Hagel sounds alarm over Iraq

Omaha World-Herald ^

[jeremiah]

Where would they have gotten more troops from?

[listenhillary]

"If the military were allowed to fight the war the way that they were taught, none of this would even be discussed right now."

Agreed, but wouldn't the military need to be in charge of the US foreign policy and government for this to come to pass?

Do you think that the current administration refuses to listen to the military personnel opinions?

[jeremiah]

YES! We are fighting under ROE very similar to those in Vietnam, and the enemy is mustering its forces over the borders. We need to attack in Syria, Iraq or even Saudi Arabia if those places have training going on or "insurgent" camps.

[F-117A]

Why is it that when I think of Hagel I'm reminded of William Jennings Bryan?

[IronJack]

Hagel is going to have a tough go next election. His ambivalence will come back to haunt him. Nebraskans tend to be pretty polarized in their political views, and this "war was a mistake" rhetoric is on the wrong side of the electoral equation. Remember, in 2008, the slogan is:

Chuck Hagel: "Chuck" is a verb.

[Chief_Joe]

I don't give a D*MN who's says it but things are not going so swimmingly over there right now. I now Mr. Hagel and his ilk are not true supporters of our efforts, but I also know we've been half-a**ing this thing from the get go. Rummy's refusal to put the necessary troops and equipment over is going to haunt us forever. There's no pretty way to fight a war. To win you must destroy and KILL first. No cutesy plan that calls for no killing is going to work.

[listenhillary]

Where do we get the troops?

[ArmedNReady]

I think the problem comes when foreign policy trumps accepted military planning and decision making procedures.

And I do believe that the military is being ignored in an attempt to be PC.

I support the war and the military but I am beginning to feel that the adminsitration has blown the chance to win this decisively. And this will have repurcussions in the overal WOT.

[hipaatwo]

Thanks so much for all the responses. I didn't mean to post and run but I'm busy today and can't answer all the great posts.

This reminds me so much of what happened during Vietnam. We didn't lose the war, it was lost for us by the people that are protesting it ie: the press, the liberals, and people like Graham and Hagel. I really believe that the terrorists see what is going on here and it only bolsters them. They aren't stupid, the uglier it gets, the more the war is protested, terrorist win.

[Earthdweller]

I find it impossible to believe that anyone that actually wanted to win a war would aide the enemy in their propaganda.

What an idiot.

[nathanbedford]

I agree that we must guard against perfidiousness bordering on treachery which we have seen in many Democrats like Kennedy who is animated by partisan rage.

Durbin calls our troops nazis and al jazeera broadcasts from satelite within hours. Kennedy churlishly insults the Secretary of Defense to his face but from the protection of the Senate dais. These are not the actions of patriotic Americans advocating a path for their country but of despicable demagogues pandering to a n element which hates America. I distinguish Hagel from this lot, although I think it is fair to say that he might have presidential ambitions even though he has recently expressly stated he will not run. I think that was a patriotic move if he seriously wants to advance his argument that we must change path or lose the war because he cannot seek the nomination of the President's party and do so. At least now he will more likely have his position considered on its merits.

I am sorry that I could bring up your web site.

By the way, if you examine my old posts especially at the time of the election, you will see how I deplored the unholy alliance between Kerry and the Press in an effort to exaggerate casualties in order to throw the election. I think I speculated that we probably have incurred more dead from deer (accidents) than KIA and that the only way we can lose this war is if the left, magnified by their henchmen in the Press, convince America that the casualties are unsustainable.

One thing is clear, if Hagel is right then Cheney and the administration will be utterly without credibility. I find it hard to imagine that Cheney would put himself, much less the nation, in that position and court disgrace.

[italianquaker]

also hagel has these words of wisdom
water is very wet under this administration
stfu

[listenhillary]

I know that "eatdust" posting on this thread says he has done two rounds in Iraq and is going back for a third tour. Thank you for serving, I will take what you say with much more trust than most, even if we don't agree.

