Originally posted by Rex Barnes:
Do I really have to point out that all that stuff you just posted about the autonomous region and the no-fly zones is irrelevant?

Why? Because they prove your stipulation that Iraq's borders can be secured and that the CIA didn't have a presence inside Iraq to be pure, 100% manure slug out unthinkingly on your part?

Originally posted by Rex Barnes:
JaTo, we are not talking about the limited control Saddam had AFTER he lost the first Gulf War. We all know he had to cede some control over the no-fly zones as a result of the first Gulf War. That is not relevant, however, to the point under discussion. As you know, Saddam controlled Iraq for a long time BEFORE the Gulf War, and he secured it just about like every other country is secured.

Saddam's control of the northern regions of Iraq has waxed and waned over the years, especially when he turned his attention towards Iraq in the '80s.

Originally posted by Rex Barnes:
This proves that there is nothing magic or impossible about securing Iraq; it has been done before, and Bush could have done it too. He failed.

The Kurds just called. They said you're full of dung. The Iraqi Bedouins telegraphed the same message, as they've been meandering in and out of Iraq since time immemorial.

Towns and cities will be a different story when we have the Iraqi's patrolling "en masse" with a skilled and trained force; doubly so when we get more boots on the ground on our side.

The border? You really are embarassing yourself with this.


Originally posted by Rex Barnes:
The avalanche of stuff in your last post proves very nicely that perfect security is not attainable. But who's arguing that it is? Not me, of course. We all know that perfect security is not attainable even in the best conditions.



Overall security is going to be time-consuming, difficult and trying, especially given the porous borders and Islamic extremists heading to meet Allah ASAP, just via a quick stopover in Iraq.


Originally posted by Rex Barnes:
Now that we have dispensed with your exaggeration/diversion, let's get back to the real issue: whether Bush has done what he should have done to secure and stabilize Iraq. Are you ready to admit that he has not?

No, because it's still a work in progress. Unlike you, I won't call a game over just to coddle my political ideology before we have even had a firm chance to get properly positioned. We didn't get off to the best of starts because we were light on troops, but this is being corrected.


JaTo e-Tough Guy Missouri City, TX 99 Contour SVT #143/2760 00 Corvette Coupe