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Iraq
General Pace sez Body Counts Not Important
2005-11-09
Security - not body counts - is the true measure of success in Iraq, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Nov. 7 on PBS' "The NewsHour With Lehrer."

Marine Gen. Peter Pace said Iraqis providing security to Iraqis is the true measure of success. "This is not about killing of people," he said. "It is about providing security for people."

Pace said it would be a mistake for people to start counting bodies of insurgents and foreign fighters. He said that would send the wrong message to both American troops and Iraqi civilians. "Anyone who, in the past, has been counting bodies has been presenting the wrong measure of success," Pace said.

The general said the correct measure of coalition and Iraqi success is how much of the country is being controlled by coalition forces - especially Iraqi forces. Pace said that even as he spoke, an Iraqi division, four Iraqi brigades, and 24 Iraqi battalions were "taking over responsibility for various sectors of the country."

And they will get another opportunity as operations in and around Husaybah, near Iraq's border with Syria, continue. Some 2,500 Marines and 1,000 Iraqi troops are conducting operations in the city of 30,000. The idea is that once the coalition forces establish security in the city, the Iraqis will remain and maintain that security.

"We measure success of this operation by how quickly we are able to establish Iraqi government control of the area, and we measure success by watching as time goes on the ability of the Iraqi armed forces and the Iraqi police to continue to provide that security," Pace said.
Posted by:Bobby

#6  Gotta be nice for the Lefties to unilaterally and unconditionally decide they are uniquely entitled to any each and all the Rights, Priveleges, Benefits, and Purviews, etc. of American citizenship + Public Citizenship despite refusing to fight for their Govt., Nation, and Society, despit4 refusing to put their lives and theirs on the line like their friends and neighbors - YOU KNOW, THE REASON WHY AMERICA WON WW1 + WW2 + COLD WAR!? America and only America must wage war while NOT punishing or making demands on that portion of its population/society that refuses to fight - YOU KNOW, HOW RUSSIA-CHINA DOES IT!? CANTONIZATION = ENCLAVIZATION = MORMONIZATION is for America and only America, but NOT and NEVER to be demanded upon Russia-China or any of World Socialism - they know it doesn't work, ergo America must adopt it anyways. be it voluntarily andor forcibly!?
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2005-11-09 23:19  

#5  Only body counts that are important are indited and convicted Democrats who leak classified information to the press.
Posted by: FlameBait   2005-11-09 22:23  

#4  If we don't know how many hard boys won their 72 virgin goats and donkeys, we don't know how many drinks to take.
Posted by: Silentbrick   2005-11-09 20:23  

#3  I'd love to hear a good estimate.
Posted by: Clang Graigum2388   2005-11-09 16:17  

#2  Body Counts may not be a measure of our success, but it is a damn good measure of terrorist failure.
Posted by: Penguin   2005-11-09 15:36  

#1  Big gap in intellect and spine composition here.

Pace has a solid intellect and a spine of steel.

Folks on PBS have jelly spines and pin head intellect.

Be careful of a Marine on mission, PBS.
Posted by: Captain America   2005-11-09 13:25  

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