After Five Years: the Iraqi Government No Where Near in Control

On Sunday, Secretary Gates appeared on CBS's Face the Nation and said, "Eight provinces in Iraq are already under provincial control, where there are either no coalition forces or they are...not involved in combat."

Iraq is divided into 18 provinces and has an estimated population of 27.5 million people. The U.S. has transferred control of 8 provinces to Iraqi Government control.

While the administration applauds this statistic as "progress being made," they leave out the fact that these 8 provinces have a combined population of only 6.5 million people.

After five years, more than 4,000 American lives lost, and over $535 billion spent, less than 25% of the Iraqi population is under Iraqi control.

The American people deserve more than "progress is being made" rhetoric. They deserve the facts.

Comments

[CitizenLegislatorCC]

And yet, Rep. Murtha, you and the president fundamentally agree, do you not?

Are you prepared to say that "protecting the American people" is NOT the primary duty of the president or Members of Congress?

Because however much you and he choose to ignore it, to "preserve, protect and defend the CONSTITUTION" of the United States while "faithfully executing the office of President" is his job and to "support and defend the CONSTITUTION... and bear full faith and allegiance to the same..." is your overriding duty as a federal legislator acting on our behalf, according to your oaths of office.

What's the big deal about ignoring the LIMITS of Constitutional power in favor of having fun with "national security" contracts, military deployments of our standing army, spying, and the associated secrecy in government?

Only everything that differentiates a dictatorial empire from a constitutional Republic, that's all.

Your oath to the Constitution is there to ensure that you uphold the RULE OF LAW in ALL you do - whether it's authorizing and fighting world wars or defeating stateless terrorism.

When you wander off the reservation to put an undefined and unachievable nirvana state of "national security" ABOVE the rule of law, you have EXCEEDED the limits of your Constitutional authority, and fostered the emergence of the sort of lawless Executive Branch with which we are all now confronted - none more brutally than the innocent human beings desperately trying to survive in their native Iraq.

[peterg76]

They never meant for the Iraqis to be in control until after all the oil had been stolen. Mission accomplished!

[Mormondude]

After 2 years, Democrats are nowhere near ending the war in Iraq...

[ReasonIsMyReligion]

How do YOU spell filibuster, let alone veto.
Fercrissakes.

[scooperss]

And do you also accept your blame in this debacle? As a member of Congress you have the power to DO SOMETHING and I don't mean write pretty blogs on Huffpo blaming everyone else when you and your buddies in Congress are part of the problem. You voted for this without investigation and now YOU keep funding it even though you know it's Iraqi fighting against Iraqi who in turn band together to fight American soldiers. Shame on YOU.

[JimReed]

Iraq's problem is they are under occupation. They need a strategy to regain control over their country. The current strategy of keeping things a mess until we leave is probably their best hope. If they allow our puppet government to get real control, we will never leave, at least not as long as we see a potential financial benefit from controlling their country and the region.

Meanwhile back at the ranch, this war will keep our country divided until we leave that country. You aren't running for president, so why not speak out in congress and tell them and us what we need to hear? Our army is not protecting America, they are making us less safe by starting wars that are recruiting a world full of people to oppose us, and rightly so. Our troops are not spreading democracy, you can't do that through starting wars. I know the soldiers are not responsible and they are just following orders, but that doesn't change the facts. They are not doing us any good, in fact they are harming America in the long run.

[mjjcpa]

I agree that the Iraqi government has not met it's goals, but one needs to remember that it took America over a decade to write the Constitution after the Revolution and we still had a civil war 3/4 of a century later.

What the rep doesn't point out is that they have accomplished much more than our do nothing 'worst-in-history' congress. No spending bills, judges, compromises or inititiatives except for the new record of earmarks after they claimed to be the party of fiscal responsibility.

[Macready]

Bravo mjjcpa . . thank you for posting . . . well said . . . Congress has no right to blame the Iraqi's . . . America illegally invaded a sovereign country . . . based on lies .. . America is the problem and our military presence is actually causing more harm to the Iraqi's . . . blaming the victim is sick and weak . . . all the right intelligence indicated what would happen . . . but Congress backed the lying pieces of garbage . . . the chimp and the big dick

[realpolitic]

What planet are you? Those all are GOP talking points. If you would like to analogize to our revolutionary war, it would be like our colonies were occupied by the French after they helped us win the war against the British. The French would say they were going to establish large, permanent military bases and help us write our constitution. They would randomly arrest our citizens in the night and fire on anyone who approached too closely. We, like the Iraqis, would have immediately turned our attention to fighting them.

Regarding our congress, Republicans chose an obstructionist strategy. Our situation and the one in Iraq with sectarian divisions, corruption, and an ineffective government that works closely with the Iranians have little to do with one another.

[Montanamotor]

The Iraq war is not a WAR - it's an OCCUPATION. You can't WIN an OCCUPATION. But you can LEAVE an occupated country IMMEDIATELY, once your country has decided that, it's not worth, to continue the OCCUPATION. Sometimes, giving things their real name back, clarifies things a lot.

End the OCCUPATION of Iraq.

[Rumplestiltskin]

Thank you congressman for the money you earmarked for "The Center for Instrumented Critical Infrastructure". I sleep better ever night kowing my tax money is going towards this worthy enterprise. What is it they do again?

