If the U.S. leaves Iraq we....

[mik]

If we leave our supporters will follow and as mentioned some believe Iran and saudi duke it out for iraq.

Well that maybe; but the worst case scenerio is unfortunatly we are right back in there to clean up the dems mess. Not only that, but 130,000 to 160,000 won't cut it. Try around 500,000. According to some of my friends in Iraq still they are thinking currently 3,000 to 5,000 troops are combat and the rest are supprt.

They think if Iraq falls apart on a pull-out they will need up to 100,000 combat troops and 400,000 support positions. If this current conflict spreads through the Middle East as thought on other threads with Saudi and Iran well Desert Storm III won't be a proper name more like holy crap we got a serious problem I.

So what are some other thoughts or projections?

[puitsfraw]

I like the humor you put into that with "holy crap operation 1". I am not really sure we would just be worrying about Iran and Saudi duking it out. Although the other countries in the region are smaller, they may also attempt to gain some land/oil. More realistically we would be looking at the start of WWIII (outside influences and treaties to consider).

[AAD]

If all hell broke lose in that region I think maybe WWIII might be the outcome...

[MrAustin]

If we leave our supporters will follow and as mentioned some believe Iran and saudi duke it out for iraq.

Well that maybe; but the worst case scenerio is unfortunatly we are right back in there to clean up the dems mess. Not only that, but 130,000 to 160,000 won't cut it. Try around 500,000. According to some of my friends in Iraq still they are thinking currently 3,000 to 5,000 troops are combat and the rest are supprt.

They think if Iraq falls apart on a pull-out they will need up to 100,000 combat troops and 400,000 support positions. If this current conflict spreads through the Middle East as thought on other threads with Saudi and Iran well Desert Storm III won't be a proper name more like holy crap we got a serious problem I.

So what are some other thoughts or projections?

imo if we pull out we will see ww3 in a few years, one giant crap sandwich and we will all take a big bite, it will be EAST VS. WEST and I fear we may be on the losing side this time..

[Okie]

The largest US Embassy in the world and four ultra large bases kinda give me the idea we'll be in Iraq for years to come. Despite what the Democrats say, we'll be there to protect our interests.

BTW, we're in Iraq at the invitation of the Iraqis and a UN mandate.

[Cyberkhan]

Why would we give up a strategic foothold in the middle of the middle east. Just because a Large amount of the troops withdrawl does not mean that there will be a complete withdrawl. We shed too much blood to not have strategic interests placed over there.

[toula]

A pullout of troops does not mean every one is coming back. We are building the largest airforce base in the world in iraq. If we pullout 80,000 soldiers and announce that to the world, that will satisfy everyone who wants us out including the democarts. Meanwhile we still have 50,000 troops there. The pentagon did not go through this whole situation jusy to leave. We are there forever. It is the best scenario ever to happen to the USA that they are finally in an Middle Eastern country. Every where the USA has gone, they have left substantial bases there!

[AAD]

Not to believe what Hillary said, but didn't she also say that a withdrawal of troops didn't mean 100% withdrawal from Iraq?

[cowboysrfun2]

I am new to this forum. However I was in the initial push in Iraq back in 2003 and have spent over 2 1/2 years there. I remember when they 1st were bringing the new currency into Iraq, they staged in our camp in Tal Afar Iraq for 3 days. There were pictures of my employees sitting on pallets of this "new" currency. Didn't take us long to figure out the potential for this envestment, so at 1st oportunity we started buying currency through our venders that left camp and returned daily.
Anyway, some friends of mine and myself still have some pretty influential friends in the Middle East that has made a substantial amout of money throughout this war. This one particular friend happens to be part of the govenment in Kuwait that has a very big construction company that supports OIF. In supporting this he has subsequently made millions. He actually has several offices in Iraq that he runs his company out of. So lately, after finding this forum we contacted him to see if we could "back door" our way into the stock market by buying through him, which we trust more than a bank where you totally depend on their honesty. This is the reply he sent us yesterday. Remind you I have been in this investment since the Dinar first came out, and am still very optomistic about it. Sooo this is his word if the US pulls out.Dear XXX,

How are you. Thank you for your recent email which I have received. I am surprised and astonished for some of the information you have sent.

