Bush confers on Fallujah with top military commanders

[JoFerret]

http://www.kvia.com/Global/story.asp?S=1812091

Pentagon-AP -- A Pentagon source says tells The Associated Press President Bush has been given an update on the standoff in Fallujah (fuh-LOO'-juh), Iraq.

That's where thousands of insurgents are holed up with time running out to hand over heavy weapons.

A senior official says it is not clear when the top U-S commander in the region will decide when the waiting is over.

The official -- who asked not to be identified -- says General John Abizaid (AB'-ih-zayd) told the president in a teleconference that the Marines outside Fallujah are "ready to go."

And The New York Times is reporting that Bush and his senior advisers are expected to decide this weekend whether to invade Fallujah -- even at the risk of stirring up even more resentment by Iraqis.

[MasonJar]

1. Now that has to be the most exciting thing those generals have

done in years.

[saigon68]

5. THE CHIMP and the photos

President George W. Bush (news - web sites) shakes hands with volunteers at the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Center in Naples, Florida, April 23, 2004. Bush stood by an order that no more photographs be released of flag-draped coffins returning from Iraq (news - web sites), a restriction critics say is aimed at sanitizing the war for the public. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

[Zhade]

14. Just look at those fucking sheep.

Sad. What a waste of one's life, to preen and gasp over a treasonous war criminal.

Pathetic.

[mouse7]

2. 3 more meetings expected needed for Bush to spell "Fallujah"

He's working on it, but those double consonants really give him trouble.

[pinto]

3. what is this, a game show?

[DianeG5385]

4. Do you seriously think Bush is "conferring"?

Oh please! This guy hasn't had an original thought in years!!!

[Ilsa]

6. Let's hope that when Abizaid says..

..."Marines outside Fallujah are "ready to go.", Bush thinks he means HOME, where they should be.

What a lose-lose situation. I bet they destroy the village in order to save it, as the saying goes.

[saigon68]

7. Fearless leaders

OUR ALLEGED COMMANDER





The Honorable Chimpanzee McShrub

President George W. Bush (news - web sites) shakes hands with volunteers at the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Center in Naples, Florida, April 23, 2004. Bush stood by an order
that no more photographs be released of flag-draped coffins returning from Iraq (news - websites), a restriction critics say is aimed at sanitizing the war for the public. (KevinLamarque/Reuters)


His Quote:

After declaring on Friday evening in Florida that "America will never be run out of Iraq by a bunch of thugs and killers," Mr. Bush flew to Camp David for the weekend,



OUR SECRETARY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF WAR



The Hon. Donald Von Rumsdumm

His Quote:

''Secretary Rumsfeld's comment that 'people are fungible' is further indication of this Administration's continuing disregard for the men and women who put their lives on the line

[fishnfla]

13. maybe the generals want the admin to take the fall?

by making the call on this round of carnage?

If we're gonna have a political war, let the pols take the fall, not the generals.

[T Bone]

19. Bush is DIRECTLY responsible

for whatever happens in Fallujah.

That's how I read this.

[Zhade]

15. Skeletor looks like he's explaining the size of the Chimp's brain.

"No, it's smaller than a bread box..."

[porkrind]

8. Why are they "Insurgents" ???

Why are we killing these people? Just because they fight back? We label them "insurgents" (rebels) and that means it's OK to kill them? Hell NO! Not in my book. What we are doing in Fallujah is wrong. Reports are coming out saying that we are shelling buildings in a densely inhabited city, killing many innocents. The * administration condones this "collateral damage" as necessary. I think it's a massacre and a war crime. It's one thing to send AC-130 "Spooky" gunships against an army, and quite another to send them against an inhabited city. It's not right to kill innocents in order to get the "bad guys."

The rest of the world is watching, and they will hate us for these crimes. We are showing the world that we are thugs. This is real terrorism, not to mention a situation with no good outcome or objective.

[RaRa]

12. Amen, porkrink

Every single time I hear that term , I think, gee anywhere else they'd be "freedom fighters" or "rebels". Ah, but in King George's realm, he who dares to question the King is an "insurgent".

[mulethree]

16. ah but

they're fighting against freedom ;-)
to be rebels they would need to be fighting an Iraqi army
to be terrorists they would presumably need to be causing terror -
but our soldiers are too brave to get terrified.

to call them guerilla or insurgent works best in the dictionary if you work under the supposition that we are the good guys, but not so good as to actually be responsible for the protection of the residents.

[AlCzervik]

9. If Monkey boy

was given the 411 on this "Festering Nest" it gives me a really bad feeling about things there. I know that situtation there is very tense and tense leads to a little heavy on the trigger. I think that town is going to explode into a full scale violent uprising and i think it's gonna start spreading to other parts of Iraq.

[daleo]

10. If Bush is conferring

That means the wrong decision is about to be made.

[PurityOfEssence]

20. The decision's made: they're going to do it

Does anyone seriously doubt this? This is proto-masculinity at its worst: they can't back down, they can't lay siege and they can't allow prolonged negotiations.

[demoman123]

21. Yes. If we are being told about this, then it has already been decided.

Can you imagine the alternative? Headline: "Bush considered taking Fallujah, but...nah." :)

[fishnfla]

11. LBJ is that you?

another ghost of viet nam, LBJ brooding over Khe sahn

[Kinkistyle]

17. Sadr vows to unleash suicide bombers if Fallujah attacked.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A37925-2004Apr23.html

"Bremer's statements came the same day a rebellious Shiite cleric, Moqtada Sadr, threatened to launch suicide bombings if U.S. forces entered the holy city of Najaf, where he has taken refuge. "We will all be time bombs in the face of the enemy," Sadr told followers at Friday prayers."

The general concensus from Islamists and Middle East experts that a military invasion on Fallujah will blow the guerrilla insurgency wide open - Shiites will rise up to oppose the Occupiers, together with the Sunni's - once mortal enemies.

So of course Dumbya is going to approve an invasion. He'll probably do it by saying "OH HELL YEAH! BRING IT ON! YEEE-HAW!"

[bemildred]

18. You have to wonder what sort of bullshit they are going

to dish out to weasel out of this. It's a lose-lose for
the occupation. You can predict more stalling, but what do
they do when they finally have to do something. Maybe a
disguised stall? Let's don't and say we did? Strategic
offensive back to Badhdad?

[saigon68]

22. The next 3 days are critical