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Iraq | |||
General blames US for Iraq ’chaos’ | |||
2003-08-28 | |||
The former commander of Nato forces in Europe, General Wesley Clark, says American policy has "created chaos" in Iraq. A smart guy, he discovered what we already knew General Clark said the fundamental problem was the US tendency to fight states to get at "terrorists", rather than take on the "terrorists" themselves. "We may have given Osama Bin Laden the recharge he needed to rebuild his arsenal and his ranks," he told the BBC’s World Today programme. General Clark is being encouraged to become a democratic candidate for next year’s presidential election, but has not yet announced if he will stand. His criticisms coincided with a warning from the US administrator in Iraq, Paul Bremer, that the country would need tens of billions of dollars to rebuild its shattered infrastructure. The bill to overhaul essential services would reach almost $30bn, on top of the estimated $1bn per week the US already spends on its forces in Iraq, he said. Should be no problem, isn’t that the so-called amount saved by Turkey’s refusing? President George W Bush has pledged "no retreat" in Iraq, saying US-led forces are making good progress in restoring order and insisting Iraq is part of the wider war on terror. I wonder which part that is, Felluce? But General Clark expressed reservations about waging war on a country that he did not believe was "particularly linked to terrorism" or an "imminent danger". He said the war should have resulted in restored Iraqi relations with the UN and Nato, finding weapons of mass destruction and ensuring Iraq would "not become a hotbed of international terrorism". What, you @!# democrat! You call Bush and Powell liars, I saw Powell showing enough valuable proof on satellite photos! "We are drawing in terrorists. We have created chaos in Iraq," he said. Uhhhm, blame it on the Turks, with a northern front this wouldn’t have happened America should have concentrated its efforts on the "fundamental problem" of fighting "terrorism", he argued. "What I have seen again and again is a tendency to want to attack states to get at terrorists rather than dealing with the harder problem of getting the terrorists themselves."
???, give back the oil? Never, our fight on terror will continue "no retreat!" General Clark said he would announce in the coming days if he would stand as a democratic candidate in next year’s presidential elections. The situation in Iraq is fast becoming an issue for next year’s presidential election, the BBC’s Justin Webb reports from Washington. Mr Bush’s speeches have been branded "empty rhetoric" by opposition candidates, and his popularity ratings have fallen.
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Posted by:Murat |
#18 I'm not a Clark fan, but expect he will be used by the Dem's as a VP candidate for credibility as "strong on defense" I bet he has a horde of medals awarded for his performance in staff roles or medals that his XO wrote the justification for. I don't get the Kerry as a "War Hero" deal. Didn't he destroy or discard his medals in a war protester. Seems like you have to adopt either the "Hero" or "Protester" persona and kind of stick with one or the other. |
Posted by: Super Hose 2003-8-28 9:25:41 PM |
#17 The man--and I use that term lightly when referring to Clark--was fired by Clinton for being a military fuck-up. And we're supposed to accept this assclown as a credible source on ANY subject? Please. I'll take the word of our soldiers and not the anti-American BBC or a Turk with a known hatred of my nation, or any nation that isn't bending over and taking it in the rear from the frothing Muslim jihadi hoardes. |
Posted by: Celissa 2003-8-28 5:50:02 PM |
#16 One final link, Murat. USA Today the money quote: No one is keeping economic statistics now. But consider the Al-Rewad Exchange in Baghdad, one of dozens of firms that will wire money into and out of the country. Omar Tabra, a heavy-set man who presides over the business, says $6 million in cash is moving through the operation every day, evenly split between incoming and outgoing transfers. |
Posted by: Chuck Simmins 2003-8-28 4:28:37 PM |
#15 The problem is, Frank G, that you don't know it's a Murat until you get to the bottom. The first three comments were kind of cryptic (or uninformative, if you like). When I got to the fourth one I thought, "Hey, this is bullshit! Must be Murat." And so it proved. But I wasted entire seconds of my life finding that out. |
Posted by: Angie Schultz 2003-8-28 4:26:59 PM |
#14 General Clark is being encouraged to become a democratic candidate for next year’s presidential election Well there's your explanation right there. You can't be a democratic candidate while praising Bush at the same time. |
Posted by: Raphael 2003-8-28 4:04:30 PM |
#13 I think it's appropriate to mention that General Clark was fired from his position as head of NATO because he screwed up the Kosovo operation so bad, and had no backup plan when the primary (air interdiction) proved to be a fiasco. The direct result of his mis-calculation was the deaths of about 20,000 people. I wouldn't follow this "general" to the bathroom. |
Posted by: Old Patriot 2003-8-28 4:00:57 PM |
