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| Iraq |
| General takes centre stage in political battle |
| 2006-11-18 |
| The testimony of General John Abizaid, the head of US forces in the Middle East, before the Senate Armed Services Committee was dramatic and clear: any timetable for a withdrawal of US forces from Iraq would be a disaster. He seemed to confirm the view of many that George Bush, who has insisted that he will be guided by his military commanders on Iraq strategy, means it when he says there will be no withdrawal of US forces in the near future. And it showed that the Democrats, despite their big victory in the mid-term elections, are unlikely to get far with their demand for a US withdrawal starting in four to six months. McCain said he was distressed that Abizaid was advocating a "status quo" position that had been rejected by the American people. Abizaid insisted he was doing no such thing. More troops were needed in Iraq, but they should be Iraqi troops. |
| Posted by: KBK |
| #7 LUCIANNE.com via CNS.com > Abizhaid says wntire world will face realistic prospect of NEW WORLD WAR unless Radical Islam is stopped, espec if current sectarianism in IRAQ goes unchecked, thus US pullout for any reason could result in de facto worldwide/global disaster. AL-JAZEERA > WHAT ARE FOUR US CARRIERS DOING IN PERSIAN GULF? Scholar > IRAN WANTS TO KILL US [AMERICANS]. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2006-11-18 23:54 |
| #6 On second thought, maybe it's better if we don't have an underline button. If Joe finds it, it will be even harder to figure out what he's trying to say. :-) |
| Posted by: gorb 2006-11-18 22:55 |
| #5 "We can't worry about the 24-hour news cycle; we've got to worry about where we come out in history," he said. You F-ing better start worrying about it. That's what's hurting you the most! Appoint someone to worry about it for you if you need to! A few million spent on establising and stocking an internet site can reap all kinds of dividends. The media is doing it. Al-Q is doing it, so is Hamas, Hezb'Allah, and on and on. The terrorists have to spend their time, money, and energy wisely, why can't you? DUH! Now where's the underline button? |
| Posted by: gorb 2006-11-18 22:53 |
| #4 I posted the Oz article because it was more balanced than the Boston Globe report on his speech yesterday: Abizaid, addressing academics, students, and members of the military at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, recognized the reality of souring public opinion in America about the war, but hastened to add, "We have not failed yet." "I think we can win this fight," he said. "I think we are winning this fight." Sarah Sewall, director of the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy, which sponsored the talk, introduced the general. She described Abizaid's "uniquely valuable perspective" and cautioned against blaming military leaders for executing decisions made by political leaders. Referring to the way the Vietnam War polarized the country and crippled the military, she said: "We have been down that road before." At his address at the Kennedy School forum, Abizaid was asked on several occasions why American public opinion had turned so decidedly against the war, and he consistently said that the despair he felt in Washington was not reflected in the field among American or Iraqi soldiers and officials. He pointedly blamed the American media for its criticism of the US military in Iraq and said coverage of the war had led to the perception of a failed policy. "We can't worry about the 24-hour news cycle; we've got to worry about where we come out in history," he said. "We absolutely are in the stage where we have got to make this work," he said. "We need to start having better effect against the sectarian violence within six months." Abizaid said the stakes were high in Iraq and in the global struggle against the rise of violent Islamic extremism, which he has dubbed "the long war." "I believe our failure to address the major problems of extremism can lead to World War III," he said. At the end of a grueling week in which he was barraged on Wednesday by the Senate Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill with questions and criticism about the war, Abizaid joked with the audience about why he wore camouflage fatigues instead of his green dress uniform for the evening. "I usually wear my green uniform," he said to a polite round of laughter. "But there was so much blood on it, I had to come in this uniform." As he spoke, a knot of several dozen protesters gathered outside the gates of the Kennedy School. As Abizaid prepared to exit, the crowd chanted louder: "Abizaid is a liar. No more war for empire." "Put on the shields, boys," Abizaid quipped to his fellow officers as they bounded into the vehicle and drove through the crowd. One of the protesters, Nick Giannone, 31, of Quincy, who works for Boilermakers Union Local 906, said: "I am against this war. I came here to remind the world that Abizaid has a lot of blood on his hands." |
| Posted by: KBK 2006-11-18 22:39 |
| #3 McCain said he was distressed that Abizaid was advocating a "status quo" position that had been rejected by the American people I'll bet McCain had to think long and hard about how he was going to express this. W has been saying this because his top military have been saying it. If that's the definition of "status quo", so be it. |
| Posted by: gorb 2006-11-18 21:15 |
| #2 But the point is, if the generals can't find a way to move forward in Iraq starting now, then the Democratic stance gains validity and they win. A pullout will be the only option left. |
| Posted by: MU 2006-11-18 21:12 |
| #1 This has been going on for several days. The story has been in so many newspapers and such that the Democrats are going to find themselves unavoidably and publically hoist by their own petard. And it couldn't happen to a more deserving bunch. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2006-11-18 21:08 |