Gates, U.S. General Back Long Iraq Stay (Korea again)

[grytpype]

Source: Washington Post

Gates, U.S. General Back Long Iraq Stay
U.S. Presence Said to Reassure Allies

By Ann Scott Tyson
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, June 1, 2007; Page A11

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and a senior U.S. commander said yesterday that they favor a protracted U.S. troop presence in Iraq along the lines of the military stabilization force in South Korea.

Gates told reporters in Hawaii that he is thinking of "a mutual agreement" with Iraq in which "some force of Americans . . . is present for a protracted period of time, but in ways that are protective of the sovereignty of the host government." Gates said such a long-term U.S. presence would assure allies in the Middle East that the United States will not withdraw from Iraq as it did from Vietnam, "lock, stock and barrel."

Odierno said he sees benefits in maintaining a South Korean-style force in Iraq for years. "I think it's a great idea," he said, adding that the Iraqi and U.S. governments would have to make that decision.

"That would be nothing but helping the Iraqi security forces and the government to continue to stabilize itself, and continue to set itself up for success for years to come, if we were able to do that," Odierno told Pentagon reporters in a videoconference from Baghdad.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/31/AR2007053102430.html?nav=rss_world%2Fmideast%2Firaq#0.4579771722312044

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Again with the Korea analogy.

And I'm sorry to see Gates join the Korea party, that means it's the opinion of Bush 41's realists that we'll have to stay in Iraq for 50 years. Bad news all around.

[IndianaGreen]

1. This is what happens when Congress votes for more bodybags from Iraq

As long as the Democratic Congress continues to fund the war, we will be feeding crack to the warmongers in the White House and the Pentagon.

If a Democratic Congress had not defunded the Vietnam War, we would have many more panels, with thousands of more names on the Vietnam Wall. The current Democratic Congress will have to defund the war if they want to stop this wasteful conflict.

[Dr.Phool]

2. Fuck you Gates!

And whoever the hell Oderino is too,

[keopeli]

3. This is Bush's endgame - the U.S. in Iraq forever (or 50 years, whichever lasts longer)

[grytpype]

4. Look, if Iraq turns out as good as Korea, it's not so bad, right?

A cease fire, with relative peace for 50 years?

Sounds damn good compared to what we've got now!

[Cant trust em]

5. If they can get a cease fire

The best we have towards that end right now is stalled progress on the political front. Based on the current situation, the scenario where the U.S. is able to pull off a cease fire between the Sunnis and the Shiites while mitigating the presence of Al-Qaeda seems remote.

[eridani]

8. You're forgetting something

In Korea there's this line across the DMZ, and all our enemies are one side of it and all our allies on the other side. Where did you plan on drawing this line in Iraq?

[acmavm]

9. How could Iraq turn out as 'good' as Korea. In Korea we were there to

defend them against another country, an outside enemy, North Korea.

In Iraq, WE ARE the enemy.

I'd love to hear someone's recipe for success on this one.

[Hardrada]

6. It is not that kind of war.

Iif it were the US would be occupying fixed front lines and not instead having to watch for incoming from every direction.

[arewenotdemo]

7. Odierno: "I think it's a great idea."

So do the rest of the Reich.

Trouble for them is, 90% of the Iraqis won't.