A different view

HWCV (How Would Conservatives Vote)?

It's interesting to hear how little support Bush has for the escalation in Iraq. Those supporting him have arguments like Duncan Hunter's. He says that the new troops are badly needed reinforcements and that stopping them would be tantamount to isolating our troops at the Alamo.

Joe Biden (D-DE) quickly tore that down since the new troops have a new mission. That mission seems to be as targets if you accept William F. Buckley's assertion that there are unlimited insurgents with unlimited IEDs. More troops just mean more possible targets while the troops will have little to no affect on the acts of the enemy.

The accusation that leaving Iraq will only embolden the irrepressible boogeyman Al Queda is as misleading as accusing Hussein of having ties with them. If we leave the majority Shia's will take control and turn all of their energy towards dispatching the Sunni terrorist group. They'll be gone much faster than if we stay in country, providing them both a target and safety from the Shia's.

The Kurdish will have a safe area if they can still the temptation to attack the Turks.

The Shia's are controlling the rest of the country anyway and once left alone will work out differences between Badr and Sadr.

The best part will be getting rid of that body known as the government of Iraq. It doesn't work, the constitution is regularly ignored, and the people are suffering more at the hands of official police than from illegitimate militias.

The largest problem would be leaving the Sunni's as ready victims. Perhaps we could split Israel and give part of it to this minority group. Okay, that's an evil thought. But Baghdad would have to be split akin to Jerusalem, a divide that has never worked well.

There are also some minority Christian and Jewish groups that we've put in danger because of the general rise in violence. An end to the general mayhem might make them safer as a result.

Sunnis argue that a division of the country would mean they would lose control of both major oil fields. This is also misleading as US companies are taking control of the oil fields. The Independent has seen drafts of the new Iraqi hydrocarbon law that would give a lion's share of profits to US companies. The small amount of revenue left could easily be distributed by KBR at a pay window.

One clear message is that we need to go back to the conservative credo of staying away from nation building. From Iran to Chile we've never done a very good job of that and someday we'll learn our lesson.

posted by don1one @ 4:10 PM