Iraq insurgency could last 18 months: US (Powell)

[Barrett808]

It could take another 18 months to bring the insurgency in Iraq under control, United States Secretary of State Colin Powell said, raising fresh doubts about how long Australian troops will have to remain there.

Mr Powell told an American public broadcasting station that the strength of the insurgent battle against coalition troops had taken him by surprise.

But he said he believed it would turn out all right in the end.

"Hopefully, we will have beaten this insurgency down quite a bit over the next year and a half, but I can't tell you when all of our troops will be out," Mr Powell said.

"If this insurgency was not going on right now, if we were not seeing these terrible scenes every morning of car bombs, people would be applauding us. People would be saying what a great thing to do."

(more)

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/07/20/1090089154991.html?oneclick=true

[wryter2000]

1. Good God

What's Balloon Foot been smoking?

[saigon68]

13. THERE'S A LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL

He's smoking CRACK


Does he think that 1 billion Muslims are going to stand idly by, while the CHRISTIAN CRUSADE marches on---

He's worthless----

[Jacobin]

23. That light at the end of the tunnel is a freight train

How odd to see and hear the same Vietnam era piffle from people like Powell who participated in that idiotic ghastly slaughter that EVERYONE said "we would never do again."

[saigon68]

25. Powell has lost his mind

He's obviously smoked too much crack cocaine.

[ewagner]

2. Huh?

"If this insurgency was not going on right now, if we were not seeing these terrible scenes every morning of car bombs, people would be applauding us. People would be saying what a great thing to do."

The logic here is unbelieveable....the "terrible scenes" ARE the insurgency.....

I...just...can't...even....begin.......

[hadrons]

11. "If this insurgency was not going on right now ....

"If this insurgency was not going on right now, if we were not seeing these terrible scenes every morning of car bombs, people would be applauding us. People would be saying what a great thing to do."

yeah Colin, and if Charles Mason wasn't a psycho-killer, people would be praising him right now

[fsbooks]

3. Powell's logic is backwards

You have these terrible scenes of car bombs and the insurgency because people are NOT applauding what they have done.

4. If we hadn't invaded people would be applauding us.

That's what he's saying, right?

[Paragon]

5. Translation: We're leaving in exactly 18 months.

We might even leave two days early as a surprise.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

14. Exactly what I was thinking.

[TA]

6. Seymour Hersh in his speech to the ACLU says

there's a good chance the Iraq mess will be around for 5, 10 or more years and cost over one TRILLION dollars. I trust Mr. Hersh, I have no trust in anything Mr. Powell says after his lies to the UN.

[livetohike]

7. Remember all the talk about insurgency getting heavy

in the days leading to the turnover?

Did they really think it would stop after the magic date? Do they really think they can "beat the insurgency down"?

We have lunatics running the country. Then again, we always knew this to be true.

[aquart]

12. Yes, they believe Negroponte's death squads will work.

So if they kill, what? ten or twenty thousand out of 30 million, people will be calm and peaceful and grateful to be alive?

It worked in South America because there are no brownie points for suicide in the Catholic church. But these people ain't Catholic. And they hate invaders.

Powell is either lying slime or delusional scum.

[Barrett808]

15. Not sure that death squads "worked" in Latin America

The Central America counterinsurgencies were fought to a draw and the proxy armies abandoned, much like the Afghanistan mujahedeen. The Colombia insurgency is as strong as ever, in spite of Carlos Castano. Peru's Shining Path are largely gone, but so are Fujimori and Montesinos.

I expect Negroponte won't have even that much success with his death squads in Iraq.

[tom_paine]

22. Exactly. The Ambassador of Death Squads is ramping up

Look for MANY innocents to be killed, a handful of actual insurgents to be caught in the murder-fest, and yes, Powell is both a liar and a delusional scum.

[LittleApple81]

8. Translation: IF WE HAD NOT LOST, WE WOULD HAVE WON.

[Webster Green]

9. 18 months will not accomplish their goal....

They won't be able to conquer Iraq in 18 years, much less 18 months.

These dummies should go read about the history of colonialism in the region.

Idiots!

[jdj]

18. I think so too...

I mean will it even ever be Iraq again...

Some thug mafia will get control if we leave...and then they will be deposed by another thug mafia...and so on...and so on...

[markses]

10. My! He's an optimist!

:eyes:

[happyslug]

16. Just about Right....

After Bush is Re-Selected, he will have his hand picked Congress pass a Draft. Bush will need 1-2 Million Men to Seal off the Border of Iraq and flood every town of Iraq with US Soldiers. This will cut off supplies to the Guerrillas and end the insurgency.

It will take about 18 months to draft, organize and ship over to Iraq the needed soldiers. This MASSIVE amount of troops should have been put into Iraq right after the Invasion, but Bush and Company did not think of the Occupation just the Taking of the Oil Fields.

Cutting off of Supplies is the Classic way to end a Guerrilla War, cut off the Supplies (Secure the Borders AND secure every Ammo dump in Iraq, neither of which we have the troops to do at present). Once the supplies are cut off the war will quickly die out. Without food or Ammo it is hard to fight.

Note this defeat of the Iraqis require a DRAFT. There is no other way to raise the number of troops needed to Secure Iraq. I do not see enough Iraqi citizens joining any occupations army (Bush's first choice and a failure) or third world countries supplying troops (Bush's Second Choice and a Failure). That leave the Draft, the one thing Bush can have Congress do.

Yes it is getting drafty in the US.

[Solly Mack]

17. IF they had only given us flowers.....blah blah blah

what an idiot

[Ganja Ninja]

19. The only problem is we'll invade Iran next year.

I wonder if Powell can give us any predictions on how long it will take to pacify Iran.

[librechik]

20. Aha! The first hint of what Bush's agenda for the next 4 years is:

failing to stop the insurgency, for at least 18 months.

[Jacobin]

21. "If they didn't want us here, they'd want us here."

What a POS this guy is. With his pompous attitude, he juxtaposes mutually exclusive phrases and the media just gobbles them up as if they are handed down from Moses.

[Merlin]

24. Ahem... Secretary Powell ahh... misspoke. What he meant was 18 YEARS.

WH Press conference 2025 CE.

[steely]

26. Bingo Merlin, you got it! Try again Col' eom

[Halliburton]

27. 18 months?

We couldn't even defeat a ragtag mujahadeen in Fallujah, how are we going to quell an insurgency of over 20,000 strong that has now taken over Sammara and Ramadi?