The surge is playing out exactly as the Baker-Hamilton Commission said it would. The "progess" in Iraq is ephemeral, if not cosmetic. As the Commission, also known as the Iraq Study Group, warned us:
"Sustained increases in U.S. troop levels would not solve the fundamental cause of violence in Iraq, which is the absence of national reconciliation. A senior American general told us that adding U.S. troops might temporarily help limit violence in a highly localized area. However, past experience indicates that the violence would simply rekindle as soon as U.S. forces are moved to another area. As another American general told us, if the Iraqi government does not make political progress, 'all the troops in the world will not provide security.' Meanwhile, America's military capacity is stretched thin: we do not have the troops or equipment to make a substantial, sustained increase in our troop presence. Increased deployments to Iraq would also necessarily hamper our ability to provide adequate resources for our efforts in Afghanistan or respond to crises around the world."
McCain, who rejected the recommendations of the the Iraq Study Group in favor of Bush's surge, continues to conflate the different warring factions into a single "enemy" acting on behalf of Iran. As his mouthpiece, Lindsay Graham, said yesterday on Fox News,
"I applaud the Maliki government for taking on Iranian-backed militia... The Iranians are killing Americans. They've aligned themselves with the Shia Mahdi army. The Badr Brigade is not the problem."
The Badr Brigade dominates Iraqi security forces so, in Graham's oversimplified view of things, the Badr Brigade is acting on behalf of the government, backed up by U.S. forces, so the Badr Brigade is not the problem.
And again, the Iraq Study Group offered a reality check which McCain and the mainstream media chose to ignore:
"The Badr Brigade is affiliated with the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), which is led by Abdul Aziz al-Hakim. The Badr Brigade has long-standing ties with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. Many Badr members have become integrated into the Iraqi police, and others play policing roles in southern Iraqi cities. While wearing the uniform of the security services, Badr fighters have targeted Sunni Arab civilians. Badr fighters have also clashed with the Mahdi Army, particularly in southern Iraq."
What lessons have Graham, McCain, Graham, Bush and all the other neocon apologists learned after five years in Iraq? Almost none.
end u.s. military involvement in iraq immediately
(oh but then the ensuing bloodbath will be blamed on the u.s.)
correct. but the bloodbath will happen sooner or later regardless of when we pull out
(oh but what about poooooor poooooor uhmurkuh's image?)
good point. have bush arrested. put him on trial in the hague for war crimes.
(oh but what good would that do bush was so honorable and dignified and reserved and just)
george w. bush is a war criminal. all that's left is the trial and the verdict and the sentencing. putting him on trial before the world will partially atone for what was done in iraq in our name and will be about the most we can do in the near future to repair the image of the u.s. worldwide.
(ohhhhh... but is it really that bad? is our image really thaaaaaaaaat bad and what does the great uhmurkuh care what everyone else thinks anyway?)
yes... it's that bad and worse and believe me... if steps are not taken to atone for this mass crime... you will care... very much... in the very near future... for the world will turn on us and not just in thought.
Fixed ideas, pat answers, and prejudice are a lot more expedient than actually thinking about things before voicing an opinion. Absolute certainty means never having to say "I was wrong".
American troops stuck in Iraq?
Ever notice when "surge" supporters keep talking about what a great idea it was and is the reason there's less violence, they never mention (1) the Sunni fighters who used to attack US forces, who are now (paid by US $$) fighting al Quaida...OR (2) the al Sadr ceasefire that had been in effect since mid 2007 that resulted in a sharp decline in sectarian murders in Baghdad?
All three together are why, until the recent Sadr militia and Iraqi govt. fighting, the carnage has declined.
1) there are MILLIONS of Iraqi civilians who are currently refugees in other countries. None of them are here, because we don't want ANY immigration that's not Mexican!
2) of those who are still in Iraq, most now live in homogeneous neighborhoods, which makes them less likely to kill someone from an opposite sect, since you've got to search him out!
I imagine historical writings will point out things like Vietnam,the U.S.S.R.'s invasion of Afghanastan,The invasion of Iraq,the Palestine /Isreal Conflict,and how,in the final analysis, utterly
stupid,costly, and pointless such events were.
