I don't think he can answer it, CY; he's not psychic. Anybody who has an answer to the question one way or the other is engaging in speculation fueled in part by a political agenda.

Only two things can be said for certain: first, that the Coalition soldiers who have been killed and wounded over the course of the war wouldn't have been killed or wounded if the war hadn't happened; second, the innocent Iraqi civilians who have died in the course of the war (the number is controversial--let's call it one thousand) wouldn't have died because of the war.

Al Qaeda certainly seems to be no worse for wear after years of war--"regrouped to an extent not seen since 2001" is what the leaked intelligence document says.

It appears that the sole raison d'etre of the war now going to be to reduce the body count of a hypothetical civil war that absolutely, positively would not be on the horizon if we hadn't gone to Iraq in the first place.

being psychic, my answer is no it will not be safer.. and I don't care... at least not enough to have US troops dying to keep that from happening.

I don't think he can answer it, CY; he's not psychic.

He was psychic enough to declare the sure a failure before it really even got started though, right?

He was psychic enough to declare the sure a failure before it really even got started though, right?

O! Purple Avenger!
Thy pithy snark,
Thy attempts at humour
Doth miss their mark.
Yet once again
With your answer flip
You dodge the question
With a "witty" quip.

What "question" was that I "dodged"? I don't recall you asking me any question here.

A quote back seems in order here.

"Issue" might have been the more appropriate word.

CY expects Reid to answer the question of whether Iraq will be safer for civilians if we pull out, a question I say that he is unable to answer because he isn't psychic.

Now, based on your reply to my post, you believe one of two things: either that Reid is actually a psychic, (and, if so, you need to abide by his earlier determination, since he's a psychic and should know what's going on); or, as seems more likely, that he's a non-psychic poltroon, in which case you need to excuse him from answering CY's question.

Instead of making the intellectually rigorous choice of dealing with Reid's (or anybody's) obvious inability to answer CY's question with certainty, you choose to make the easy drive-by partisan attack that doesn't really address the issue seriously. You have it both ways, ironically pointing out that he's not psychic and at the same time implicitly expecting him to perform the task of a psychic.

Doc:

Of course, when the Americans leave, the Iranians , Syrians, Saudis and all those other ratbags including the non-exhistent Al Quaediasts are going to sit around the old campfire, offer to bring peace to the region, and sing Cumbayaa.

Reid gets full intelligence briefings so he would know full well the likely scenarios.

Reid's and the other Donkeybats (and their Elephantine Donkeybat wannabees) problem is they have already said that the US is the problem in Iraq. So why then won't he just come out and say everything will be fine when the major impediment to peace is gone.

Maybe his intelligence briefings tell him something else.

"Marine Testifies of Beatings, Murders
AP

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (July 15) - A Marine corporal testifying in a court-martial said Marines in his unit began routinely beating Iraqis after officers ordered them to "crank up the violence level."

Lopezromo said the suspected insurgent was known to his neighbors as the "prince of jihad," and had been arrested several times and later released by the Iraqi legal system.

Unable to find him, the Marines and corpsman dragged another man from his house, fatally shot him, and then planted an AK-47 assault rifle near the body to make it appear he had been killed in a shootout, according to court testimony."

What a sick, despicable crime by the US Marines! Neither the Iraninans nor Al-Qaeda would commit such a depraved act upon an innocent civilian. Iraqi civilians would DEFINITELY be safer if the US Marines got out of Iraq.

What a sick, despicable crime by the US Marines! Neither the Iraninans nor Al-Qaeda would commit such a depraved act upon an innocent civilian. Iraqi civilians would DEFINITELY be safer if the US Marines got out of Iraq.

I don't know if you're being serious or not, BannedChatter, but, if you are, you just walked into an ambush.

Michael Yon links to appear in 3...2...1...