Am I a flaming liberal?
Just today I was talking to a…well I dont want to say friend but an acquantice of mine and I said that 1. I think going into Iraq was a mistake and 2. I dont think the ’surge’ was responsible for most of the success seen the last couple years in Iraq. And immidently he begins ranting about how I was a ‘flaming liberal’ and how we cant afford to pull out of Iraq. And how things are so much better in Iraq since the surge was implimented.
Oddly I agree with some of what he said. I agree that we cant afford to pull out of Iraq NOW, but that doesnt mean it wasnt a mistake to go in. The fact is that by going in we created a power vacume that every wacko terrorist and his brother decided to fill. We created the situation that currently makes it impossible for us to leave. I do, however, think we dont need the troop levels we need in Iraq and we should consider pulling some from Iraq to redeploy to Afganstan and other hotbeds of terrorists around the world.
And yes, things have gotten better in Iraq since the surge stratigy was implimented, but is that because of the surge or because around the same time the Iraqi government(especailly on a local level) began to get its act together and bring some stability to cities and neighborhoods and private citizians began fighting back against the insurgents? Actually the correct answer is probably both, but one things for sure: the surge alone would not give us the results we are seeing in Iraq.
But then what about other non-iraq war related issues? Oddly one some I take an extremely conservertive bend. Not only am I pro-death penelty, but I think we need to speed up the process by which we execute people, as well as limit the number of appeals allowed(on all cases not just ones that require a death sentence). There are other issues where I’m extremely liberal, I’m for socilized medicine(payd for by the money we save by not paying to take care of people who deserve to die)
I think the problem is the conservitive/liberal dichomony that much of American politics. The truth is that for most issues there is a middle ground, and just because someone is a liberal(or conservitive) on one issue doesnt mean that they are that way accorss the board. Then again I suppose its always easier to attack a lable than an idea.
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