Comments Posted By Joe Helgerson
Displaying 21 To 30 Of 47 Comments
Before this year is out I see an endgame with the occupation of Iraq. Re-deployment in the region is my guess. What more can our military do if the Maliki government keeps sitting on its hands.David Gergen thinks Maliki will build up his Shia dominated security forces until he thinks he has the strength to "ethnically cleanse" the Sunni population.Who could blame him after 30 years of the Baathists brutalizing the Shia.The Kurds will basically be an independent country. Gergen said because the oil sharing laws haven't been worked out, the Kurds are signing agreements with foreign countries on oil exploration!Powells "pottery barn" theory has come into play, we broke it, we have to at least provide financial aid to its people. This fiasco is beyond a nightmare. No political party is a winner here.Rick do you think the Iraqis ever had the ability to forge a central government? Or did the tribal and religeous differences always make our effort a pipe dream? I'm out of answers. This conflict has wore me down mentally, I can't imagine then what it would be like on the ground there.You can't help a country that doesn't want help.
Comment Posted By Joe Helgerson On 11.05.2007 @ 20:20
fight4theright thinks the insurgency is in its "last throes"...brother. Thanks Rick for being brutally honest. People are mad because you don't tote the party line.Iraq isn't a right-left issue anymore, its way beyond that.Don't let the personal attacks get you down.For some Bush deadenders its always "just 3 more months and magically it will turn around."I'm tired of that line. Only the fringe elements think we can turn this around, not gonna happen.
Comment Posted By Joe Helgerson On 11.05.2007 @ 20:45
ASSAD SHOWS HIS THANKS TO NANCY, CONDI FOR THEIR EFFORTS
Hankmeister, are you related to NoDonkey on Captains Quarters blog? I wondered because each time one of you open his mouth hatred flows like a volcano. Kool-aid drinkers like you think all democrats are commies and socialists, and are in cahoots with Al Queda.Meister boy, get this straight, you have entered the fringe subspecies. Your so full of hate no good arguments have a chance to get out. Your why Bush is at 35% approval.You are further to the right than Khengis Khan. People like you listen to Rush and Hannitty and then like a parrot,repeat what they said.Nancy Pelosi SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE....say it with me hankmeister, let it roll off your tongue,sounds good, doesn't it.
Comment Posted By Joe Helgerson On 11.05.2007 @ 21:02
Why is it Rick,your side is always trying to give my fellow Democrats "sound" advice? You care about our political fortunes? Or is it you know the majority of Americans, not just the netroots, want us out of Iraq. Those same crazy leftist netroots supported conservative Democrat Jim Webb and Jon Tester. Rick, I come here, I go to Capt Ed, and Daily Kos. The Democratic netroots is not a monolith of "lefties". I respect you, but get suspicious when you seem concerned with my parties fortunes.Breaking news: 11 congressional republicans had a closed door sit-down with Bush and company, bottom line:Mr. Bush you are no longer credible talking about Iraq. Rick, thats all anybody ever wanted from Bush, just tell us the truth. If its going to take 10 years and a trillion dollars, tell us.This country has lost confidence in Bush, thats never coming back. At least you like Captain Ed tell it like it is, thats why thie democrat keeps coming back.
Comment Posted By Joe Helgerson On 9.05.2007 @ 21:12
I WISH WE COULD HAVE AN ELECTION LIKE THAT
I give the US conservatives love affair with Sarkozys about one week. Wait till they read how he thinks we don't take global warming serious enough, and how he is against our occupation of Iraq. This honeymoon will be shortlived.
Comment Posted By Joe Helgerson On 7.05.2007 @ 20:49
BUSH VETOES CONGRESSIONAL INVITATION TO AL QAEDA TO SLAUGHTER IRAQIS
Hankmeister has too much hatred for democrats for me to even read his rants. I'm ready to listen th either side if they have a sensible plan for Iraq. I still think Bush is a fool, I've read "Fiasco" by Thomas Ricks, it blew me away.Rick, my point is how can Iraq become a sovereign nation with 170,000 US troops there? The troops skewer any form of an independent Iraq. Start drawing dowm American forces, hopefully this will force the Iraqis to stand up. Otherwise it'll turn into a permanent occupation.
Comment Posted By Joe Helgerson On 2.05.2007 @ 20:57
Rick, as a conservative Democrat, how can I unite with Americans who because of my wish to stategically withdraw from Iraq, refer to me as a defeatocrat, a traitor, scum, filthy democrat etc. ?Like Bush, their view is my way or the highway. They like Bush won't compromise. Were so polarized I don't see how the left and right will ever come together. Too much Karl Rove playbook at work in this country. Bush is too stubborn to compromise, the Democrats will have to end this mistake on their own. Thanks for being level headed Rick. I don't see this country uniting anytime soon.
