02-20-2017, 10:55 PM
(02-20-2017, 10:09 PM)Classic-Xer Wrote: Show me a war that didn't have congressional support? Was completely pulling out of Iraq, further assisting with the toppling of long standing military regimes which resulted in the rise of ISIS and the greatest humanitarian crisis that the world has seen since World War II, on the ballot in or openly debated in 08'? Well, we can pretty much guarantee that we'll be killing/bombing/disrupting radical Islamic's for the rest of our lifetime and we can pretty much guarantee that there won't be a blue minded President until we are done with radical Islam.
I don't think Genghis Kahn ever had congressional support.
While I don't think the Middle East unimportant, I do think its a quagmire. As long as Russia, Iran and Turkey are backing their local proxies, nothing is apt to change. It is just cheaper and easier to play defense given the type of conflict. I keep asking Powell's Questions. As we don't have a clean set of answers, I don't anticipate an all out commitment by the US of many boots on the ground. Trump claimed he knew more about the Middle East than the generals and implied he could and would use the US military to good effect. While he is kinda sorta trying to keep many of his domestic promises, he hasn't changed Middle East policy. I don't know if he will commit the US knowing he hasn't got answers to Powell's Questions, but if he does I don't anticipate he will do any better than Bush 43. Borrow and spend economics doesn't provide enough dollars to expand the US ground forces sufficiently to occupy enough foreign territory to make a difference, not without crashing the US economy. Republicans simply can't stabilize the Middle East. Democrats know better than to try.
It is easy for you to rattle a saber sitting safe as you are on the sidelines, but would you care to answer Powell's Questions? Knock knock. Reality calling.
As for when we'll get another blue president, we're a month in and Trump has things in a mess. It seems too soon to be sure of where the country will be in 2020. As there are no good answers to Powell's Questions, I don't anticipate much change in the Middle East, which will make domestic issues front and center in 2020.
That this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.