In regards to the stock and Dinars investment in Iraq I don’t follow that very closely and I don’t know in which direction things will go. If the US withdraws from Iraq that will mean the total collapse of the Iraqi Dinar. There is a fat possibility that the Dinar will pickup but I am not willing to invest on this rumors. I have three million Iraqi Dinars (yours and mine) and I will stay with that. Regarding Iraqi stock, I have no knowledge. If I am to speculate I would think Electrical companies and all type of Municipalities will be a good choice.

I am doing well considerably. Look forward to hear from you and see you soon. ulls out.

[dreamer7]

It will all depend on who becomes next president, republican or democrat.

[F-12]

we pull out China will move in the very next day!!! 10 million man army, yup no problemo...

[periwinkle]

We can't leave Iraq. If we pull out of Iraq someone else will take over and the Iraqi dinar will be reprinted as a new currency. All the Iraqi dinar that are stowed away in U.S. warehouses will become worthless and our investment as well. Israel will become vulnerable because of its hostile neighbors and the U.S. will rapidly turn into a 3rd world country overnight. So lets be optimistic that the GOI and the CBI will hold together, the people will be pulled out of the mire of religious entrapment and we all lived happily ever after.

[lglwzrd]

just like viet nam...we just declare victory and leave. great for the north-real bad for the south. oh that nixon-what a joker.

[rykpa]

and that is a statement in respect for their abilities, NOT a veiled insult.

[Copedawg]

I am new to this forum. However I was in the initial push in Iraq back in 2003 and have spent over 2 1/2 years there. I remember when they 1st were bringing the new currency into Iraq, they staged in our camp in Tal Afar Iraq for 3 days. There were pictures of my employees sitting on pallets of this "new" currency. Didn't take us long to figure out the potential for this envestment, so at 1st oportunity we started buying currency through our venders that left camp and returned daily.
Anyway, some friends of mine and myself still have some pretty influential friends in the Middle East that has made a substantial amout of money throughout this war. This one particular friend happens to be part of the govenment in Kuwait that has a very big construction company that supports OIF. In supporting this he has subsequently made millions. He actually has several offices in Iraq that he runs his company out of. So lately, after finding this forum we contacted him to see if we could "back door" our way into the stock market by buying through him, which we trust more than a bank where you totally depend on their honesty. This is the reply he sent us yesterday. Remind you I have been in this investment since the Dinar first came out, and am still very optomistic about it. Sooo this is his word if the US pulls out.Dear XXX,

How are you. Thank you for your recent email which I have received. I am surprised and astonished for some of the information you have sent.

In regards to the stock and Dinars investment in Iraq I don’t follow that very closely and I don’t know in which direction things will go. If the US withdraws from Iraq that will mean the total collapse of the Iraqi Dinar. There is a fat possibility that the Dinar will pickup but I am not willing to invest on this rumors. I have three million Iraqi Dinars (yours and mine) and I will stay with that. Regarding Iraqi stock, I have no knowledge. If I am to speculate I would think Electrical companies and all type of Municipalities will be a good choice.

I am doing well considerably. Look forward to hear from you and see you soon. ulls out.

’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ is this the shortcut to a rurmor section?

[ToBeRich]

IMHO, if we were to pull out, we would start seeing the violence over there come over here. Nothing worse than an emboldened enemy that sees the opponents backside(especially as radical as some of the Islamist extremists are!).:crying::no::crying::( Just imagine the bombs going off in your neighborhood mall on the day after Thanksgiving.

[Lord Dinar]

IMHO, if we were to pull out, we would start seeing the violence over there come over here. Nothing worse than an emboldened enemy that sees the opponents backside(especially as radical as some of the Islamist extremists are!).:crying::no::crying::( Just imagine the bombs going off in your neighborhood mall on the day after Thanksgiving.


This morning I heard on Fox News that if we don't get extra funding real soon, funding for the troops will run out THIS JULY!


Tell me the the dems aren't performing a SQUEEZE PLAY.... How can our troops operate with a lack of funds??? Sure we can veto the troop withdraw however, we need to send over some big time $$$ ASAP. Dems can block this people....

