Froomkin: "Whole new Iraq war...not the war anyone signed up to fight."

[DeepModem Mom]

A Whole New War
By Dan Froomkin
Special to washingtonpost.com
Wednesday, July 26, 2006

President Bush and national security adviser Stephen Hadley yesterday for the first time publicly acknowledged the momentous shift in the role for U.S. troops in Iraq, from fighting terrorists to trying to suppress religious violence.

This sea change was described in such understated terms that it was eclipsed by news about the crisis in Lebanon. Bush described a change in tactics; Hadley called it a repositioning.

But it's a historic admission: That job one for many American troops in Iraq is no longer fighting al-Qaeda terrorists, or even insurgents. Rather, it is trying to quell an incipient -- if not already raging -- sectarian civil war, with Baghdad as ground zero....

***

As things stand now, an overwhelming majority of the American public no longer supports Bush's handling of the war, which they think was a mistake in the first place. A majority wants American troops to start coming home soon. What unqualified support there is for the war seems to come from people who believe it is central front in the war on terror.

But how will people feel about our troops being sent into the crossfire between rival Muslim sects? That is not the war anyone signed up to fight.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2005/04/11/LI2005041100879.html

[peacebird]

1. I believe the war we "signed up for" was to find WMD in Iraq....

We already have had SEVERAL totally new wars that we didn't sign up for - including the war to spread democracy....

and they have all gone just SO well...

:sarcasm:

by the way - what;s this I hear about * mulling sending our troops into Lebanon?!?

Now THAT's a good idea - NOT.

:grr:

[MissWaverly]

2. heard we are already there, supporting mass carpet bombing

I have heard that Israel is heavily targeting the North, which is Christian, since
Hezbollah is an Islamic terror organization and is in South Lebanon, does this make sense?
Not.

[blm]

3. Kerry's been saying for a year that this is the THIRD WAR being fought in

Iraq. We succeeded at the first war for regime change when they caught Saddam and voted for their constitution, and we have no business being involved in any more changed missions.