[AnimalMuppet]

The problem is, we wanted to do Iraq and Afghanistan and get out. If we had done a Marshall Plan in Iraq, we would have had maybe 100,000 troops there for a decade, but it would have been stable when we left.

[mmjaa]

The problem is, you thought it was acceptable to be there in the first place.

Fuck, its 2017, are we really still explaining this? Of course we are. We must.

[pyrale]

> we would have had maybe 100,000 troops there for a decade

The US has had north of 100k troops in Iraq for 7 years, then about 50k for 3 more years.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq_War_troop_surge_of_2007#/...

[jlgaddis]

The U.S. doesn't leave. Pretty much any where we send troops, we tend to set up bases there and remain indefinitely.

Just look at Germany, Japan, Korea, Iraq, ...