[Rob'snest]

Posted on Sun, Apr. 08, 2007print email Digg it del.icio.us AIM al-Sadr calls for attacks on U.S. troops
By SAAD ABDUL KADIR
Associated Press Writer
AP PhotoSupporters of a radical anti-US cleric Muqtada al-Sadr arrive to the holy city of Kufa, Iraq, 160 kilometers (100 miles) south of Baghdad, Sunday, April 8, 2007. al-Sadr called on his supporters to come to the holy cities of Kufa and Najaf to mark the fourth year of the US-led invasion on Monday.
Iraq-US Casualties
Iraq-US Casualties

BAGHDAD --The renegade cleric Muqtada al-Sadr urged Iraqi forces to stop cooperating with the United States and told his guerrilla fighters to concentrate their attacks on American troops rather than Iraqis, according to a statement issued Sunday.

The statement, stamped with al-Sadr's official seal, was distributed in the Shiite holy city of Najaf on Sunday - a day before a large demonstration there, called for by al-Sadr, to mark the fourth anniversary of the fall of Baghdad.

"You, the Iraqi army and police forces, don't walk alongside the occupiers, because they are your archenemy," the statement said. Its authenticity could not be verified.

In the statement, al-Sadr - who commands an enormous following among Iraq's majority Shiites and has close allies in the Shiite-dominated government - also encouraged his followers to attack only American forces, not fellow Iraqis.

"God has ordered you to be patient in front of your enemy, and unify your efforts against them - not against the sons of Iraq," the statement said, in an apparent reference to clashes between al-Sadr's Mahdi Army fighters and Iraqi troops in Diwaniyah, south of Baghdad. "You have to protect and build Iraq."

[Rob'snest]

Why is this demon still alive? He is with out of doubt, the biggest problem Iraq has and when he falls, I truly belive Iraq will finally began to live.

[dreamer7]

If it weren't for the US ousting Saddam, this guy would still be feeding goats on his camel. I say sandblast him! This will give the Democrats more power. They will say, " Even the Iraqi's want us out ". I am really starting to lose faith in this investment (and don't give me crap by saying that this isn't an investment because it is), however I am in it until the end.

[Okie]

The US is in Iraq via a UN mandate and at the invitation of the Iraq Government. We will be there long term and the largest US embassy in the world is being constructed in Bagddad. 4 to 5 very large military bases have been prepared by the US in order to keep troops in Iraq after the country is brought under control. We have maintained military forces in several Middle East countries for years, at the invitation of the involved countries. Al-Sadr will either be killed or shoved off to one side, if he doesn't quit threatening our Military.

All of that makes sense to me. What doesn't make sense to me is why all the feet dragging on bringing the economic weapon into the equation. Iraq and the US have already agreed that it must be done. I think they need to get their laws and currency in high gear...as in "now"! I also believe a strong RV is part of that package.

[Rob'snest]

I received a call from another invester in calif this am and he said he heard on radio to day that some official said" oil invester are in Iraq and waiting for the Dinar to revalue before they can start pumping". My question is, did any of you hear this as well. I would like to find some back up because he was so excited that he didnt get who or what station it was on. Thanks

[Nufsed]

This is the reason the US will "NOT" leave Iraq. And it was reason they went in in the first place, forget all that crap about WMD, and it will also be the reason (if they ever do) they attack Iran.

China Eats The World

What were sleepy little villages in China as recently as five years ago are now sprawling cities with skyscrapers, factories, and highways. The amount of material needed to build this ever-growing infrastructure is enormous.

Meanwhile, our trade deficit with China is putting $200 billion directly into China's booming economy. 1.3 billion Chinese are morphing right before our eyes — becoming not only a manufacturing superpower but also a nation of consumers.

Conspicuous consumption has hit China — and they want it all. Cars. Refrigerators. Air conditioners. That means steel, and lots of it.

No wonder the price of iron has jumped — steel production requires iron. In fact, according to investment banker CLSA in a report appropriately titled China Eats the World:

"China's combined share of world consumption of aluminum, copper, nickel and iron ore doubled from 1990 (7%) to 2000 (15%), is now about 20%, and is likely to double again by the end of this decade."

