Pay More Than Lip Service To Diplomacy
Bob Schieffer Reminds The U.S. That There Is No Military Solution In Iraq
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Bob Schieffer talks about the lessons we can and have learned from the Vietnam and Iraq wars. He reminds us of some organizations created to help our wounded soldiers.
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I had breakfast the other day with the ambassador from one of America's strongest and closest allies. We got to talking about Iraq and Vietnam, and he asked me what I thought the great lessons of those years have been.
I said, first, that we can help people but we can't do it for them, and, second, that America leads best when it leads by example – when we demonstrate how our system works by practicing what we preach, not by resorting to the methods of those who oppose us.
"May I suggest one more thing?" he asked. "That America is most successful when it does not work alone, but with its friends."
"America has the strongest economy in the world and without question the most powerful military, but when it has tried to work alone, it has seldom been able to work its will," he continued. "Yet when it has been able to forge broad coalitions it has seldom failed."
That is more than opinion. It's just a fact which makes me wonder, even at this eleventh hour, shouldn't that be the focus of our Iraq policy? Bringing together a broad coalition of western nations and Iraq's neighbors to contain the war and pressure its warring factions to settle their differences?
Instead, we have paid lip service to diplomacy, made the debate about battlefield tactics and searched for a military solution to a political problem.
So far, we haven't found one.
If you would like to do more than just remember those who serve in the armed forces on this Memorial Day, I invite you to contact three fine organizations who help our wounded and their families:
The Walter Reed Society
Fisher House
The Yellow Ribbon Fund
By Bob Schieffer
© MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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Great Article !!!
Also on this Memorial Day ,let our troops know we support them, send e-mails to our men & women. I do not have any family members serving but do know that the fine men & women fighting appreciate those " letters" --even from a stranger like myself. I've been sending e-mails & yes, our fine Heros read them & do respond if they can !!
God Bless & Keep them safe.
the fact is that the UN is more corrupt than Enron..the EU is perhaps the most divided union..and Middle Eastern nations i.e. Lebanon and Syria, Iran and Iraq are all after each other's neck and assets..ALL ARE FIGHTING FOR THIER OWN PERSONAL AGENDAS..
your opinion would work if we can find somebody to work with..till then we must fight our wars alone.
I hope that it he was not from the crappy, failing, rogue-terror-welfare-State of Israel. They obviously are not in a position to offer any credible advice to anyone.
Re: "It's just a fact which makes me wonder, even at this eleventh hour, shouldn't that be the focus of our Iraq policy? Bringing together a broad coalition of western nations and Iraq's neighbors to contain the war and pressure its warring factions to settle their differences?"
Absolutely not. Our focus should be on ending the self-defeating and illegal fraud-based war of aggresion against Iraq, bringing the Bush regime and collaborators before a war crimes tribunal, and establishing a reparations fund for the Iraqi, Afghan, and American victims of the illegitimate and mass-murderous Bush cabal!
As usual, Bob nails it! Great opinion piece, Bob! I just wish you would go back to anchoring the evening news. It hasn't been the same since you left!
The atomic bombings did save lives assuming that an invasion of Japan was necessary. So the question really is, was Japan going to surrender before October, 1945, the scheduled date of the invasion? Could we just "wait it out"?
Well, days prior to the surrender radio message broadcast by the Emperor, a group of officers tried to seize control of the government to continue the war. Only due to the invervention of a senior Japanese officer was the coup attempt avoided. So, "war fever" was still strong in Japan. In addition, while Japan's navy and air force were smashed, they still had a rested million+ men in Manchuria. And the experience of Okinawa taught that Japanese civilians would fight. Most historians agree that the Japanese were far from defeated.
While the atomic bombings were horrible, it is unfair to use 20-20 hindsight, with the advantage of 60 years of history, to condemn Truman. With the passage of time, the decision to bomb might not have been necessary. But back in 1945, through 1945 eyes and knowledge, there was really little choice.
Well, lets see - What kind of diplomacy does it take to launch a unilateral Crusade into Muslim Iraq without the support of the UN or most of the World?
Diplomacy? This Administration doesn't even know the meaning of the word.
There are several nations who have stood by our side from day one in Iraq. Of course you would never know that from Mr. Schieffer's call for us to surrender.
It is also interesting that he is still bleating about diplomacy, when it has been demonstrated for 40 years now, that the Jihadist's will not negotiate on any issue.
There will certainly never be a negotiated settlement, when half of our Senate, and a great deal of our media are telling the Muslim world, that they will ultimately win.
