CSPAN: Iraq: The Changing Mission

Woolygimp · #1 03-19-2007, 06:33 AM

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=849_1174284011&c=1

Moving interview from a CSPAN reporter, and a hell of a lot more informative than Trump's fiasco. I don't necessarily support the war, but her interview definitely at least opened the door to questioning whether or not we should really leave.

Woolygimp · #2 03-19-2007, 08:05 AM

Meh, didn't see the forum rule about links and minimal descriptions. It's a 10min video, so there is plenty of content, and I don't think me writing a huge essay about it would really make it anymore intuitive.

zyqwert · #3 03-19-2007, 09:10 AM

She makes an emotional case that the US soldiers and the Iraq government are fighting evil, which is true enough. For more depth along this line, read the most popular dispatches from Michael Yon's blog. Yon goes where the action is, and writes just for himself.

The journalist interviewed on CSPAN decides that fighting evil is a noble end in itself, making the question of a valid US national security interest in Iraq moot. I have to disagree with her:

I think you have to look at the cost, in dollars if nothing else. Would you pay One Trillion Dollars for this war? (Disclaimer: actual price may be lower)

The calculus is more complex when you consider the evil being done by the US soldiers and our allies. Read this story told by an American interrogator about how he participated in the torture of innocent Iraqis. That is an example of direct American culpability in evil. How much evil is being done by the Iraq government we are supporting?

Thanks for posting an interesting interview. I like how the host on CSPAN has the luxury of allowing a ten minute answer to a question.

Woolygimp · #4 03-19-2007, 10:09 AM

I've never had the luxury of understanding the effect of a war on the economy. I've heard people throw around huge numbers, like we are suppose to directly translate in that money that is coming out of wallets.

I've heard over and over that wars that don't destroy infrastructure, like the US' involvement in WWII (or the Iraq war) spur the economy and actually are extremely helpful.

I've heard the opposite...but I've always just considered the issue a lot like global warming now. Two economists on both sides of the spectrum can argue all day long, and you can just stand there baffled.

And you are definitely right, there are criminals in the U.S. army. However, they ARE the minority.

I don't think we can afford to lose this war, it's not like Vietnam. All these insurgent groups, they are all goaled at creating another taliban-esque government and that seems unacceptable.

AWoodside · #5 03-19-2007, 10:44 AM

[ QUOTE ]

I've heard over and over that wars that don't destroy infrastructure, like the US' involvement in WWII (or the Iraq war) spur the economy and actually are extremely helpful.

[/ QUOTE ]

The economy has been a little sluggish of late, but have no fear, for I have come up with the perfect solution! All we have to do is make a government program that will construct giant golden statues of Milton Friedman and then drop them in the ocean (naturally, we can either raise taxes or take out loans to fund the project). This should give the economy a boost! Right?!

Woolygimp · #6 03-19-2007, 11:01 AM

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

I've heard over and over that wars that don't destroy infrastructure, like the US' involvement in WWII (or the Iraq war) spur the economy and actually are extremely helpful.

[/ QUOTE ]

The economy has been a little sluggish of late, but have no fear, for I have come up with the perfect solution! All we have to do is make a government program that will construct giant golden statues of Milton Friedman and then drop them in the ocean (naturally, we can either raise taxes or take out loans to fund the project). This should give the economy a boost! Right?!

[/ QUOTE ]

Your analogy has two flaws. First is that you overlook the fact that I state that I really don't know what I'm talking about regarding the wars and economy. Second is that it really doesn't apply. Anyway, I did a short google search and found:

http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:ffI...lient=firefox-a

This article states that the money spent on the Iraq war is insignificant, and the lives are what count.

Edit: fixed link.

Woolygimp · #7 03-20-2007, 03:04 AM

Here's another good video.

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=3f5_1...p;c=1#comments

[Phill] · #8 03-20-2007, 05:09 AM

Im not so sure i get your point in this thread, but i openly admit to not viewing the vid.

Either way, analysing any situation as complex as the Iraq war in simple black and white terms like good and evil is basically flawed from the outset.

Oh, and the gold statue analysis is seriously flawed in its simplicity, but on the otherhand like OP im no expert nor have i studied the area in question. I do know that military spending creates huge numbers of jobs in the US and would imagine through the multiplyer effect the loss to the US is a lot lower than the cost of the war specifically, but again, i have nothing but a logical conclusion and cannot back it up with fact.