"Did the Liberals not warn us that the Neocons would keep us in endless war?

[OHdem10]

This is very close to an important quote by Ann Coulter:

Joe Scarborough and Pat Buchanan explain the fault line
forming Republican Party? They are accurate when they
say the true Conservative Position would not have supported
the current wars. He attributes the wars to Neocons, emphasizing
current GOPers, Cheney, McCain, Bush.

They further predict the GOP after the midterms will change
and the Classic Conservatives will hold sway in Republican
Party. The Republican Party will be the Anti-War Party.
They will be the Party of RESTRAINT. Restraint in War Polich
Restraint in Fiscal Policy and Restraint in vitriolic speech.
In other words, Neocons down and Classic Conservatives rule.

"Did the Liberals not warn us --the NeoCons will keep us
in endless war? ".....Ann Coutler

[Bandit]

1. Restraint in vitriolic speech.

Right!!!!! and I have some lovely ocean front property in Colorado for sale cheap..

[Romulox]

2. It's not "neo-cons" who are SURGE!ing into Afghanistan at the moment.

:hi:

[leveymg]

6. Plenty of center-right Dems are neocons, only they don't admit to the label.

It's the slow surge into war with Iran that worries me. And, the radical centrists, as well as the avowed neocons, who are behind that.

[Romulox]

8. The President is the Commander in Chief.

This fish is rotting from the head down.

[BadgerKid]

3. How about the withdrawal date?

I'm googling and finding Pres. Obama intends withdrawal to start in July 2011, and some Republicans are complaining that date is a calculated political decision.

It seems to be a damned-if-you-do-damned-if-you-don't situation.

[OHdem10]

4. No change in Republicans until after the midterms.

The Classic Conservatives will start their push after the
midterms. Not interfering in present policy.

This should give Obama time to decide what he is going to
do. My secret thought has been all along, that Obama
and Petreus are really going to wind down the war.
This is my gut talking. Just a strong feeling I have.
We shall see.

The NeoCons versus Classic Conservatives, very intereting.

[Erose999]

7. The problem with deadlines....

and "phased withdrawls" is that when the goal of an enemy is to keep you there, all they have to do is mount an offensive shortly before the deadline. See also: the Tet Offensive. According to our fine politicians and generals the war was pretty much over in 1967. Then on 1/31/68 the enemy launched an offensive that lasted all the way into August. Whoops.

We have to understand that, like the VietCong and other guerrilla forces, the Taliban and Al Qaeda are not focused on traditional parameters of "success" in warfare like holding territory or even winning battles. Their concept of "victory" is to keep us there and tie up our capital and human resources as much as possible. By coordinating their offensives to hit us every time we try to withdraw they can keep us their without it costing them too much in lives, capital, etc. They are less like a lion and more like a tick or a mosquito.

[Romulox]

9. Surely that's the problem with fighting a war of attrition on foreign soil,

not a problem of "phased withdrawals." It is painful to admit that a war has been pointless and then retreat, but no new justification for war can be discovered in "just hanging on for a little while longer!"--time stretches out in front of us into infinity, after all, and either an objective will have to be discovered, else we will have to retreat at some point.

Making that point dependent on the actions of our putative enemy is a classic example of the "sunk cost fallacy".

[Erose999]

12. Thats my point exactly. There is not really a way to declare "victory"

and withdraw. Which is basically the path the politicians and generals are on now. Obama (probably) doesn't want to perpetuate the war, but he also doesn't want to be the one who lost the war. The right is giving him a hard enough time for being "soft on terrorism" as it is.

[dionysus]

5. Ann Coulter will be the detractors' new hero in 3...2...1...

Coulter and Nixon, DU's newest darlings.

[Romulox]

10. This post is sad. nt

[dionysus]

11. yeah, it's sad people are trying to rehabilitate nixon and say horse shit like BO is to the right of

Reagan.