It is a good thing FDR never had to deal with such backstabbers during his administrations.
Posted by kesac4650 at 11:21 PM : May 27, 2007
It is interesting, kesac4650, that you don't actually cite these allies by name. Are you talking about Britain, Spain and Poland? Spain is already gone. Britain go bye-bye now. And I don't think Poland is really the kind of ally that Bob is talking about.
No one thinks the "jihadists" are going to negotiate . . . but the legitimate governments of Middle Eastern countries will. We need their help if we ever hope to create stability in Iraq . . . unless you think it would be better to permanently occupy Iraq and become a evil imperial power?
If we go it alone in Iraq, we go down alone.
P.S. Opinion pieces are supposed to persuade you, much like an "infomercial." Kudos to you for almost correctly identifying the genre of writing! That's special.
It is also interesting that he is still bleating about diplomacy, when it has been demonstrated for 40 years now, that the Jihadist's will not negotiate on any issue.
There will certainly never be a negotiated settlement, when half of our Senate, and a great deal of our media are telling the Muslim world, that they will ultimately win.
It is a good thing FDR never had to deal with such backstabbers during his administrations.
Posted by kesac4650 at 11:21 PM : May 27, 2007
Oh PLEASE!! Everyone knows what went down and it's rediculous for you fascist to continue this Play. Bush insulted and lied to all and I do mean all our oldest and dearest friends in his drive to attack Iraq. When you look at polls of our allies and see what the citizens of those nations think of Bush you can realize just how deep the problem really is. For example over 80% of the Citizens of Germany found the present day Republican Party and Bush to be FASCIST! In Britian, the public found Bush to be worse that the leader of North Korea... NORTH KOREA for God sake!! Now we can continue this march to fascism folks but do not expect anymore success than Hitler or the Klan have had. It's a dead end road and we still HAVE to live in this world. All the bombs and Jets we can build will NOT bring us back to being the LEADER of the FREE WORLD.
Posted by kesac4650 at 11:21 PM : May 27, 2007
Were you raised on another planet?? LOL History clearly shows that Conservatives fought FDR at every turn when he attempted to help Britain and France in their fight against Hitler. No wonder you freaks are Fascist... you know so little of the past and you know so little about what true LEADERSHIP is. To you if you can't intimidate or force people to follow you then those people aren't worthy of your "Superior" leadership? LOL Sieg Heil
You got it wrong, Bush is a Texan not a southerner. There is a difference. Although I agree on some of the things you post, you hatred of southerners is unjustified.
This can be proven and America can and should arrest Bush and Cheney their Entire Administration, Israeli NEOCONS TOO, and put them on trial for War Crimes just like we did the Nazis after WWII.
CHECK OUT THOSE REPRESENTATIVES THAT VOTE FOR THE WAR! If you follow the money trail you will find that most of those elected officials who support the war in Iraq are under the influence of AIPAC. AN ISRAELI POLITICAL LOBBY GROUP!
HERE ARE SOME OF AIPAC DEMOCRATIC SUPPORTERS! CONTACT THEM!
Levin, Carl- (D - MI)
269 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-6221
Web Form: levin.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm
Steny Hoyer
http://hoyer.house.gov/contact/
READ AIPAC BRAG ABOUT THEIR INFLUENCE ON AMERICAN POLITICIANS!
http://www.aipac.org/for
ms/join_aipacClubs.htm
REMEMBER THE AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE IS RUN BY PRO ISRAELI GROUP! THEY ARE THE ONES WHO CAME UP WITH THIS SURGE IDEA!
EVEN AS AMERICAN MILITARY AID LANDS IN LEBANON, President Bush is funding Al Qaeda in Lebanon with funds from Iraq! http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/ar
ticles/070305fa_fact_hersh
50 years of American involvement in the Middle East ENOUGH it has nothing worth one more American Life!
THE STATUE OF LIBERTY STANDS IN NEW YORK HARBOR AND IS NOT KNEELING IN THE MIDDLE EAST!
In all it seems you are stating that we have failed in preventing further terrorism here in the US and that no matter what we do in Iraq even help create a stable state it would be to no avail . In this I totally disagree. We may completely fail in Iraq and I suspect this will be for lack of will and perseverance not ability but I cannot accept your premise that we have failed in preventing terrorism in our country or that the use of money there has created an inability to defend ourselves
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by texmexborderswimmer
May 29, 2007 12:21 PM PDT
- To bluestardad, don't you live on more than a one track mind????? your anti-jewish posts are booooooring.
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