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Gingrich: We must use airstrikes in Iraq
Gingrich makes his case for using U.S. airstrikes in Iraq. Stephanie Cutter, Rick Santorum and Rep. Adam Smith debate.
Turning a crisis into a war?
Rick Santorum and Adam Smith debate the crisis in Iraq with Stephanie Cutter and Newt Gingrich.
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Posted by CNN's Christina Manduley Filed under: Adam Smith • Debates • Foreign policy • Iraq • Newt Gingrich • Politics • Rick Santorum • Stephanie Cutter • Terrorism |
Meet the Hosts
Author, documentary filmmaker, historian, Speaker of the House (1995-1999), and 2012 Republican presidential candidate
Fmr. Obama Deputy Campaign Mgr. and W.H. Sr. Adviser, founder of Precision Strategies, fmr. Sr. Adviser to Maj. Leader Reid and Sen. Kennedy
Conservative columnist for New York Daily News, contributing editor at Townhall Magazine, commentator and author
Former Special Adviser for Green Jobs under President Obama, co-founder of Rebuild the Dream, author and attorney
After going on for months about that evil Putin for interviening in bordering countries with substantial Russian populations, it's interesting to see the Newt ignore the logical fallacy of attacking a country on the other side of the world to save Conoco and Halliburton ...
I see Machine Gun Newt is showing the world how full of gas he is. I wish him and the rest of his Warmonger Republican and Teabagger buddies would put their money where their mouth's are and join the military and run right to the front lines. Then we will find out what kind of cowards he and the rest of the Republican and Teabagger politicians are.
NEWT, ALL THIS BECAUSE OF FAULTY INTEL ?.
Able bodied men in refuge camps willing to trust their fate on USA fighting for them. This is exactly where America doesn't need to go. Saudi Arabia has fighter jets and so does Iran let them use them.
Here are the things the GOP has to understand in order to even discuss this issue.
1. We exited Iraq because the government that we set out wanted us gone. This wasn't us "choosing to leave" in an incorrect manner. This was a people asking us to leave. The only way we could stay was to declare war on the government we had just created. The GOP needs to stop talking about this as if we "chose" to leave. We were not welcome anymore.
2. When we invaded, we put a Shiite government in control. That government decided to oppress their Sunni and Kurdish residents. These are the ones the Bush government put in power. The government we put in power are not "good guys". They're just bad guys we like a little bit more.
Look... the facts are that all people in this hate us. The Shiite government hates us but wants to use us. The Shi'a outside of the government hate us and want to be part of Iran. The Sunni's hate us and want us destroyed. And the Kurds hate us for not supporting their bid for independence.
None of them want us to have any say or part in their nation... the government Shi'a just want us to save their butts after not listening to our advice.
I see no reason to help any of them to be honest. It's not like any group has helped us, supported us or even looked kindly on us in any real way like Saudi Arabia and Israel have at points. Any military obligations we had to the Iraqi government went out the door when they asked us to leave (remember... they still hate us).
I'm sorry their country is a crappy place. I'm sorry we helped make it crappy by invading. But when you kicked our soldiers out, you lost the ability to say we are obligated to help defend your country. You have to now make the case that it is in our interest to help you. And I'm not seeing any benefit in us getting involved past pure financial support so that Iraq's leadership can feel they can count on us to club their enemies, but engage in behavior that makes their enemies attack them so we have to continually get involved.
< Amen to that, Kurt. Someone should use this as a transcript.
Our politicians are talking about "helping" as if it is sensible– any help we give will legitimize the opponents of whoever we choose to help in the eyes of millions of Iraqis. This is not a choice that should be made rashly. If other nations agree that immediate action needs to be taken, then maybe it does, but I would not trust just a few people at the top of our own command to make this choice by themselves in a matter of only hours. This situation demands more thought than that, and any action we take should have wider support.
to kurt
Here are the things the DEMs has to understand in order to even discuss this issue.
