newspapers and broadcasters are simply peddling propaganda and misinformation. . . . Iraqis are happy to be having elections and are looking forward to them because they will be useful for national unity. . . . Perhaps not everything will go exactly to plan, but, with time, things will improve. Finally Iraqis will be given the chance to choose. Why is there so much noise and debate coming out from the West when before, under Saddam, there were no free elections, but no one said a thing?”
The archbishop has this wish for the international bystanders: “Europe is absent, it’s not out there; the United States is on its own. . . . [Europe] must help the Iraqi government to control its borders to prevent the entry of foreign terrorists, [but] also provide economic help to encourage a new form of culture which is open to coexistence, the acceptance of others, respect for the human person and for other cultures. . . . Europe must understand that there is no time to waste on marginal or selfish interests: The entire world needs peace.”
Archbishop Sako’s frustration is increasingly shared by other Iraqis, who can hardly recognize their country from the foreign media coverage. Westerners, too, both military and civilians, upon their return are often finding to their surprise and concern they had lived and worked in a different country to that their loved ones, friends and neighbors back home saw every night on the news. “Our” Iraq is a place of violence, uncertainty, and frustration; “their” Iraq all that, but also so much more: work and renewal, hope and enthusiasm, new opportunities and new possibilities. Here are the last two weeks’ worth of stories you might have missed while watching “our” Iraq on the news:

• Economy. Alan P. Larson, the undersecretary of state for economic, business and agricultural affairs, provides an useful overview of the economic situation in Iraq before and after the liberation:
In 1979 Iraq had a per capita living standard on a par with Italy. By the fall of Saddam Hussein’s government, Iraq had the GDP of an impoverished developing country and had become the most heavily indebted nation in the world. This grim legacy, compounded by a serious security situation, poses big hurdles to economic development.
Despite these problems, the Iraqis are persevering and succeeding. Iraqi policies made it possible for economic output in the first ten months of 2004 to be 51.7% higher than in 2003. Per capita income in 2004 is projected to be $780, up from approximately $500 in 2003.
The Iraqi government has set forth a solid medium-term economic plan. The newly independent Central Bank is keeping inflation in check, with the consumer price index rising only 5.7 percent in the first eight months of 2004 compared with 46 percent in 2003. The new dinar has appreciated 27 percent against the dollar in the past year.
Says Larson: “The economic progress Iraqis have achieved so far, under very difficult circumstances, testifies to their competence and courage. This holds especially true for the men and women who make up the new Iraqi government, who, at great personal risk, are busy building their vision of a democratic and free Iraq.”

Baxter Greene on December 13, 2008 at 6:54 PM

Here are some more accomplishments since the fall of Saddam:

Civil Society Is Beginning To Grow In Iraq
The surge is yielding major changes in Iraqi political life.