#12 I shall take Cyber Sarge's word, and the known record of CNN, BBC, and Al Jazeera, over your Fatwatical Assertion That You Utter The Truth, Murat. SOP: Declare your opponent's news sources as FALSE, your own as the TRUTH, and try to sound convincing. When this happens, the red flag goes up that this guy DOES NOT WANT YOU to think on your own, go anywhere else for possible contradictory information, or draw any other conclusions. The proof of the pudding will be in any successes and failures based on any actions one takes in response to whoever they believe. General Clark's record speaks for himself: If following his own advice didn't help him that much, it certainly won't help me if I follow it. It is interesting to note that you can glean useful information from any data source. The Kicker is that the data source may be displeased that you may get information from them that isn't what they INTENDED you to get (such as the nature, alignment, or reliability of the data source for starters). Its a form of deconstruction, although in the old days it was called a BS detector. Right now, I'm learning more about Murat than he'd probably prefer. |
Posted by: Ptah 2003-8-28 1:26:27 PM |
#11 --The situation in Iraq is fast becoming an issue for next year’s presidential election, the BBC’s Justin Webb reports from Washington.--- And the BBC knows. Why, they'd never lie or "sex up" a story, would they??? |
Posted by: Anonymous 2003-8-28 1:19:37 PM |
#10 Wesley Clark -- the Democrats idea of what a general should be. Pathetic. |
Posted by: Ned 2003-8-28 11:53:41 AM |
#9 Sneller, I actually met Clark during the Kosovo FIASCO and he is a wimp! If we had him in charge, the ground war would begin in about three months. We did things right in Iraq (vis-a-vis bombing) and Clark is just pissed that he never got a chance to WIN a war (Kosovo was/is not a WIN). None of the current crop on 'Monday Morning Gernerals' can honestly defend that the war was not a HUGE Victory. This rabble that are bombing and shooting since the end will not be around for much longer. I hope he does join the race, that would make the 2004 Election so much sweeter. Note: Clark is not exactly someone that can pump up a crowd (trust me). |
Posted by: Cyber Sarge (VRWC CA Chapter) 2003-8-28 11:53:16 AM |
#8 *John* Wesley Clark? sorry -- must have been channeling Pete Seeger or something... He's just Wesley (the kid from ST:TNG). |
Posted by: snellenr 2003-8-28 11:50:35 AM |
#7 Incidentally, a useful link on the number of deaths in Iraq can be found here, wherein the author points out that there have been only 63 *combat* deaths since May 1 (the rest have been accidental). |
Posted by: snellenr 2003-8-28 11:39:45 AM |
#6 Re: "John Wesley Clark" -- how bad a general are you if you get fired by Bill Clinton for being a wimp? (BTW - I read his book, and the subtitle should have been "Mom, those guys are being mean to me!") |
Posted by: snellenr 2003-8-28 11:36:17 AM |
#5 Chuck, Frank close your eyes on my postings fine, also close it on the BBC etc. In fact you may lock yourself up in your bombshelter and shut down your TV and PC. Focus your mind only at your own perceived "truth" and go for it, America is doing well on all points. :) |
Posted by: Murat 2003-8-28 11:27:07 AM |
#4 Chuck, Murat is like Tony Foresta at Bill Quicks' site - scroll through the dirt and you won't get any on ya |
Posted by: Frank G 2003-8-28 11:22:06 AM |
#3 Fred, when does Murat reach his limit? ------------------------------------------- 101st-sponsored clinic opens in Zumar -------------------------- Humanitarian assistance to Iraqi orphanage ------------------------------------------ TO ALL: Most interesting. This is a response to a message that said rules of engagement (ROE) were causing Army deaths and did not apply to the Marines.The Braden Files via Howard Veit --------------------------------------------- Any Credibility that Al Jazeera may have had before today has been smashed. Today a demonstration was to be held to demand the release of an Imam who was a close personal friend of Saddam and used his Mosque to store weapons and as a Refuge for Baath Party members. The Demonstration was to be broadcast live on the Arab News Network and they wanted to get real exclusive News. They wanted Americans to fire on the crowds. In order to ensure that we would, they PAID people to carry weapons in the crowd and to fire them at us in order to provoke a Violent Response from US troops.From Great Sage on location in Iraq. Via el Jefe, Glenn |
Posted by: Chuck Simmins 2003-8-28 11:10:16 AM |
#2 "What I have seen again and again is a tendency to want to attack states to get at terrorists rather than dealing with the harder problem of getting the terrorists themselves." Because, of course, the terrorists exist independently of, and outside of, states. How did this guy make general? Ass-kissing? |
Posted by: Robert Crawford 2003-8-28 11:10:01 AM |
#1 Seems to be a pattern: Dems going to overseas media outlets to criticize the U.S. actions? Don't they know we're gonna hear about it - from aholes like the BBC? Clark's an ass - actually got fired by Clinton for the Russian fiasco at the airport..perfect for Hillary's VP |
Posted by: Frank G 2003-8-28 11:03:55 AM |