Posted on 10/24/2011 5:56:27 AM PDT by Hunton Peck
President Obama’s decision to pull all U.S. forces out of Iraq by Dec. 31 is an “absolute disaster” that puts the burgeoning Arab democracy at risk of an Iranian “strangling,” said an architect of the 2007 troop surge that turned around a losing war.
Retired ArmyGen. John M. Keane was at the forefront of persuading President George W. Bush to scuttle a static counterinsurgency strategy and replace it with 30,000 reinforcements and a more activist, street-by-street counterterrorism tactic.
Today, even with that strategy producing a huge drop in daily attacks, Gen. Keane bluntly told The Washington Times that the United States again is losing.
“I think it’s an absolute disaster,” said Gen. Keane, who advised Gen. David H. Petraeus when he was top Iraq commander. “We won the war in Iraq, and we’re now losing the peace.”
U.S. troops will be vacating Iraq at a time when neither Baghdad’s counterterrorism skills nor its abilities to protect against invasion are at levels needed to fully protect the country, say analysts long involved in the nearly nine-year war.
“Forty-four hundred lives lost,” Gen. Keane said. “Tens of thousands of troops wounded. Over a couple hundred thousand Iraqis killed. We liberated 25 million people. There is only one Arab Muslim country that elects its own government, and that is Iraq.
“We should be staying there to strengthen that democracy, to let them get the kind of political gains they need to get and keep the Iranians away from strangling that country. That should be our objective, and we are walking away from that objective.”
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Sunday warned Iran not to miscalculate the U.S. decision to withdraw its troops.
“No one, most particularly Iran, should miscalculate about our continuing commitment to and with the Iraqis going forward,”
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
Yeh and remember back when Turkey said no base and no attacking Irag from Turkey.
When we leave Iraq, Karzai is Dead Man Walking.
I fear that you are right. I suppose that there was a tipping point before which things might have worked out in our favor. Perhaps if more sensible policies were put in place right after Baghdad fell...
Anyway, it's way too late now. As you suggested, leaving troops will just delay the inevitable. The Iraq adventure will probably end just as Vietnam did. And I suspect that Afghanistan will end the same way also. The American people no longer have the will for it to be otherwise. Vietnam again.P> That's obviously a huge waste and a great tragedy. But it's more than that. Radical islam will be emboldened to push even harder.
Bingo.
The Mideast is a toilet that had its flush handle yanked a long time ago...all the poopy piles are circling the bowl and heading down the drain pipe. Ain't a thing we can do to stop what's happening over there. We need to grab the rim of the bowl and vault our way out that mess right now.
Our best bet is to bring our soliers home, strengthen our borders, and drill baby drill.
I have no clue who’s telling the truth anymore. Mark Steyn,quoting Bernard Lewis,says that, in the Middle East, America risks teaching the lesson that she is harmless as an enemy and treacherous as a friend.
But, but, but...I thought Hillary The Cankles warned Iran not to take advantage of the withdrawal. Isn't Iran now shaking in it's turban? :-)
That “moron” Bush was the one who, in my view sensibly, signed the Status of Forces Agreement which stipulated that all remaining troops leave by the end of this year. IMHO, Obama is a moron because he wanted to keep them there longer! Thankfully, the Iraqis said no.
That “moron” Bush was the one who, in my view sensibly, signed the Status of Forces Agreement which stipulated that all remaining troops leave by the end of this year. IMHO, Obama is a moron because he wanted to keep them there longer! Thankfully, the Iraqis said no.
That “moron” Bush was the one who, in my view sensibly, signed the Status of Forces Agreement which stipulated that all remaining troops leave by the end of this year. IMHO, Obama is a moron because he wanted to keep them there longer! Thankfully, the Iraqis said no.
The U.S. maintains a sizable presence in country. In order to make the “home by Christmas” timetable, it will be another fall of Saigon debacle, replete with rooftop evacuations of embassy personnel. A total bug-out. Time to strike the tents, and spool up. Our work there is done.
our first foreign born Islamic POTUS will be seen as a Martyr.
More like the 12th Imam!
Ah the assurances of a democrat...
Need an insurance policy on those assurances.
Believe me, it has crossed my mind. Depends, (no pun intended) on the results of the next election.
I thought this was just following the Bush timetable established in 2008.
Was the general opposed then?
If I didn’t know any better, I’d say O is deliberately sabotaging Iraq. I don’t know any better, though. So I’ll say that.
The Kurdish area of upper Iraq, which the US protected with the Northern No-Fly-Zone will be one nation when Iraq breaks into three parts; all the oil will be under the watchful eye of the US; the Kurdish Army up there is 120K strong, all trained on US Order of Battle and ready to go. Iran should be very careful, as well as the Turk’s when it comes to venturing into this area of Kurdish control - we helped them build their army and have secured the OIL. The US will still have the an armed ally on Iran’s souther border and from this region in Iraq the Kurds should be able to ask for land from Iran and Turkey to have One-State to end the wars on Kurds by the Arabs/Islamic peoples.
Iran is the big winner here.
Hey General - The surge worked, that war is over, we have other wars to attend to before we run out of money.
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