I think she shed light on the fultility of early 20th century conflicts,and it remains for her successor to do the same about the 21st.
The,to me ,obvious question will be;"will all of the research and documentation do anything to improve the madness of human behavior?".
Judging from past experience,the obvious answer is"NO!!!"
"My friends, we need a second surge to quell the violence in Iraq and provide the Malicki gov't time to resolve the issues. Please be patient. We have another 95 years to go. Thank you and vote for McInsane and McBush for president."
Iran is Global Enemy Number One in the "war on terror" and is responsible for much of the destabilizing violence plaguing Iraq. This is incontestably proved by their simultaneous support-mentioned by Federer-of two warring Shiite factions: the Mahdi Army and Bader Corps; and their less obvious support of Al Qaida in Iraq-Zarqawi according to Italian and German authorities ran a European terrorist network from Tehran for many years.
McCain's conflation of Iran as public enemy number one in Iraq is on the mark as the mullahs have Sunnis fighting Shiites and Shiites fighting each other. Bush has fallen into a hopeless trap in Iraq set mainly by Iran and so far their plan to become a nuclear armed regional power while the US is mired in Iraq is-as Obama himself confessed-working out to their advantage
Iran is NOT global enemy number 1. That would be Al Quaeda as led by Osama Bin Laden!
Simultaneous support of Mahdi army and Bader Corps. I can't speak for the Bader Corps, but I knwo for a fact that Iran is NOT supporting the Mahdi army!! In fact, the Mahdi army is simply a group of nationalists who simply want Iraq back for the Iraqis, therefore they will NEVER accept support from Iran!!
Al Quaeda in Iraq.... let's see, there are almost 100 of them now!
If there is no connection between the Mahdi Army and the mullahs what is Al Sare doing in Iran taking a crash course in becoming an Ayatollah? The mullahs are grooming this theo-facsist thug for big things.
Fast forward almost exactly 40 years.
It is too late to stop the surge. All we can do is pay the consequences, and pray that noone decides to expand the war into Iran, like they did to Cambodia.
The people who lied to us about the need to invade Iraq are now telling us we have to stay there. Maybe it is time to question the voracity for war and violence of these same leaders.
Also, see the film, "The Trials of Henry Kissinger." The Republicans let the war go on for years, solely because if they pulled out, and Viet Nam were unstable, Richard Nixon would lose re-election. I believe that the number of people killed during that time was 20,000.
Once that total lie is fully diseminated to the american public, it will become the reason to go to war with Iran. Watch ANYONE who makes this connection, IE John McCain and Hillary Clinton. It is THE SAME TYPE of BS that got us into Iraq in the first place.
This was, is, and shall remain a war of ... Conquest. A war that was started for and which remains in quest of ... Treasure.
We should not be surprised by a maniacal attention to a singular purpose if we are dealing with maniacs. We should not be surprised at sociopathic behavior from sociopaths. Our history books are filled with tales of conquest, and we should not expect anything less bloody.
There is also a good chance that an attack on Iran is in the works. To "support the troops," one must support world conquest - beginning with those oil-rich nations such as Iraq and Venezuela. We also have Iran in our sights.
McCain and Lindsay Graham are always spouting the same old rhetoric about how safe it is in Iraq as if there is a military solution - if you kill enough people, they will roll over and give up their oil or be governed by a pro-Israeli administration. The war will go on for 100 years with everyone fighting over the greatest prize in the history of the world - the oil, gas, and water in Iraq.
North Korea has nukes - we did next to nothing. North Korea has missiles, we did next to nothing.
The U.S. military installed its first Phalanx point defense system at a base in Iraq recently. They're making noises like its meant to shoot down incoming mortar rounds, which is absurd. Both this point defense gun and installing missile defense in Europe makes sense if you expect Iran to launch itsmissiles in retribution for a major U.S. attack.
You mean that all this here War Stuff is real "complicated?"
Well lets just Win a Victory. That sounds simple enough.
Problem Solved. Back to the Ranch.
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