Comment Posted By Joe Helgerson On 29.04.2007 @ 19:35
TIME IS NOW THE BIGGEST ENEMY IN IRAQ
Great post Rick (and I've accused you of being a Bush apologist in the past. Halfway thru my 5th book on the Iraq invasion, all have a central theme....terrible invasion plans, no post-war plans at all, unless you count turning the country over to Chalabi, and leaving 30,000 troops 3 months later, sending everybody else home! The right would call me a defeatist because I realize the Iraqis can't agree on anything, which makes our efforts futile. I call myself a realist. Your right about keeping some presence in the region. I'm thinking Kuwait and special forces, as well as keeping carriers in the Persian Gulf. Rick if you get a chance read "Assasins Gate" by George Packer. Its the best book I've read in years, its not a anti-war book, basically he contends that after being beaten down for 30 years by Saddam, the Iraqis were too numb to grasp the opportunity for democracy. He too agrees we need to provise some kind of security and humanitarian aid, for years. IMHO policing a sectarian war will never solve anything. I do see signs of the left and right veering towards the middle ground of a re-deployment. Thanks for being one of the few rational minds out there. Your friend at Captains Quarters is also rational, and like you, he gets ripped by the hard right. A guy just can't win. I have doubts that Bush has the intellect to solve the crisis in Iraq.
Comment Posted By Joe Helgerson On 28.04.2007 @ 10:42
Sorry folks, no matter what Harry Reid said, it won't change the reality on the ground in Iraq. Broder comparing Reid with Alberto Gonzalez is ludicrous at best. Broder was once the king of the Beltway pundits, but now with the internet he is a bit player. Most people are ignoring the little cocktail weeny parties among the inside the beltway elitists. Okay the hard right won one 24 hour newscycle, I'll give them that but...... 65% of the American people want a timeline to withdraw from Iraq. Beating up on the "defeatist" Harry Reid won't change that statistic. So neo-clowns, bask in the glow of Reids statement(which by the way was taken out of context,go read the entire statement). When Reid putting his foot in his mouth is all you have, then you know the war is an utter disaster, the president is a clown, Cheney lives in a different universe. Dudes, your grasping at straws, your starting to appear desperate and pathetic. Please direct your anger and energy at Maliki for not working out a settlement with the Sunnis. Directing your rage at Reid for telling the truth won't salvage a failed policy, give it a rest. Unless you want to send 500,000 troops to Iraq for 10 years and another TRILLION dollars, just admit Bush failed, just like the boy king has failed in everything in his entire life. Directing your anger at Reid is just a petty, short term, feel good moment. Dude it doesn't change anything. Call us dems defeatists until the cows come home, we know were right, deep down you know were right, its called denial. The truth shall set you free.
Comment Posted By Joe Helgerson On 28.04.2007 @ 11:10
HOUSE DEMS NEVER HEARD OF GREAT BRITAIN
same ole same ole from the wingers. Republicans go to Syria but the wingers think we don't know how to read so we'll miss it. I guess if Speaker Pelosi would have issued the meaninless proclamation of support for britain, the Iranians would have immediately let them go. Doesn't matter what Pelosi does, the wingers will tear into her because they can't get over getting their asses handed to them last November. The rubberstamp GOP congress no longer bows to Karl Rove! Theres a new sheriff in town. All the neo-nuts have left for support is their propaganda experts. Thats even falling on deaf ears. Its hard to keep up with all the gop scandals. They think if they can work up some faux scandal with Pelosi the american people will forget how inept they are. Not gonna happen, Bush can't even keep his own side from jumping ship. I guess Rick the Iraq Study Group recommending we talk to Syria fell off your radar. Bush won't try to end the Iraq fiasco, I guess the Speaker has to do Bush's job for him. Americans think Bush is a joke. They wish he was already out of office. Iraq wants us out of THEIR country, what part of that don't the neo-cons understand? They'll wind up in the scrapheap of history. But I'm sure Fox News will continue to give Bill Kristol a mouthpiece for more of his bunk. The neo-con ideology's ship has sailed, its not coming back. Only people in denial think it is. But hey lets keep ripping the liberals who proved to be right about Iraq. Like,hey,no one will notice, nice try. Think it's a coincidence Daily Kos gets 700,000 hits a day. People don't fall for Bush's bunk anymore. Its not even conservative principals. Reagan was a conservative, Bush is more inept tyrant than anything else. The DEMOCRATICALLY-controlled congress will keep that doofus Bush in check the next 2 years. He's lamer than lame duck. People are jumping off his ship like rats off a sinking ship. But Rick keep bashing liberals, I love to see you flail around sounding all important. Saying how the "surge" is working. Republicans can play offense pretty good, they sure don't like being on defense. And say goodbye to Gonzalez, he's toast, I just hope bushie prolongs the agony by supporting him. I guess the weenie liberals have some teeth after all. Get used to it.
Comment Posted By Joe Helgerson On 31.03.2007 @ 23:35
