How soon would you get out of Iraq if you succeeded Bush?

Politics International Politics
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If you became the 44th president of the US on Jan. 20, 2009, how soon would you want US occupation forces out of Iraq, and what plan of action do you intend to take to achieve that without hurting US global credibility?

Iraq is undoubtedly Bush’s Vietnam. The cost of keeping US occupation forces in Iraq is running around $200 million each day, funded by the taxpayers of course, and it is creating a burden on the US fiscal health.

The sooner forces are pulled out of Iraq, the better. This would free up the financial resources poured into Iraq each day, and allow it to be used on US domestic programs.

But how would you pull American forces out without seriously undermining US credibility abroad? Would you pull them out of Iraq overnight regardless of the potential embarassment to long-term US reputation? Anarchy thrives daily in Iraq and Iraqi security forces don’t seem to have the clout yet to defeat the “insurgents”, similar to how South Vietnamese forces were unable to defeat the Vietcong and the North Vietnamese army independently.

Richard Nixon pulled US forces out of Vietnam, but wanted to do so with “honor” without undermining US credibility abroad. He wanted to withdraw a number of troops, yet continue fighting at the same time. More American casualties occurred in the withdrawal phase under Nixon than during the Johnson administration. It also turned out that Vietnamization of South Vietnamese forces, and training them to be an independent force did not make them more effective.

Considering all this, would you still pull US forces out overnight, or would you set an early timetable to do so? Withdrawing US forces overnight might be political suicide, accompanied by the international embarrassment. Yet the longer you stay in Iraq, trillions of dollars more would be spent on a seemingly dead-end mission with potentially higher casualties.

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The best approach is to ask yourself what you would do if you were caught in quicksand and extrapolate that to extricating the U.S. from Iraq:

"If you’re stuck in quicksand, frantic movements will only hurt your cause. Whatever you do, do it slowly. Slow movements will prevent you from agitating the quicksand–the vibrations caused by rapid movements can turn otherwise relatively firm ground into more quicksand (in other words, don’t create more terrorists than you started out with). More importantly, quicksand can react unpredictably to your movements, and if you move slowly you can more easily stop an adverse reaction and, by doing so, avoid getting yourself stuck deeper (ie. don’t alienate the local populace). You’re going to need to be patient; depending on how much quicksand is around you, it could take several minutes or even hours (or years) to slowly, methodically get yourself out.

Get plenty of rest. Other than panic, exhaustion is your worst enemy. Since it can take a long time to get yourself out of quicksand, be sure to take breaks and just float on your back if you feel your muscles getting tired. If you’re in a dangerous tidal zone, however, (or on a religious fault line) you may be in a race against time (see warning below).

There are a couple approaches to extricating your legs from quicksand. If the quicksand is very thick, you can move your legs in a circular motion. This will help introduce more water (or Iraqi cannon fodder) into the quicksand, which will make it easier to pull your legs out. If the quicksand is not particularly thick, you should just be able to pull your legs out slowly, one at a time, as you float on your back. If you try one of these methods and find yourself starting to sink, stop immediately and remain calm. Breathe deeply and let yourself rest and float before trying the other method. ((If neither method works, you may consider converting to Islam just in case God really is Allah and that’s why you’ve been having such a run of bad luck recently – it can’t hurt at this point to cover all your bases.)

If you hike with someone else in an area where you’re likely to encounter quicksand, bring along at least 20 feet of rope (or real international support, not a phony coalition of ‘friends’ who vanish at the first sign you’re sinking under your own weight). That way if one person falls in, the other can stand safely on firm ground and pull him out. If the person on firm ground is not strong enough to pull the victim out, the rope should be tied to a tree (see ‘United Nations’) or other stationery object so that the victim can pull himself out.

. . . Whatever you do, avoid putting your head under the quicksand (or sand), even for an instant (as this leads to a dangerous disconnect from reality.) Most people who drown because of quicksand do so on beaches or tideflats, where quicksand is common and where a person can become trapped as the high tide comes in. If this is a concern try to get out as quickly as possible, but still do not panic, as that will only hurt your efforts. Keep your head as high above ground (and water) as possible in order to give you more time if you are still stuck as water approaches. Generally, however, by the time the tide (of ocean water or Islamic radicalism) comes, it is too late. The best solution is prevention. Avoid crossing mudflats or other tidal areas or exercise extreme caution when doing so. Know when the tides will come in, do not go alone, and carry rope, a stick and a flotation device that you can easily inflate should you become stuck."

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:laughing: :bravo: Superb post, Spook!