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| Iraq |
| Deputy to Gen. Petraeus offers a clear-eyed perspective on Iran's sway over a weak Iraqi governm |
| 2007-04-21 |
| From Geostrategy Direct, subscription. Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno has been taking a hard look at the state of the Sunni insurgency in Iraq and believes time is running out for the United States. Odierno, commander of Multinational Corps-Iraq since December 2006, and the rest of the U.S. command there have assessed they might have between six and eight months to either stabilize Baghdad or declare victory and begin packing up in 2008. Odierno knows full well the thinking in Washington. His last assignment was in the Pentagon as the assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In that task, Odierno oversaw the drafting of numerous options for Iraq, particularly withdrawal. He also knows Iraq, and in his second and current tour has been directing the operations of the joint and coalition forces in all sectors of the country. |
| Posted by:Alaska Paul |
| #9 Even if America had the political will to maintain a massive military presence in Iraq indefinitely, it would still require recruiting tens of thousands of additional troops and it would take many months before they were ready to go overseas. Remember, Iraq is still only one theater in the war against radical Islamists, and ultimately it may not even be the most critical one (Iran, Pakistan, etc). It is possible to overcommit in Iraq and leave ourselves strategically vulnerable to other threats. At some point the Iraqis have to stand up on their own and shoulder the burden of their own security. The ultimate solution to defeating an insurgency IS political - if millions of Sunnis are willing to destroy any hope of a better life rather than seek to coexist productively, then Iraq is a lost cause no matter what we do. And that is a propensity of the Arab world which we should not underestimate, the Palestinians being perhaps the best example. |
| Posted by: Grumenk Philalzabod0723 2007-04-21 18:59 |
| #8 In other alarming news, a recent DoD report finds that fewer than 1 percent of Army recruits are able to balance a pencil on its tip for more than 0.8 seconds. |
| Posted by: Perfesser 2007-04-21 10:49 |
| #7 200+ boomed just 3 days ago. You're slipping Grom, no smiley. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2007-04-21 10:37 |
| #6 The cliche 'darkest just before dawn' can be an appropriate description in war. We just need the strength of spirit to see past the media/political opposition version of things. 200 killed by Islamist anarchists (that seems more descriptive these days than fascists) is only as bad as we let it be. I think AQ understands one lesson from military history - 'concentrate your forces' when attacking - and that's what these are; their version of a 'surge'. It's probably the most they CAN do. Let's not allow the media and political opposition to turn it into another Tet, like they are trying to do. We can't afford it. |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2007-04-21 09:39 |
| #5 The reports I'm reading is that the Sunni insurgency is on the wane 200+ boomed just 3 days ago. |
| Posted by: gromgoru 2007-04-21 08:55 |
| #4 Moreover, the supposed option of "packing it in" begs the question of what comes next? It's disturbing that Odierno is pushing an either/or proposition. Perhaps W will need a new slate of commanders in eight months? |
| Posted by: Captain America 2007-04-21 01:15 |
| #3 It would help a lot if the good ol' boyz network went away. The Iraqi government can do stuff and not tell the US military who did it. That's got to go away. We can't tell who are our enemies that way. Oh, and one more thing. Bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran .... :-) |
| Posted by: gorb 2007-04-21 01:10 |
| #2 I call bull shit. The reports I'm reading is that the Sunni insurgency is on the wane. Moreover, it wouldn't be Odierno's call. It would be Bush's call, and W has been pushing that "packing up" is not an option. He is also pushing that if we don't fight them there, they will follow us here. Last check, he is still CiC. |
| Posted by: Captain America 2007-04-21 01:06 |
| #1 Once again, KOMMERSANT > war in Iraq not only between SHIA vz SUNNI, but also AL QAEDA vz IRAN??? See also LUCIANNE/WORLDNEWS > THE [deadly] WAR WITHIN ISLAM. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2007-04-21 00:50 |