Iraq: Grow Or Go?

Via the Wall Street Journal we learn that some thought inside military circles is that we need to augment our efforts in Iraq with more troops. It's unclear if Rumsfeld was holding that sentiment down, or if the shake up is simply causing others to weigh in.

WASHINGTON -- As demands mount to pull U.S. troops out of Iraq, a growing number of senior military officials are arguing that the only way to salvage the situation is to add more U.S. forces and more U.S. money.

Outside the military, most of the debate is focused on a U.S. troop withdrawal. But inside the Pentagon, the recent dismissal of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has given some new life to arguments by military officers who say the U.S. must pour more troops and money into the country to expand the Iraqi army -- the one institution in Iraq that has shown some promise -- and stabilize the capital.

I would have liked reading this a year or more ago. But I hope it's at least one of the options on the table now. I believe it's imperative that America make up its mind to win in Iraq and pursue the tactics to make that happen.

If the political peace mongers in the Democrat Party hold sway it will set American credibility and resolve back three decades. The post Vietnam era was a miserable one in many ways and we don't need to go there, again.

Comments

[splashtc]

If Islam only understands submission thru violence-shouldn't we-the good guys be the ones making them submit to us/modern society. Enough pussy footing around. The weaker we seem the bolder they act!

[Carol Herman]

Bush is shilling for the saudis.

Israel wants no part of the woes now going on in Lebanon. Where, oddly enough the french are strung out to be viewed for "who they are." So condi's dance, with the UN. And, the #1701 will have consequences. Probably not anticipated by condi. Or the fwrench. This past summer.

Maliki? I'm waiting for HIM to GIVE BUSH the "TIME TABLE." Because neither the Kurds. Or the Shia. Want anything to do with the Saudis.

And, that's what you could read into WHY Maliki was angered when Bush decided to "link" the palestinian issues, to a country that just got rid of those bastards. And, don't want any of them back!

Bush 2, of course, could keep telling himself (and his "buddies in the family mafia business") that he's getting messages from God.

Actually, I've always felt waiting for God to speak to me, while I sat and wondered, was a poor substitute for taking responsibility!

What happens next? Bolton is OUT. (I doubt Rick Santorum, after LOSING his senate seat, gets a chance to go UP THE HILL, seeking "confirmation.")

On the other hand? What a marvelous opportunity to "get Gates out of the Dod. And, more into a community where his "soft spoken ways would get traction.") The UN is a waste of American taxpayer dollars.

Yeah. I'd look to send John BOlton UP for confirmation to DoD. The donks are limited, now, in how they fight. NOT THAT BUSH is anything but dim; so like my Chinese-Japanese problem solver; this one doesn't FLY, anyplace, but in my imagination.

Still? Bush2 is in deep doo. He can see all the hats in the air, all trying to grab at the brass ring. While NO ONE IN THE WHITE HOUSE, NOW, NEEDS TO APPLY.

So, we'll go along, just as we have been doing. Looking for exits. Graceful, or otherwise. And, Jimmy Carter has a midget for competition as "the worst presidency in American history." Not bad for the men who served Nixon. They're fully experienced in watching that ship go down.

Plus, are Saniora's changes any better than Abu Abbas? PR stunts aren't a substitute for action. (And, Saniora is terrified of nasrallah.) Where's the Lebanese army? And, what will the french do when nasrallah drops down to Lebanon's southern border?

Well, Neville Chamberlain made things easy for hitler, too. And, it took a real battlefield to cure that crap. Will Bush2 just wave his index finger at Olmert up ahead? Or will fire finally fight fire?

Where's the politician who will give an honest accounting?

And, in the next two years? Will John Bolton and Don Rumsfeld be authoring books? For posterity, you know.

[Mark]

In news related to Iraq...

What does Congressman-elect Chris Carney (D-Pennsylvania) know about Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda?

"Newly elected Pennsylvania Congressman, Democrat Chris Carney, a former Senior Terrorism and Intelligence Advisor at the Pentagon, has recently been quoted in a number of publications discussing his knowledge of and role in prewar Iraq intelligence, particularly on the issue Saddam Hussein's links to al Qaeda. His views on the subject are a stark contrast to many in his party, particularly Senator Carl Levin, who has long expressed his belief that any link between Saddam Hussein's regime and al Qaeda was a manufacture of the Bush administration. Carney's comments and experience on the issue may even put him in the cross-hairs of Sen. Levin's reported investigation into the matter in the coming months. What did Congressman Carney say? What does he know?"

more here.. http://regimeofterror.com/archives/2006/12/what_does_congressman_elect_ch/

[seekeronos]

I am having a hard time figuring out where on the political spectrum Carol is coming from. Sounds mostly liberal, with just enough of a smidge of conservativish ramblings to throw the radar off.

[Phoenix]

It does sound as if she's kind of bi-partisan. But I don't know. These days, unspun, 'bi-partisan' translates into bi-polar, doesn't it?