# How badly will success in Iraq hurt the Democrats? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [November 25, 2007, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-badly-will-success-in-iraq-hurt-the-democrats/427732 "2007-11-25T21:09:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2007, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-badly-will-success-in-iraq-hurt-the-democrats/427732/81 "2007-12-07T18:32:03Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] [Try it now.](http://www.salon.com/comics/tomo/2007/08/27/tomo/) [/QUOTE] You want [this one?](http://action.credomobile.com/comics/2007/11/unpopularity_contest.html) [This site](http://action.credomobile.com/) doesn’t have Salon’s subscription problems. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2007, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-badly-will-success-in-iraq-hurt-the-democrats/427732/82 "2007-12-07T22:12:39Z")
[QUOTE=Squink] You want [this one?](http://action.credomobile.com/comics/2007/11/unpopularity_contest.html) [/QUOTE] No, [this one.](http://action.credomobile.com/comics/2007/08/they_repeated_the_mantra_all_s.html) ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2007, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-badly-will-success-in-iraq-hurt-the-democrats/427732/83 "2007-12-11T23:00:25Z")
When we first went in success was defined as a democratic government, lights, water and a democratic government. Did the surge provide that? Generals that told Bush we needed 400 k troops were fired. Now we have approx. 120,000 Halliburton ,Blackwater type troops, 165,000 troops.maybe 125,000 trained Iraqis. Therefore 400,000 bodies. Yet no peace,electricity and no water. We built walls through the city ghettoising the population. Before the war over half the university students were female. Women wore western wear and worked and traveled around by themselves. Now they are back in beekeeper outfits and are afraid to go anywhere. College students and the wealthy and middle classes fled the country. Unemployment is running around 60 percent. We destroyed one of the worlds most beautiful cities. Yep thats success. ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2007, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-badly-will-success-in-iraq-hurt-the-democrats/427732/84 "2007-12-12T14:44:40Z")
[QUOTE=unconventional] The United States has a moral obligation to the Iraqi people. How this country should fulfill its obligation is debatable. [/QUOTE] Did the USSR have a moral obligation to Afghanistan? If not, what’s the fundamental difference? If yes, how did the USSR do in your estimation? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2007, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-badly-will-success-in-iraq-hurt-the-democrats/427732/85 "2007-12-12T17:05:35Z")
[QUOTE=marshmallow] Did the USSR have a moral obligation to Afghanistan? If not, what’s the fundamental difference? If yes, how did the USSR do in your estimation? [/QUOTE] Many Afghans remember the Soviet intervention in their country as comparing favorably with the current American intervention. At least the Russians **built** things – roads, clinics, schools. What have we built? ---
**Author:** ![Sockmunkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@Sockmunkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sockmunkey)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2007, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-badly-will-success-in-iraq-hurt-the-democrats/427732/86 "2007-12-22T11:21:48Z")
[QUOTE=tomndebb] Basically, we have been playing whack-a-mole chasing little insurrections around the country. [/QUOTE] Best metaphor for the situation I’ve heard. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-badly-will-success-in-iraq-hurt-the-democrats/427732.md?page=4)