Terror Strategist Warns of Lengthy Iraqi Insurgency

[sabra]

<<SNIP>>
http://www.cnsnews.com/news/viewstory.asp?Page=%5CPolitics%5Carchive%5C200506%5CPOL20050624b.html

Terror Strategist Warns of Lengthy Iraqi Insurgency
By Monisha Bansal
CNSNews.com Correspondent
June 24, 2005

CNSNews.com) - With Democrats and even a few Republicans escalating their criticism of the Bush administration's handling of the war in Iraq, and with polls indicating shrinking public support, a top terrorism strategist Friday said the president should "stop talking down" to Congress and the American people.

Anthony Cordesman, a strategist with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, blamed the Bush administration for "major strategic mistakes in preparing to deal with Iraq once Saddam Hussein was overthrown.

Cordesman, who traveled to Iraq earlier this month, said he "did not see progress in aid. I did not see progress in economics. I did not see that the U.S. has a plan for using the aid they are providing."

On Tuesday night, President Bush will deliver a nationally televised speech on the situation in Iraq, at a time when at least one poll indicates nearly two-thirds of Americans feel it would be wise to bring the American troops home in the next year, rather than waiting for Iraq to stabilize.

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[Oreo]

1. But Dick said they were in their last throes!

I wish I could just get away from all of this and go to the tropics. I was just hearing about some sunny place called Guantanamo... anybody been there?

[Kagemusha]

2. It's in Cuba. Go and the State Dept will be on your rear end.

nt

[PurityOfEssence]

12. sounds more like Deadeye Dick's in his last throes

Maybe he's confusing his cardiologist's report with the report on the insurgency.

They'll just plant a new device to help his defective-in-every-way alleged heart and pump him full of sneeroids; he'll be out killing docile, farm-raised birdies by the dozens again any day now.

[Wright Patman]

3. We are in uncharted territory

for our so-called "democracy." There will be no more honest elections. * and his cronies know that. They have it rigged.

No matter how unpopular the occupation is and no matter how many years it drags on, the GOP will continue winning comfortable majorities in both houses as well as hanging onto the White House forever.

I understand * is going into the prisons next to try to recruit some of the 2 million prisoners being warehoused in this country into the military. This is going to last literally a generation.

Our standard of living will continue to decline as the "Little Shop of Horrors" war machine eats away at our substance.

[iconoclastic cat]

4. Do you have any links for this Prison-to-Army program?

[Wright Patman]

9. Link

http://www.tbrnews.org/Archives/a1653.htm#001

A study has been concluded aimed at permitting the DoD to recruit men who are convicted of felonies and currently on parole for same or incarcerated in a Federal or State penitentiary! However, only those convicts or ex-convicts with prior military service will be considered! And certain categories of convictions such as arson, rape or murder will not be considered…’unless said individual possesses skills that can be considered essential to the War on Terrorism’ (!)

[geek tragedy]

11. For the love of god, NO MORE TBRNEWS LINKS!

Please.

[drduffy]

5. oh for god's sake,

you know they will not leave..... why build 14 permanent bases if they are going to leave? How can they secure the middle east for the pnac plan if they leave? What bs. They will only leave when the neocons are destroyed. (by some act of god, of course).

[teryang]

6. Typical hypocrisy from Cordesman

He implicitly supported the war and still makes the implausible distinction between "winning the war and not planning for the peace."

This is jingoism pure and simple. He is not an anti-terrorism expert, he is a policy wonk from the national security establishment. He knows the insiders vocabulary but is completely lacking in insight because he is incapable of distinguishing himself from the military industrial market he appeals to.

The war is a continuum. We didn't win anything. The war is about ongoing costs and benefits and the enemy has us in a fingerlock after an akido throw. Our vulnerable position comes from the mistaken and unjustified policy of naked aggression. Cordesman's position is that we have about seven fingers left and it doesn't really hurt that much when they break one at a time.

[bemildred]

7. Yeah, the imperial asshole of the week crawls out from under his rock.

Who is it next week? Albright? Zbig? Kissinger?
:puke:

[leesa]

8. It will last until we are gone. No mystery there.

[truthisfreedom]

10. we need a full-time team of psychologists to analyze and counter the

madness of bushco. it's easy to feel it, but we need full analysis so we can provide full retaliation against this complete and utter mafia madness.

anybody know some?

[JABBS]

13. Cheney Won't Commit To Timetable for Withdrawal

Dick Cheney made headlines last month with his "last throes" comment about the Iraq insurgency. He tried to clarify his comments on Thursday, via an interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer.

But he only made things worse. As I reported today at http://jabbs.blogspot.com/2005/06/cheney-clarifies-comment-about-last.html:

"If you look at what the dictionary says about throes, it can still be a violent period, the throes of a revolution." Cheney told Wolf Blitzer. "The point would be that the conflict will be intense, but it's intense because the terrorists understand if we're successful at accomplishing our objective -- standing up a democracy in Iraq -- that that's a huge defeat for them. They'll do everything they can to stop it."

So there you have it. He wasn't suggesting that the insurgency was diminishing -- as was widely interpreted, even by his defenders. He was just saying that it was almost over. Right, Dick?

BLITZER: Do you want to offer an assessment how much longer this insurgency will continue?

CHENEY: No. No, I can't say that. ...

BLITZER: But is this going to be a time frame within a year, two years, five years, how much longer will this insurgency require the troop level of the United States in Iraq right now?

CHENEY: I think the way to think about it is defining it in terms of achieving certain conditions on the ground. We don't want to stay a day longer than necessary, but we want to stay long enough to get the job done.

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