1. We exited Iraq because the government that we set out wanted us gone but obama refuse to insist Maliki reign in his strong arm tactics.
Suggested reading.
One move too far: How Iraq's Nuri al-Maliki overreached in Anbar By Charles Lister, Analyst, Special to CNN updated 1:22 PM EST, Tue January 7, 2014
This wasn't us "choosing to leave" in an incorrect manner. This was an agreement between the Bush administration and the government of Iraq. This agreement is called: Iraq Status of Forces Agreement. It included a deadline of 31 December 2011, in which "all the United States Forces shall withdraw from all Iraqi territory". The last U.S. troops left Iraq on 18 December 2011, in accordance with this agreement.
"The only way we could stay was to declare war on the government we had just created.", or we could have provided a continue presence with training and intelligence forces, which may have prevented the current status or in the least gave the Iraqi forces a chance to enable a counter solution. The DEMs needs to stop talking about this as if we "chose" to leave. We AGREED to leave with a promise to back them up if needed. Not maybe, not a little bit, not only if.
"2. When we invaded, we put a Shiite government in control. That government decided to oppress their Sunni and Kurdish residents." These are the people Iraqis (voted) to place in power. However, our current state of weakness allowed this power to overtake Iraq's vulnerability as a newly free governing body, by not insisting on a stabilising military presence and continued training of forces. U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates had predicted after 2011 he would have expected to see "perhaps several tens of thousands of American troops" in Iraq as part of a status of forces agreement.
The Security Agreement also reflects the Baker-Hamilton Iraq Study Group’s recommendation that the Security Agreement include authorities for the United States to continue fighting al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations in Iraq, continued support for Iraqi Security Forces, and political reassurances to the government of Iraq.
These Agreements were ignored by Obama who left Iraq to fend for itself. A political decision to satisfy a party base but stupid in foreign policy.
Look... the facts are that (not all) people in this hate us. Many did believe in our presence and our effort to ensure a betterment of life for Iraq's people, but were left helpless when we completely abandoned them.
According to you. "The Shiite government hates us but wants to use us. The Shi'a outside of the government hate us and want to be part of Iran. The Sunni's hate us and want us destroyed. And the Kurds hate us for not supporting their bid for independence." However, By ignoring the oblivious, we provided each a reason to continue their efforts to undermine all gains.
"None of them want us to have any say or part in their nation..." (untrue),
"the government Shi'a just want us to save their butts after not listening to our advice.". the only advice we provided was to tuck our tails and run.
"I see no reason to help any of them to be honest." Then your solution is to ignore the oblivious, hide our heads in the sand and pay the cost later when the Isis gains enough strength to do real harm to our alliances and us.
"It's not like any group has helped us, supported us or even looked kindly on us in any real way like Saudi Arabia and Israel have at points. Any military obligations we had to the Iraqi government went out the door when they asked us to leave (remember... they still hate us).".
Spoken like a true liberal. Now they laugh at us, Now they say America is afraid. Now they say we told you they wouldn't continue to help us. We were the greatest nation on earth because we had the backbone to back it up, but no more. Want to know Americas future under your solution, can you spell Kenya. "Kenya's Government Wants People to Watch the World Cup at Home RYOT – 6 hours ago, The Kenyan government has advised citizens to watch the World Cup at home to avoid terror attacks."
"I'm sorry their country is acrappy place. I'm sorry we helped make it crappy by invading. But when you kicked our soldiers out, you lost the ability to say we are obligated to help defend your country. You have to now make the case that it is in our interest to help you. And I'm not seeing any benefit in us getting involved past pure financial support so that Iraq's leadership can feel they can count on us to club their enemies, but engage in behavior that makes their enemies attack them so we have to continually get involved."
Saying the same crap over and over doesn't get it. Failing to provide the protection promised under the "Status of Forces Agreement" typifies the weakness of Obama and America. Now our allies wonder will we abandon them. There was more at stake than Iraq.
