20% say world "better off" if U.S .loses in Iraq (update)
Posted by: McQ
OK, I'll bite:
Nearly one out of every five Democrats thinks the world will be better off if America loses the war in Iraq, according to the FOX News Opinion Dynamics Poll released Thursday.
The percentage of Democrats (19 percent) who believe that is nearly four times the number of Republicans (5 percent) who gave the same answer. Seven percent of independents said the world would be better off if the U.S. lost the war.
So, anyone - how will the "world be better off" if the US loses in Iraq?
I can cetainly see the partisan political angle at home here.
But let's talk geopolitics instead of local politics. Tell me the benefits of a loss (we pull out, Iraq implodes and remains unstable, a training place for terrorists and a virtual satellite of Iran) vs. a win (stable Iraq, able to defend itself, terrorists denied sanctuary and a place to train)? How is the world "better off" if the former becomes reality?
UPDATE: Michael Wade of A Second Hand Conjecture asks of those who do believe the world would be better off if the US lost, why are you here?
By the same token, those who wish us to fail should expect to have their patriotism challenged, and indeed they may want to question it themselves (if you really want us to fail, why are you here?). As should those who place political considerations above our national interests in defeating the insurgency in Iraq, stabilizing the government, and getting into a long stare-down with Iran and Syria. If you are more concerned with your political party winning (or with a hated candidate losing) in the elections than with your country winning in the war, your patriotism is suspect at best. That goes no matter whether you are Republican (11% want us to fail), Democrat (34%) or Independent (19%). Rooting for the US mission to fail because it suits your political druthers indicates that you have no patriotism, and really begs the question as to whether or not you're an American. I can sympathize with those who merely want us to end the war, those who thought it was a bad idea from the get-go, and even those who just plain old hate Bush. But hoping that your country fails is simply intolerable, and if you really feel that way, then maybe you should just leave.