[Sundialsvc4]

The Nuremberg Principles (which we wrote...) clearly show the actions of this Administration to be war crimes. Unfortunately, sir, you too are a part. Not only can it be said that you "knew or should have known of" the crimes, you yourself voted to enable them.

Impeach. Now.

[TheMisfortuneTeller]

Congressman Murtha, as a victim/veteran of the Nixon-Kissinger Fig Leaf Contingent (Vietnam 1970-1972) I have no patience with your continued funding -- after five years -- of one predictable, off-the-books "emergency" after another. Also, please stop blaming the Iraqi people for the colossal crimes that America has committed against them by invading and occupying their country. You can stop this madness this year if you really want to do something effective instead of just blathering and blaming others.

First, since all funding bills must originate in the House, simply orignate no "emergency" funding bill for military operations in Iraq. Deputy Dubya Bush cannot veto a bill that doesn't exist and the Senate cannot filibuster a bill that does not exist. Simply let no bill exist and no funding will ever exist, and that settles the issue. Inform the President that the American people have better uses for the tax dollars and that he has six months to withdraw all American military forces from Iraq or face impeachment along with Vice President Cheney. As "commander in chief," let HIM figure out how to withdraw the troops. Surely he can find at least one general who knows how.

This illegal and irresponsible war of lies began on Deputy Dubya's watch and it needs to end on his watch. Don't let Cheney and Bush pass the buck to President Obama!

[CaseyBabes]

Ah, another contribution from the faux Vietnam vets' brigade extolling the usual looney left balderdash, soiling the path of those of us who really did serve there. Perhaps you must have lost your place at the DC Vietnam Mermorial selling trinkets of your "memories of 'Nam." No wonder the stigma remains upon Vietnam vets derived from the longtime presence of those constantly besmirching this country's intent, purpose and honor. (Your "surely he can find at least one general who knows how" gives you away.)

[TheMisfortuneTeller]

If you really did "serve" in Vietnam, I wouldn't have to explain the obvious insanity of Warfare Welfare and Makework Militarism in Iraq to you. Furthermore, I have no stigma attached to my honorable -- although unwilling and fruitless -- indentured servitude as an interprete­r/translat­or at Cam Ranh Bay and Nam Can (a.k.a., "Solid Anchor") in the now defunct Republic of Vietnam. I certainly accept none from the likes of you. If you wish to cast any aspersions upon my "honest and faithful service" then you can just as well shove them up your smug ass where they can more comfortably cohabit with Representative Murtha's "support the troops" bleating.

Congressman Murtha helped a known idiot and AWOL Air National Guardsman lie America into a strategic disaster evern worse than Vietnam. Now he wants to whine about his own helplessness because he would rather see more Americans and Iraqis die needlessly than subject the chief perpetrators of this monstrous crime to justice. He never learned one damn thing of value from Vietnam, and apparently neither did you.

[Torus34]

While we're looking at statistics, consider the following:

The Iraq war is expensive. A very conservative estimate would put it at, say, $1 trillion if we closed it out now. There are [or were] about 28 million Iraquis. Simple long division puts the war cost at about $35 thousand/Iraqui.

Wouldn't it have been cheaper to simply buy them all off and keep the US Army at home?

[sassafra]

rep. murtha. while i thank you for your piece, you're not telling anyone here anything we don't already know.
we elected you democrats to *stop* this insanity.
would you please sir, just tell pelosi to stop *scheduling* appropriations bills for the war?
just do it.

[ResidentChimp]

If we only had Murtha back at Valley Forge. We could still be British subjects.

[Rog49Thomas]

If we had only had Pan and Cheney then, we would have declared war on Spain to secure our independence.

[ReasonIsMyReligion]

Heh.

[Viper]

Unfortunatley, Mc Cain is free to spin how good things are going over there... not that we are buying off militias and arming them... or that fully half of iraq is under militias controled by Iran, headed by Iraq s who like the Prime Minister spent much of the last decade in iran.

Instead we have spin from Hilary about what Bitter People means in closed down factory towns through the U.S.... while we import everythjing from China or anywhere else they pay less than a dollar a day ( and charge on our goods a 10 time hiogher tarriff) and borrow from a Communist country to stay a float... yep a real super power and I'm way past bitter... I'm pissed off and God nor my guns help!


Regards




Regards

[ReasonIsMyReligion]

If only RC had been on Apollo 13, they would have stayed the original course.

[realpolitic]

So you think dissent shows lack of patriotism? You have been brainwashed!

[Rog49Thomas]

Brother Murtha, that is of course the plan.

And one of the reasons for 2003.

[Errour]

We're getting worse at critical thinking, Mr. Murtha. We keep electing incompetent officials and then we keep letting them dupe us. We're not fighting for the enforcement of our fundamental laws at home. We let ourselves be distracted from large issues by a media which sustains itself by marketing trivia. We do need your insight and your perspective, and we need more members of Congress engaged in trying to save this nation from its lethargy and its complacency. When the national administration, the military, or anyone else in government lies to us, we need to be told. We need courageous leadership if we are to make an appropriate response to the liars and frauds who have put us into an impossible situation. Thank you.

[ReasonIsMyReligion]

And thank you again.