Use drones only if you have to. But, there's no reason that our American men and women should be sent over there to risk their lives again in these totally messed up countries.
We should start using our military to Start Keeping ILLEGAL Aliens Out of our own country.
Bring our troops home from the mindless Middle East and deploy them on our southern border.
Let's use our troops here in the USA to Protect Our Country from the Incursion of Illegal Aliens here at Home, instead of keeping them in the Middle East, which is just going to continue to be a never ending region of stupidity and violence.
Let's face it, over the last 2-3 decades, both parties have been selling out the bulk of the American citizens, who they're supposed to represent, by allowing the incursion of illegal aliens (cheap labor) and the "outsourcing" floodgates to open wider and wider without taking any sensible measures to stem the tide. And we really need to start increasing the safe harvesting, production and distribution of our own natural energy here in the USA, rather than paying for fuel from countries where they hate us. Let’s keep that money and those jobs here in the US.
We need to start keeping more of OUR money here at home in the USA versus spreading it all over the world.
And how about hiring some of our unemployed veterans as additional border patrol officers, ICE and INS agents? Cause Lord knows, we need to do a better job of protecting our southern border and getting control of our illegal alien problem.
Educate yourself Jethro.
Our entire active available military could not guard the border day and night effectively. 150,000 troops would still have hundreds of years between then for people to pass.
WTH? – That made no sense.
America MUST MIND OUR OWN BUSINESS and STAY OUT of another Country CIVIL WAR that was delayed the last time we were in Iraq.
Is that so Newt? The same air strikes you pilloried Bill Clinton for using?
Who are we going to bomb? You cannot tell a civilian from a terrorist. Gingrich you are such a Republican.
The GOP Solution: Turn all the Old, Sick, Poor, Non-white, Non-christian, Female, and Gay people into slaves. Then whip them until they are Young, Healthy, Rich, White, Christian, Male, and Straight. Or until they are dead. Then turn them into Soylent Green to feed the military during the next "unfunded/off-the-books" war. And don't forget the GOP all time favorites........TAX CUTS FOR THE RICH!!!..........and........GET RID OF SS AND MEDICARE!!!
The Entire DEM Solution In A Single Paragraph
The DEM Prayer/Mantra/Solution: Dear obama...With your ability to get idiots like me to believe your BS,, help us to turn all the Old, Sick, Rich, White, Christian, Female, and Straight people into our slaves. Then, with your weakness and lack of leadership and understanding of government, we will whip them until they are older, sicker, poorer, mixed, atheist, other, and in general like me. Or until they are dead..... All mighty liar in chief...Grant us the continued lack of knowledge so the we may blindly follow your perpetual screw ups and destruction of democracy......and to then turn them into Soylent Green to feed our younguns when America is attacked again because of your stupidity in releasing terrorist.....my saviour and king ...Give us the strength during our speeches to repeatedly lie as good as you, blame Bush, say I didn't know until I heard it on the news, blame it on avideo, not asmiggen of corruption, tell them the can keep (fill in blank), we are not spying on Americans, ........PLEASE TAX THE RICH AND TAKE ALL THEIR MONEY I NEED MORE FREE STUFF!!!..........and screw the middle class because I don't want to be like them i just want what they got.........PLEASE DON'T LET LOW INFORMATION PEOPLE LIKE ME KNOW THEY COULD GET MORE MONEY BY INVESTING INSTEAD OF SS AND PLEASE, PLEASE, DON'T TELL IGNORAMUSES LIKE ME MEDICARE IS LIKE THE VA MESS!!! In your name we prey (purposely misspelled, or is it?)......uhm!!!!tanks my superbeingyoubemygod......
Newt, please go back to sleep. Airstrikes will only kill more innocents men, women and children. Do you want them to hate us more than they do now. Get out and let them kill each other is the only solution.