CNN: Donald Trump, Pentagon differ on Mosul fight's success

[MyNameIsKhan]

http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/31/politics/trump-pentagon-mosul-differ/index.html

Pentagon officials said Monday that the campaign to reclaim Mosul was proceeding as planned and that so far anti-ISIS forces in Iraq are succeeding in their fight against the terror group.

The military's upbeat assessment puts Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in an awkward position. His repeated criticism of the handling of the operation means its success could cast shadows on his argument to be the next commander in chief, while his decision to take on the Pentagon once again highlights the sacred cows he has been willing to slay during his unconventional campaign.
For weeks, Trump has lambasted the coalition effort to re-capture the city of Mosul from ISIS, calling the undertaking a "total disaster" and saying the US and its allies were "bogged-down" there even as defense officials say they are encouraged by the progress being made.
The attack on Mosul is turning out to be a total disaster. We gave them months of notice. U.S. is looking so dumb. VOTE TRUMP and WIN AGAIN!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 23, 2016
"The campaign is on track and moving forward according to plan," Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook told reporters Monday.
"There's no question that counter-ISIL forces continue to have the momentum in this fight," he added, using the government's preferred acronym for the terror organization, also known as Daesh.
Yet Trump repeated his critique of the operation on Monday.
"Did we give Mosul enough advanced notice?" he asked rhetorically during a rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan. "Whatever happened to the element of surprise?"

[Xipe Totec]

1. So, an imbecile and the Pentagon disagree? Gee, what are we to make of that? nt

[GulfCoast66]

2. Well of course

How did we fail to sneak an entire Army across a desert to attack a city that knew they were the next target.

The stupid hurts...Not Trumps, because he knows it is bullshit. But his supporters saying 'hell yeah, sneak attack'.

[frazzled]

3. That's sort of like saying

Soupy Sales and Albert Einstein disagree on Theory of Relativity.

[Historic NY]

4. General Trump knows more than all the other Generals combined....

he's a genius according to Putin.