Then there's energy. The number of cars on the roads of China is doubling and tripling. More cars, more gasoline. So China's oil imports are surging.

Time after time, China and India have engaged in fierce bidding wars over oil assets around the world — Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Ecuador, Myanmar, and the Sudan. China emerged the victor in nearly every one of these high-stakes contests.

China's victories have only served to embolden it further. Recent overtures by China seeking to lock in large-scale, long-term commitments from Arabian oil producers are a passive-aggressive way of tweaking the U.S.'s nose in the ever-escalating contest for oil.

Make no mistake about it: In the wake of China's surging demand for energy, the scramble for the oil is a high-stakes contest, and the timing couldn't be worse because major oil fields around the globe are already in decline, with no new discoveries to replace them.

Here's just a small sampling of the grim news:

* Texan oil fields hit peak production decades ago.

* Next was the North Sea, now depleting at about 15% per year.

* Last year, Kuwait admitted its super-giant Burgan oil field was in decline.

* Mexico confessed that its super-giant Cantarell oil field is in an irreversible decline.

* The U.S. has no significant active oil exploration program to increase domestic production. And though the House of Reps voted to end the moratorium on offshore drilling, even if it becomes legally possible, it will take years to get a full-scale drilling program in place.

India Gobbles Up Metals

India is the de-facto back office to the world. Since Y2K, the citizens of India have been building call centers, office towers, technology parks, and corporate campuses at breakneck speed.

To keep attracting those lucrative overseas contracts, however, India must continue to bring its inadequate infrastructure up to speed. An estimated $21 billion a year for the next 10 years is going into construction of highways, dams, water treatment plants, and nuclear energy facilities.

And as India solves its basic infrastructure problems such as reliable electrical power and transportation systems, its demand for resources is shooting up exponentially.

And just like China, India — population 1.1 billion — has a middle class that wants its share of the good life. With all the good jobs imported from overseas, young Indian workers are snatching up consumer goods, electronics, and gold and silver jewelry — driving up demand for precious and industrial metals even further.

China and India are just two of the four BRIC nations (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) that represent a formidable economic force. The BRIC economies' share of world growth is projected to double in less than 20 years, reaching over 40% by 2025.

And throughout Southeast Asia, increasing economic growth rates are ramping up demand for resources.

Got A Spare Planet (or Two or Three), Anyone?

According to The Worldwatch Institute, if China and India were to consume resources at the current U.S. per capita level, it would require two planet Earths just to sustain their economies.

I calculate that if other nations wanted to live the same way, we'd need yet another Earth. That makes four — the one we're using now, plus three more to meet escalating demand.

That's why a global struggle for resources is likely to define the 21st century.

[Kevmo]

If it weren't for the US ousting Saddam, this guy would still be feeding goats on his camel. I say sandblast him! This will give the Democrats more power. They will say, " Even the Iraqi's want us out ". I am really starting to lose faith in this investment (and don't give me crap by saying that this isn't an investment because it is), however I am in it until the end.

Agreed. It seems that ousting Saddam has really cheesed al Sadr off. We should tell him that he won and we will leave......right after we oust the current government and put all the Baathists back in power. Apparently, thats what he wants. He says we had no business coming into Iraq in the first place so lets tell him we will put it back to the status quo ante. Since we would never really make such a statement, we need to kill him a.s.a.p.

Don't worry about the Democrats cat calls for withdrawal. They're just doing what they do best, lying. They know they can get their emotional base energized to turn out and vote for defeat. They also know that they will always be forgiven and considered to be doing the correct thing, no matter what that is, by their loyal followers even if they break every campaign promise. We are not leaving Iraq, period!

[Bandito]

[quote=Kevmo;599878] Democrats... They're just doing what they do best, lying. They know they can get their emotional base energized to turn out and vote for defeat.

Implying that Democratic leaders lie to their constituents and that those constituents blindly follow makes you sound like an idiot. There is more than one party in Washington that's told a whooper or two. Get over yourself.