I can not believe extremes of the conflicting reports from soldiers that have not been filtered through the main stream media vs the full scale war that the main stream media has declared on GWB, Rumsfeld and the Iraqi war effort. It is too great of a difference and many on FR are too happy to take the side of the MSM.

Lets see 90% of the time the MSM has lied and distorted news in the past to fit it's own agenda.

Who to believe?

[Retain Mike]

The Sunnis have allied politically, instead of submitting to the terrorist solution, which is extremely good news for winning the war on terror. Winning does not derive from eliminating bin Laden or Zarqawi, but from removing the political environments supporting such people. Staying with the people in Iraq now means winning victories well beyond its borders. The criminals/murders/terrorists (CMT's) are moving into Iraq because they understand what is at stake when people throughout this region have a history of being easily motivated by ideas and in this case it is freedom.



The war is actually against Wahhabi jihadism. This was an insignificant Muslim heresy when Feisal and T. E. Lawrence fought for Arab independence in WW I. Now it infects Saudi Arabia, among other countries of the Middle East, and plays a major roll in politics as far away as Indonesia. Terrorism matures when Wahhabis with graduate degrees in sciences and economics find the benign and/or supportive totalitarian governments, which they either help create and/or blend with.



The object is not for us to win the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people, but to help 24 diverse ethnic and religious groups who were killed in the 100,000’s to form a representative government in which terrorism, Wahhabism must perish. This determination so far has encouraged voiceless Muslims in Palestine and Lebanon to seek new governments.



Remember the nation, which gave us Luther, Kant and Beethoven also produced Hitler. We win the war on terror when a Muslim world, which produced Zarqawi and bin Laden again produces a Rhazes, al-Kindi and Saladin.

[ArmedNReady]

" We didn't lose the war, it was lost for us by the people that are protesting it ie: the press, the liberals, and people like Graham and Hagel."

There are two different things going on here. There are those who oppose the war and oppose GWB. And there are those who support the war but feel that it is not being run properly. I am in the latter group. I believe that we need to have more troops and have an accelerated campaign using military tacticians, not using the PC diplomatic corps to call the shots. Let our military win the war! Stop making them fight with their hands tied!

[nathanbedford]

I am curious if The President's address will build on the Cheney remarks about "last throes?" It certainly would explain those remarks and Goss' too.

Perhaps there is a new development.

[SoCal_Republican]

I get so tired of opportunist Dems and RHINOs.

We have heard it for years now. "Eight Iraqi policemen killed in Iraq!", " A car bomb went off and killed three US Troops today (Yeah!!!/sarcasm)" "Twelve women and children killed at church while cuddling soft and fuzzy puppydogs!" The drumbeat by the media is exactly what fuels the terroristst to continue acting.

But the terrorists are so insignificant. The vast majority of Americans have a picture of the war that is limited to the daily announcement of horrors that the media pushes on them. The one pure example of when the media failed was the Iraqi election. There were suicide bombers that day too. But the picture of Iraqi's going to the poles in great numbers and thanking Americans was such a big story that it had to be covered for at least a week - the scale of the daily bombings was made clear. That day stands out to me as one day when the truth got out - even in the MSM.

[roses of sharon]

Hagel is a political whore, ie, (a US Senator), who counts on his audiences' ignorance and a corrupt MSM for career advancement.

He wants to be Sec of Def under McCain.

But has failed his first test, he is unserious and juvenile.

[Guillermo]

He's absolutely correct

[roses of sharon]

Cheney was remarking on the terrorists failure to stop a political process that has been ongoing and has reached every deadline so far. If you listen to his interview his last throes comments came within that context.

And context is NOT a friend to the MSM.

Nor is information on the ground, ie, the presses refusal to show pressers from Iraq, and the Pent, on any subject, nor did they show any actual info from the Generals during their hearings.

Simple, give the people nothing, then take a poll.