Beginning of the End in Iraq?

[VetsandVettes]

Interesting connotations...

WASHINGTON - The first Muslim member of Congress says the solution to Iraq lies in an immediate withdrawal of military forces and focusing instead on political and diplomatic efforts.
“We could describe it as a redeployment or withdrawal, but I think we have run the course in terms of our ability to resolve this conflict militarily,” said Rep. Keith Ellison, a freshman Minnesota Democrat.
“I think we need to have a political and economic and diplomatic engagement, and we need to encourage the forces that are in Iraq to begin to resolve the violence in Iraq,” Ellison said Tuesday during an interview with The Associated Press.

[Pandy]

The way I look at it, we withdraw with camo helmets, we're coming back with blue helmets. The civil war that will blow up when we leave will FORCE the UN to take action. If you think it's bad now, watch when we withdraw.

[VetsandVettes]

WASHINGTON - President Bush will tell the nation Wednesday night he will send more than 20,000 additional American forces to Iraq, acknowledging that it had been a mistake earlier not to have more American and Iraqi troops fighting the war, a senior administration official said.
Seeking support for a retooled strategy to win support for the unpopular war, the president also will acknowledge that the rules of engagement were flawed, White House counselor Dan Bartlett said.
Even before Bush’s speaks, Democrats were laying plans to register their opposition to the troop buildup. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi pledged to hold a vote on the increase, trying to isolate Bush on his handling of the war.

[Argyll]

20,000 troops, I wonder how many of them are front line combat troops, and not Pogues?

[NewsMan]

20,000 troops, I wonder how many of them are front line combat troops, and not Pogues?

Looks like combat regiments... but as you know, the standard is about 6:1 in favor of pogues.

[VetsandVettes]

The problem is that the Iraqis will sit back and let the US do the fighting and dying while they rob the place blind. Just like South Vietnam, who were selling US tanks and planes to the North. Tell tham to get off their asses, the US is pulling out on (insert date here)!

NEWSWEEK: Based on what you heard as a member of the Iraq Study Group, what do you think will be the impact of an increase of U.S. troops and resources into Iraq?
LEON PANETTA: I think it’s sending the wrong message to the Iraqis. I think one of the things we did as a group was kind of look at the realities of what was happening there: the spiraling violence; the fact that the government was not implementing the reforms they said they would do; the unreliability of the Iraqi Army and police. When we tried to increase troop strength in Baghdad with Operation Forward Together [the failed attempt to secure Baghdad with more troops last year], the Iraqis only sent two of six promised battalions to help. Ultimately we did the clearing and nobody did the holding. It was clear to all of us that a very tough and unambiguous message had to be sent to the Iraqis that we would not give an open-ended commitment … What concerns me is the president’s message isn’t going to make that clear, and that if the Iraqis fail to unite, there will be no consequences.

[chaz]

WASHINGTON - The first Muslim member of Congress says the solution to Iraq lies in an immediate withdrawal of military forces and focusing instead on political and diplomatic efforts.


....blah,blah,blah......................
“
, and we need to encourage the forces that are in Iraq to begin to resolve the violence in Iraq,” Ellison said Tuesday during an interview with The Associated Press.

Wow!!!! What a great idea.


{what a dip}

[Jobu]

Suddenly this guy who has been in Congress a grand total of 1 week is an expert?

rofl

[Belrick]

October the 11th 2002 congress approves Bush's invasion if SH refuses to give up WMD conjured up by the imagination of GWB by 296-133.

""The Congress has spoken clearly to the international community and the United Nations Security Council," Bush said in a statement. "Saddam Hussein and his outlaw regime pose a grave threat to the region, the world and the United States. Inaction is not an option, disarmament is a must." "


Yes the long serving members of congress certainly served Americans well with there expertise that insisted that GWB actually provide evidence to support his scare mongering propaganda.

[Jobu]

Yes the long serving members of congress certainly served Americans well with there expertise that insisted that GWB actually provide evidence to support his scare mongering propaganda.