With security improving, local citizens have restarted the political process in neighborhoods, cities, and provinces. Grassroots movements have sprung up all around the country. These groups of citizens are determined to protect their communities, they are determined to fight extremism, and they increasingly participate in civic life.
Today, some 90,000 Iraqis belong to local citizens group bearing the name “Sons of Iraq.” The Iraqi Government has pledged to incorporate about 20 to 30 percent of these “Sons of Iraq” into the Iraqi army and police forces.
Leaders in Baghdad are responding and the legislative achievements in Baghdad over the past four months have been remarkable.
In December, the government enacted a pension law that will allow tens of thousands of Sunnis to collect the retirement benefits they were promised.
In January, leaders enacted a de-Ba’athification law that allows mid-level Baath party members to re-enter political and civic life.
In February, leaders enacted a budget that increases spending on security capital reconstruction projects and provincial governments.
The same day in February, leaders enacted an amnesty law to resolves the status of many Iraqis held in Iraqi custody.
Last week, leaders reached agreement on a provincial powers law that helps define Iraqi federalism, and sets the stage for provincial elections later this year. That is an important piece of legislation because it will give Iraqis who boycotted the last provincial elections – such as Sunnis in Anbar or Ninewa provinces – a chance to go to the polls and have a voice in their future.
The U.S. more than doubled the number of Provincial Reconstruction Teams. Karbala PRT helped local residents establish a women’s center to provide education and promote equality.
With support of PRTs, Ramadi now has a fully-staffed mayor’s office and neighborhood councils have formed. Judges are presiding over courts and restoring the rule of law.
Iraq Has Great Economic Potential
The improvements in security resulting from the surge are enabling Iraqis to make progress on their economy. Since the surge began:
Business registrations have increased by more than nine percent;
Total inflation has fallen by more than 60 percentage points;
Investment in energy and telecom industries has increased;
Oil production is up, particularly north of Baghdad;
The national government has announced a plan to reform the food rationing system; and
Economic growth is projected to be a robust seven percent this year.
Iraqis still have work to do in their economy. The reforms needed to transition from a command-and-control economy to a modern market-based system are complex and will take more time. Centralized electricity generation is now above pre-war levels, but it is not sufficient to meet the needs of Iraq’s growing demand. Other key infrastructure needs to be upgraded, especially energy pipelines and storage facilities. Unemployment is too high, and corruption remains a challenge.
Iraq’s Government Has Stepped Forward To Meet More Of Its Own Expenses
Early in the war, the U.S. funded most of the large-scale reconstruction projects in Iraq. Now the U.S. is focusing on encouraging entrepreneurship. The Iraqi government is stepping up on reconstruction projects. They have outspent the U.S. in recent budget 11 to one, and soon we expect the Iraqis will cover 100 percent of these expenses.
Initially, the U.S. paid for most of the costs of training and equipping the Iraqi Security Forces. Now Iraq’s budget covers three-quarters of the cost of its security forces, which is a total of more than $9 billion in 2008. Soon, we expect Iraq to shoulder the full burden of their security forces.
The national government has now committed $196 million to fund jobs programs so that brave Iraqis who stand up to the extremists and the murders and the criminals can learn the skills they need to help build a free and prosperous nation.
Iraq Is Strengthening Its Relationship With Other Nations
Iraq wants to solidify its relationship with the United States. Last year, Iraqi leaders requested to form a long-term strategic partnership with the U.S. This partnership would help assure Iraqis that political and economic and security cooperation between the nations will endure. This partnership would also ensure protections for American troops when the U.N. mandate for Multi-National Forces in Iraq expires this December. This partnership would not bind future President’s to specific troop levels. This partnership would not establish permanent bases in Iraq.
The surge is helping give Iraq’s leaders the confidence to expand their international engagement.
Iraqi leaders are working hard to meet the criterion required to join the World Trade Organization, which would help its entrepreneurs benefit from the opportunities of a global economy.
Iraq has taken steps to attract foreign investment, including hosting its first “Business to Business” expo since the Gulf War.
The government is meeting its pledge to reform its economy in exchange for development assistance and debt relief through the International Compact for Iraq.
Much of the world is increasing its commitment to Iraq. The United Kingdom, Italy, and South Korea are leading PRTs in Iraq. The United Nations is playing an expanded role in Iraq, and will help prepare for this year’s provincial elections.
Next month, the third Expanded Neighbors Conference will meet in Kuwait City to discuss ways the region and the world can further support Iraq’s political, economic, and security progress. This is a key diplomatic initiative. It will include all of Iraq’s neighbors, as well as the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, the G-8, the Arab League, and the Organization of the Islamic Conference.
The Progress In Iraq Is Real, It’s Substantive, But It’s Reversible
Helping Iraqis defeat their enemies and build a free society would be a strategic victory that would resound far beyond Iraq’s borders. If al Qaeda is defeated in Iraq after all the resources it has poured into the battle there, it will be a powerful blow against the global terrorist movement. If Iran is turned back in its attempt to gain undue influence over Iraq, it will be a setback to its ambitions to dominate the region. If people across the Middle East see freedom prevail in multi-ethnic, multi-sectarian Iraq, it will mark a decisive break from the long reign of tyranny in that region. And if the Middle East grows in freedom and prosperity, the appeal of extremism will decline, the prospects of peace will advance, and the American people will be safer here at home.
Retreating from Iraq would carry enormous strategic costs for the United States. It would increase the likelihood that al Qaeda would gain safe havens that they could use to attack us here at home. It would be a propaganda victory of colossal proportions for the global terrorist movement, which would gain new funds, and find new recruits, and conclude that the way to defeat America is to bleed us into submission. It would signal to Iran that we were not serious about confronting its efforts to impose its will on the region. It would signal to people across the Middle East that the United States cannot be trusted to keep its word. A defeat in Iraq would have consequences far beyond that country – and they would be felt by Americans here at home

And they have also achieved almost all of the benchmarks that were laid out for them,that is why we don’t hear democrats complaining about them anymore.

Remember Those Iraqi Benchmarks? Well, Guess What…
June 17, 2008 – by Abe Greenwald
URL to article: http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/remember-those-iraqi-benchmarks-well-guess-what/

Way back in the dark days of 2007, when the only popular question about the Iraq war concerned the degree of tragedy, Congress’s Iraq “benchmarks” were all the rage among Democrats. Every argument against a continued U.S. presence in Iraq was constructed around the Maliki administration’s apparent inability to meet the political and security-based milestones as outlined by America’s Democratic-majority Congress.

Then something happened. The gains of the troop surge allowed the Iraqi government and citizenry to implement the security measures and legislative acts called for by the U.S. The benchmark line of argument quietly died. Here, then, is the brief life and glorious death of the great benchmark trope.

Baxter Greene on December 13, 2008 at 7:00 PM