Posted on 06/26/2005 5:54:23 AM PDT by hipaatwo
I did not hear any such interview, so I must leave that intpretation to the transcript. But here is a news account which makes it clear that Cheney was speaking in military terms (emphasis suplied):
Cheney: Iraqi Insurgents Gone By 2009
U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney says the Iraqi insurgency will be put down and fizzle out before the end of President George Bush's second term in 2009.
"I think we may well have some kind of presence there over a period of time," Cheney said in an interview Monday night. "The level of activity that we see today from a military standpoint, I think, will clearly decline. I think they're in the last throes, if you will, of the insurgency."
"He wants to be Sec of Def under McCain."
Well then maybe he's not just an idiot.
Maybe he's an imbecilic opportunist looking for a job as Humpti-dumpti's white flag boy.
You speak true, too much negotiating and thinking going on right now. Not enough killing and mayhem by our side.
Hagel:
Then please STFU and root for our side for a change!
I agree with your general sentiment, but make no mistake about it -- "Washington" has been making the military decisions on this one from the get-go.
Yeah, I got your link right here:
Last year Camp Victory (Baghdad's main base) was getting rocketed and mortared nearly every day. This year it's weekly or even monthy.
The Iraqi Sunnis are warming up to the Coalition and participation in the new government. The fighting which continues has coalesced into a core of highly trained and organized foreign elements planting bombs against the Coalition and terrorizing Iraqis. Usually, these attacks are cover for organized crime, strong-arm/mob-type behavior by regional thugs.
Someone please inform the Honorable Mr. Hagel there is no NVA in Iraq. There is a foreign-supported insurgency and that's about it.
The Iraqi Sunnis have greatly curtailed their attacks against the Coalition. They seem instead to prefer to attack Iraqi Security Forces (ISF), likely in deference to their ancient tribalism or responses to heavy-handedness by the ISF. Some of those police attacks and assasinations follow protests against police raids and disappearances.
Imo Iraqis as a whole are more distrustful of each other than the Coalition. They do like our chow halls and everyone seems to get along it would seem when they're chowing down.
The Sunnis are also starting to openly fight foreign insurgents. It's getting real bad for foreign insurgents in Central Iraq. They face being turned in or attacked by the locals more than from the Coalition. Little publicized by the MSM is the fact that when foreign insurgents are captured by the ISF they are tortured then executed. Word has obviously gotten out since their numbers have been dwindling. The areas of insurgent control are steadly shrinking. They really don't have too many places where they can operate in the open anymore, hence their reliance on bombs and suicide bombers.
Imo within a year it should be safe enough to travel in Baghdad outside of the IZ and the rest of Iraq with minimal escort. The Iraqis are coming around and the ISF are doing better all the time. We don't have to be at war with this culture.
Newbie?
WHERE do we get the troops?
What do they do other than ride around and get blown up by IED's?
Are they supposed to be going door to door to find the Saudi and Syrian terrorists?
That's a pretty meaningless statement on the part of Rumsfeld -- he can't hide behind the decisions of generals who he himself put in charge of this operation. Back in late 2002 and early 2003 there was a serious disagreement among military brass about the preparations for the war effort and the personnel levels that would be needed to maintain order in Iraq. The generals who supported the civilian leadership on this won out, so it's rather disingenuous for Rumsfeld to use "the generals" in his defense of the military effort in Iraq.
What military wouldn't want a half a million troops before they started?
Should we have waited?
Why not?
Thanks!
Because they believed the lies told to the Bush administration about WMD. This is the real travesty.
"It has tormented me, torn me more than any one thing," he said with a grim look on his face. "To see what these guys in Iraq are having to go through and knowing what I know here: that we didn't prepare for it, we didn't understand what we were getting into. And to put those guys in those positions, it makes me so angry."
censure this yokel, too. Enough with Senators working against us during war. I have had it.
Got any documentation of the lies?
I would agree with you that we don't need forces in Europe.
As far as I know we are pulling out the smash'em and bash'em troops and sending over MP's that are accelerating the training of the Iraqi forces.
All of you back seat drivers. You take the helm, glacier field ahead, 300 million lives at risk. We're going to see how you do.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.