He didn't have to. Those same members of Congress, the CIA, and the previous administration had everyone already convinced the WMD stockpiles still existed.

[2Sheds_Jackson]

Interesting connotations...

WASHINGTON - The first Muslim member of Congress says the solution to Iraq lies in an immediate withdrawal of military forces and focusing instead on political and diplomatic efforts.
“We could describe it as a redeployment or withdrawal, but I think we have run the course in terms of our ability to resolve this conflict militarily,” said Rep. Keith Ellison, a freshman Minnesota Democrat.
“I think we need to have a political and economic and diplomatic engagement, and we need to encourage the forces that are in Iraq to begin to resolve the violence in Iraq,” Ellison said Tuesday during an interview with The Associated Press.

I forgot to bring my Utter BS DoubleSpeak to English conversion dictionary today - I wonder if Mr. Ellison can tell us exactly what this means. It's a collection of pleasant sounding words, that are placed near each other in a sentence, yet they have absolutely no applicability here. Who are we supposed to politically and economically engage with? The side that's standing atop the resulting body pile? And since whomever comes out on top will have been the most brutal, how will that be any better than shaking hands with Saddam - which is one of the ways we wound up here in the first place. I often wonder what's it's like, living in the gumdrop fairyland that some of these people exist in. I bet if he was being ass-raped he'd say something to his attacker along the lines of "I'd like to open a constructive dialog with you regarding your recent expressed interest in my nether regions"

[dangerclose]

When dialogue fails ... we just have to do more dialoguing.

[VetsandVettes]

The first MUSLIM memebr of congress....
Nuke 'em isn't likely in his vocabulary.

[Argyll]

When dialogue fails ... we just have to do more dialoguing.


Why would you have to chop down more trees?........(Die-a-log)

I don't think the increase in troops will solve anything long term, it'll bust up a few cells, create a few Martyrs and sadly some of them(US) will not be coming home alive.

The people of Iraq are the only ones who can change it, but there's still alot of mistrust between Sunni's and Shia's when it comes to their Law Enforcement and Military.......ie the "death squads".

[2Sheds_Jackson]

Why would you have to chop down more trees?........(Die-a-log)



Oh. My. God. I think, in fairness, you really should perform a temporary self-suspension over that. And I don't mean the kind the dude from INXS did.

Look out y'alls - bad mod jokes in the house. :)

[buttchowder]

I hope that this surge provides enough security for Baghdad to be stable for at least a month or so. I know that the militias will just melt away, but maybe in the planned six-month period, we can seriously upgrade the Iraqi Army and make progress politcally. That way, the the militias reappear, the Iraqis and us can stop them.

[Belrick]

He didn't have to. Those same members of Congress, the CIA, and the previous administration had everyone already convinced the WMD stockpiles still existed.


Not everyone. Pretty sure my memorys correct in telling me that almost the entire rest of the world thought it was BS.

[Lt. James Anderson]

Most people in my unit that had a brain thought it was BS. And it was! The goal was to take out Saddam and that was achieved.

[ElHombre]

Most people in my unit that had a brain thought it was BS. And it was! The goal was to take out Saddam and that was achieved.

But nothing was planned for filling the hole his removal created. That was a monumental failure of planning of the first order. Its failure has made the whole region far more dangerous to US interests and cost thousands their lives.

[VetsandVettes]

The US can't win on it's own, period.

CAIRO, Egypt (AP) - U.S. President George W. Bush's new strategy to send thousands of more troops to Iraq was met with harsh skepticism across the Mideast on Thursday where many predicted that even with more soldiers, America would fail at breaking the cycle of violence.
Many analysts said instead of quelling the fighting, sending more troops into Iraq would just increase the number of causalities and continue to divide the war-fractured country.
"Whatever the size of the troops, as long as this is a war between a regular army, in the face of gang-style militant groups, Americans will fail," said Galal Nassar, a fellow with the Nasser Military Academy in Egypt.
Bush said o