Has the Iraq war left us a toothless tiger without any significant bite on the international front?

Question

Just glimpsing at this article:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080814/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_russia_georgia

It made me think: "Wow! We already surrendered to Russia without firing a single shot in the opening salvo!" lol

Personally, I think Bush screwed us over by having us stay in Iraq for far longer than what would've normally been allowed.

He said that we won the war in 2003 by declaring on the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln: "Major combat operations in Iraq are OVER."

And we should've *left*.

But we spent the next six years chasing our tails and spinning our wheels--and not getting *anywhere* anytime fast.

Leaving us...what?

CRIPPLED WITHOUT THE ABILITY TO RESPOND TO OTHER THREATS OVERSEAS--TERRORISTS WITHSTANDING OF COURSE.

Given how Russia walked all over Georgia with cleats--it made me realize just how damaging the Iraq war had been to our own military forces: We lack the capability to respond to other threats which operate in a real-time environment--rather than the imaginary ones that operate in the back of Darth Cheney's mind.

Is it a wonder why Russia just laughed off our efforts to tell them to back off?

We're no longer potent in the international theater.

Thanks to the Iraq war--we've been *neutered* of our positive standing and powerful presence in the global community.

Thoughts?

Answer 1

What America says publicly and what they say to nations in questions privately, are very different.  

Answer 2

Our military is somewhat tied up right now, so militarily we can't really act.

However, there are many ways to cripple a nation. For Georgia to win against Russia i suggest this.

1 Admit Georgia to NATO, they have some really great troops, and will give the Georgian military some much needed assistance.

2. Kick Russia out of the G8.

3 Do not allow russia into the WTO

By making Russia a commercial pariah, we will force them to submit to the will of the world.

Answer 3

Regardless of the errors that G.W. Bush made.  The Liberal and Democrat camp have been neutering the U.S. Military for years.   I was in the Army during the Carter years and he destroyed moral with cuts in pay raises, training and equipment.   I fear Obama will do the same.

The main problem now is, our forces are spread too thin and the American male at home is too fat, lazy and a coward.

Answer 4

I think we should have done something more tough a lot sooner in Iraq.  We see how well the surge worked.  We should have been hitting the enemy hard at the beginning.  You are saying we should have left - but doesn't that make us look pretty cowardly.  If things get too tough for us then we leave???  We did that in Somolia in the 90s when a few of our guys died.  Many people, including soldiers there, we angry when we left after a few of our guys got killed.  It made us look weak.  And you know who happened to be in Somolia at that time:  Osama Ben Laden.  He later told a reporter that the Somolia incident taught him we were a paper dragon that runs at the sign of trouble.  Run?  No.  We should have fought Al Queda more fiercly but many said the way we fought the Iraq war was way to polite.  

About Russian.  Bush seems more interested in the Olympics than Georgia.  They are an ally of ours.  They are a democracy.  They helped in the Iraq war.  We can't let Russia do this.  I don't want to start a war with Russia but we need to do something.

Answer 5

We've agreed to Russia's demand to be allowed to keep up patrols;    This is a small price to pay to end hostilities that have left thousands dead and many more thousands uprooted.

And you call this "surrender," Sky?  

You'll jump on any excuse you can in order to do a little Bush-bashing, won't you?

Your comments continue to shed light on the fact that you've never served in the military, you have no idea what military affairs are about, and you have a habit of trying to twist anything you can into a club with which you can hit Bush.  

Bush spoke up and the Russians stopped their hostile action against Georgia.   Yet you still criticize him.    

This tells me you're not interested in results -- even when they mean saving people's lives.  

You're only interested in pushing your leftist ideology.

.

Answer 6

American has the strongest Military in the world. What keeps us from using are total strength is civility. Could you imagine what the world would say if the U.S. committed itself to the idea of total war. There isn't a nation on earth that America couldn't con-cure if it wanted to. And I'm not talking nuclear. I'm talking genocide through conventional war. Never underestimate the capabilities of America's Military might.