General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Do you remember a prez candidate ever openly demeaning another prez? [View all]karynnj
(59,530 posts)I hope it is not just politics that dictate a planned, phased withdrawal. It does seem that there was a big change announced in the role Americans will be playing - and they are FAR from the surge that McCrystal, Gates and Clinton convinced him to do. It does seem that they have greatly cut the power of AQ, but I worry about using the idea of attrition in a guerrilla war, where it seems that monthly we killed the "second most important" - and others simply replaced them. ( I am old enough that my perspective is colored by Vietnam.)
As to Romney, I think that oped was his attempt to both claim foreign policy creds and to create an image of himself as strong. I think the fact that very little was heard of his speech - with very little propagation on the Republican's excellent echo chamber suggests that Republican powers that be were unimpressed.
I really do not think that the country wants a brand new war with a country bigger and stronger than Iraq. I think Kerry stated Obama's actions on Iran very well - and they sound sober and careful, not ignoring the danger of Iran getting nuclear weapons, but aware that we are not at a point where war would be a last resort to preventing a REAL threat of Iran using WMD. This in fact is what Bush SHOULD have done in 2003 - and likely avoided the Iraq war. Saddam actually was making many concessions while under pressure - the real pressure to go to war was that Bush wanted to do it before summer and the hot weather came. The likely pressure was that a peaceful solution WAS possible - and he prefered war. Could it be that this is where Romney is too?