Clinton-Obama Plans Would Keep US Mercenaries, Troops in Iraq for Years to Come

[Orwellian_Ghost]

JEREMY SCAHILL, DEMOCRACY NOW: I started looking at Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton's Iraq plans, and one of the things that I discovered is that both of them intend to keep the Green Zone intact. Both of them intend to keep the current US embassy project, which is slated to be the largest embassy in the history of the world. . . . I think it's 500 CIA operatives alone, a thousand personnel. And they're also going to keep open the Baghdad airport indefinitely. And what that means is that even though the rhetoric of withdrawal is everywhere in the Democratic campaign, we're talking about a pretty substantial level of US forces and personnel remaining in Iraq indefinitely. . .

Obama is saying he wants to keep the embassy. Obama is saying he wants to keep the Green Zone. Obama is saying he wants to keep the Baghdad airport. Who's guarding US diplomats right now at this largest embassy in the history of the world? Well, it's Blackwater, Triple Canopy and DynCorp; it's these private security companies. . .

And so, the situation right now is that Obama seems to have painted himself into a corner on this issue, because the reality is, Obama's people are saying, well, we're going to increase funding to the State Department's Diplomatic Security division. They say, ideally, the people we want to be guarding US diplomats in Iraq will be fully burdened US government employees who are accountable to US law. But the irony right now is that the war machine is so radically privatized that there are about 1,100 mercenaries doing diplomatic security in Iraq right now. There are only 1,400 diplomatic security agents in the entire world, and only thirty-six of them are in Iraq.

JUAN GONZALEZ: Well, let me ask you, in terms of this whole issue of mercenaries in general, I mean, are we facing the possibility that a Democratic president would in essence reduce the troops but increase the mercenaries?

JEREMY SCAHILL: . . . Joseph Schmitz, who's one of the leading executives in the Blackwater empire, recently said this: "There is a scenario where we could as a government, the United States, could pull back the military footprint, and there would then be more of a need for private contractors to go in." So apparently these contractors see a silver lining in that scenario. You know, the reality is, right now, that these forces are one of the most significant threats to Iraqis in the country. I mean, we've seen scores of incidents where they've shot at them, etc.

...

http://www.democracynow.org/2008/2/28/jeremy_scahill_despite_anti_war_rhetoric



Dems Can't Make Guarantee on Iraq Troops
Democrats Concede They Can't Guarantee All Troops Will Leave Iraq by 2013 in Campaign Debate

...

The leading Democratic White House hopefuls conceded Wednesday night they cannot guarantee to pull all U.S. combat troops from Iraq by the end of the next presidential term in 2013.

"I think it's hard to project four years from now," said Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois in the opening moments of a campaign debate in the nation's first primary state.

"It is very difficult to know what we're going to be inheriting," added Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York.

...

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=3657261

[Bicoastal]

1. THAT DOES IT!

I'm voting LaRouche. :silly:

[babylonsister]

2. ...

your second link is from last September. Both Obama and Clinton have fine-tuned their message, and their advisors. I have great respect for Scahill, but he doesn't know what will happen.


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x341857

snip//

Sen. Obama, on his Web site, says that the drawdowns would begin "immediately" and continue at a pace of one to two brigades -- which each normally number between 3,500 and 4,500 troops -- per month. He hopes to have all combat troops out of Iraq within 16 months of taking office, or by the middle of 2010. Obama foreign-policy adviser Dennis McDonough says the Democratic front-runner wants the residual U.S. forces to focus on counterterrorism -- largely directed against al Qaeda in Iraq, the homegrown extremist organization responsible for the deaths of thousands of Iraqi civilians -- and protecting the enormous U.S. embassy in Baghdad....

more...


Obama goes after Blackwater

http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2007/10/obama_goes_after_blackwater.html


Sen. Barack Obama at the University of Iowa on Oct. 3, 2007. Charlie Niebergall/AP Photo.

by John McCormick

IOWA CITY –Sen. Barack Obama charged today that a private security firm operating in Iraq has acted "with reckless disregard to Iraqi life," as he called his proposals to better monitor such contractors the toughest reforms offered by any candidate in the presidential race.

Although Obama has previously mentioned Blackwater USA, the Illinois Democrat drew greater attention to the firm's actions in an extended discussion on the University of Iowa's campus.

"Most contractors act as if the law doesn't apply to them," he said. "Under my plan, if contractors break the law, they will be prosecuted."

In announcing his "Security Contractor Accountability Plan," Obama said he would like to see greater transparency on contractor hiring and costs.

"I've proposed tougher government reforms than any other candidate in this race – reforms that would eliminate the kind of no-bid contracts that this administration has given to Blackwater," he said.

A new congressional report suggested Blackwater employees engaged in nearly 200 shootings in Iraq since 2005, with a vast majority cases being shootings from moving vehicles.

Obama said he would create an entire FBI unit that would be charged with investigating such incidents.

"Given the attention these scandals have generated we can no longer plead ignorance," Obama said.

[Orwellian_Ghost]

3. Noone knows precisely

but we can gain insight in a number of ways.

What do you think will occur if Obama is elected as regards Iraq?

I mean this not at all as a comparison towards Hillary as her stance is obvious but as a sincere question towards any and all who may be against the Iraq War and supportive of Obama.

[babylonsister]

6. What is her stance, besides starting removal of troops within 60 days?

As for Obama, his plan is to get it done within 16 months, taking much more care to get us out of there compared to the swiftness and recklessness that got us there. Get them out. Yes, he will leave some people there to protect US interests and security. Try to find Samantha Power's and Susan Rice's advocacy on Obama. They are both very bright women who work for and will work for him; they have his plan down a lot patter than I do.

[Orwellian_Ghost]

10. I've read them both- Susan Rice and Samantha Powers- at length

What would you say are "US interests and security" in Iraq?

That's many thousands of miles away. Why do "WE" have such interests so far away and how does this relate to the US citizens daily life?

[babylonsister]

11. I think there is a threat from certain parts of the world.

We've created "this" threat, now we have to deal with it, but hopefully to a much lesser extent once we withdraw.

Oh, and declare success! :eyes:

I feel like I'm being tested! :crazy:

[Orwellian_Ghost]

12. Where are those parts of the world

and who is it that resides there? Penta-who?

The external threat is mythical but necessary in this case.

Just continuing the exam:

:toast:

Obama does not plan on withdrawal (funny phrase huh?) of US troops just "combat" brigades which represent slightly less than half of US forces.

It's up to the likes of you and I.

What can WE do my friend?

[cooolandrew]

4. I think the context he will use them is as body guards which isn't a miltary duty. Not as soldiers..

`

[cooolandrew]

5. Samantha Power explains here exactly what he would do, audio link...

www.members.aol.com/cooolandrew2/outstanding.mp3

[Orwellian_Ghost]

7. I heard that

Have you seen her interview on the Charlie Rose show?

What did you think?

[thunder rising]

8. This starts with an assumption and extrapolates into the vast unknow.

I have never heard Obama say he wants to keep that embassy, and even if so there will be no need for a (the only) fully staffed mission.

[mmonk]

9. And video of Samatha Power, Obama advisor on the Iraq issue.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRY_m8dlXMI