Gates to Petraeus: "Iraqi Freedom" to Become "New Dawn"

National Security high-tech intel expert Christopher Tucker -- who probably will run the CIA one day -- sent me this bit of interesting news.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates has agreed to General David Petraeus' request to change "Operation Iraqi Freedom" to "Operation New Dawn."

The change goes into effect on September 1, 2010.

It sounds a little like "Mission Accomplished" -- but this time, maybe a good chunk of soldiers really will be pulled back home.

Here is the text of the letter:

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE 1000 DEFENSE PENTAGON WASHINGTON, DC 20301-1000

MEMORANDUM FOR THE COMMANDER, U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND

SUBJECT: Request to Change the Name of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM to Operation NEW DAWN

The requested operation name change is approved to take effect 1 September 2010, coinciding with the change of mission for U.S. forces in Iraq. Aligning the name change with the change of mission sends a strong signal that Operation IRAQI FREEDOM has ended and our forces are operating under a new mission. It also presents opportunities to synchronize strategic communication initiatives, reinforce our commitment to honor the Security Agreement, and recognize our evolving relationship with the Government of Iraq.

Robert M. Gates

cc: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

-- Steve Clemons publishes the popular political blog, The Washington Note. Clemons can be followed on Twitter @SCClemons

 

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Comments

[whytruthhurts]

02:22 PM on 02/20/2010

In my opinion, it is hard to believe that Iraq will ever be the same with the Shia and Sunni struggle for power will never end. American may leave but the division and the bitter enmity that the war brought between these two communities will remain for another thousands of years as Shias have continued their political fall out nearly for the last 1450 years and their political survival depends on their heretical ideology and the pain of loosing so many friends and family members for both sides will take years to forget and the reconciliation may not be possible at all.

[68Namvet]

03:51 PM on 02/20/2010

You too are buying the bullshit that we are leaving. WE ARE NOT - NOT NOW - NOT EVER - it is not in our (political) interest to leave.

[aj88]

10:45 AM on 02/20/2010

The Dawn of Islam, The New Dawn, The Five Pillars, pick up a copy of the Holy Koran. This name has been carefully selected, mission accomplished? Mission just beginning, is more like it.

[AZreb]

08:07 AM on 02/20/2010

Does a name really matter? Just get our troops out now before Iraq erupts into civil war after the elections.

[68Namvet]

12:02 PM on 02/20/2010

We didn;t build permanent bases and the largest embasy in the world there to simply pull our troops out. Trust me - won't happen. We'll be there for at least the next century - like Japan, Germany, Italy, Korea and all of the other bases of the "Great Roman er... ah... American Empire"

[davidly]

04:24 AM on 02/20/2010

New Dawn. Same Tony Orlando.

[gmb007]

02:43 AM on 02/20/2010

"I guess they think they're winning this "war". But, I still wish someone, somewhere, sometime would ask the simple question. What exactly have we won? What exactly have we achieved? What was and is the point?" ~ 68Namvet

Some wars were never meant to be "won". They're just devious covers for grasping, greedy men. What's worse, these soul-less men flaunt their massive deception wearing the mantle of patriotism, calling for righteous vengeance, offering "freedom" and prosperity to everyone! It is the worst kind of treachery. LIARS.

Seven years.

THEY have won even greater untold riches - blood money.
We have more dead heroes.

We have won nothing.
THEY are finally winning the oil they covet:

"U.S. Companies Join Race on Iraqi Oil Bonanza"
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/14/world/middleeast/14rebuild.html?scp=2&sq=Timothy%20Williams&st=cse

We knew the TRUTH all along, didn't we?

[davidly]

04:23 AM on 02/20/2010

YES WE DID!

[68Namvet]

11:56 AM on 02/20/2010

You couldn't be more correct! But, it is not the line of bullshit we were given before during and up till now by our illustrious leaders. I still want them - in their terms - to define what we are doing there. The fact that they will not speak the truth merely shows how willing they are to sacrifice our troops and treasure to maintain their lies and lifestyles of privilage and how gullible the American population is buy all of the bullshit when it is packaged as patriotism and wrapped in an American flag.

Our government - especially the Bush administration - but Obama's also - are peddelers of the lies and bullshit. They're too invested in the wonderfulness of war. War is the world they love - so they can kill, maim and torture without reguard for right or wrong. Too bad most of them didn't have the intestinal fortitude to serve themselves - just busy spitting on those of us who did.

[The Bank]

12:06 AM on 02/20/2010

Obama will technically keep his promise - we will get out of Iraq. However, we'll now simply head across the border into Iran for a well-spinned "just" war. Don't worry, all of you liberal drones will eat it up. It will be sold on moral grounds.

Don't believe me? Ever play Risk? We have them surrounded. Look at the map. Our mission is winding down considerably in Iraq and we just boosted troop totals by 30,000 in Afghanistan for no real reason. We've also significantly elevated the Iran rhetoric to war-like threats, with none other than the SOS herself playing the role of Colin Powell. Our whole mission for Iraq and Afhanistan was to gain control of precious oil and geographic resources and then destabilize Iran's theocracy and usurp ME control. It's coming folks - I guarantee it.

As an aside, our present economy means soldiers away from home have jobs. Your Yeshua isn't letting them come home anytime soon to enter this flooded market. To quote a familiar movie "We're in the killing bidness. And bidness is booming."

[oldgeek1]

10:30 PM on 02/19/2010

Well we have changed the producer, director and some of the actors, I guess a new name for the show is necessary to keep the ratings high.

[Citizen54]

08:52 PM on 02/19/2010

Operation Bankrupt Empire.

[Appleton]

06:00 PM on 02/19/2010

We can dress it up in nice slogans, but history will regard it as one of the biggest foreign policy blunders of all time. U.S. troops have performed extremely well, as they always do, but they have been needlessly sacrificed for wholly dishonorable reasons. We will prolong the withdrawal as long as possible for public relations reasons, but the internal civil war will continue after we are gone. In the end, after trillions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of lives, the result will be a weakened and effectively partitioned country, with an increasingly aggressive Iran eager to fill the power vacuum. In short, we will have accomplished nothing other than the destruction of lives and treasure, and the acceptance, by a disturbingly large number of Americans, of torture as a legitimate instrument of government.

[lightbulb10]

05:16 PM on 02/19/2010

Well I am still hoping it's not a month too late.

[jsijason]

05:04 PM on 02/19/2010

They should have sold the naming rights to the highest bidder.

"Operation Halliburton" and "Operation News Corp" have a nice ring to them...

[Attikai]

04:26 PM on 02/19/2010

Red Dawn creator should sue.

[WhatChanged]

04:18 PM on 02/19/2010

Does Obama really think that we're so stoopid that a new name is going to change anything??

[Artos]

04:16 PM on 02/19/2010

What's going to happen when they leave Afghanistan if they use New Dawn for Iraq? Will they have to use "The New and Improved Dawn" as the catchy title for that operation.

[mbaty]

07:02 PM on 02/19/2010

Didn't that used to be called "Electrosol?"
I can't wait for New and Improved Dawn with 30% more dawn.
It's the dawn of a new day...for dishwashwer soap.
Liberate your dishes with New Dawn.
Now with "Surge" power for the toughest stains.

[Tidyus]

04:14 PM on 02/19/2010

Lets hope something dawns on somebody.