Panetta just said that the country needs to unite if we are going to be at war.

[Fridays Child]

Here's the exact quote: "This country cannot be at war and be as divided as we are, today. You've got to unify this country."

If that's what he's saying, then the ISG is more out of touch with what Americans want than Bush is.

[Norquist Nemesis]

1. Tough to do when Bushetals demand unity while spitting

in your face and pee on your leg while declaring it's just rain.

[Fridays Child]

8. I agree but Panetta is also clearly saying that the problem isn't the war. The problem...

...is that Americans haven't united in support of it. If that's what he believes, he has it exactly wrong.

[Norquist Nemesis]

13. That's always been his schtick

"Why can't we all just work together?!?!" Unless he's ready to get in Bush's face and tell him to cut the 'bi-partisan bullshit' and start walking the talk, he's going to remain out there in la-la land.

[Nite Owl]

2. Sure it isn't what he meant but

if the repukes want to jump ship and join with the dems in bringing the troops home that would be uniting. If he means, like he probably does, that we should all compromise and stop critizing the war and let the troops stay with a different mission to make things easier for little W than no, we can't compromise our troops any more for this treasonous administration.

[Fridays Child]

12. The panel outlined no clear exit strategy and I fear that Panetta sold out.

His words were pretty straightforward. :scared:

[wtmusic]

3. Can we rally the country around this war?

(Hint: rewind 35 years.)

[Double T]

4. 'WE' need to do the same thing 'WE' 'were attempting' to do in Iraq............

remove the heinous dictator, restore a democratic government and THEN unite the country.

[ProfessorGAC]

5. Then, Let's Not Be At War

This is a war of choice. If we need to be unified when at war, fine. But, in this case there is a third option. Don't be at war.
The Professor

[Jacobin]

6. Good luck with that

I'm not getting behind this criminal enterprise, and neither is more than half the country.

[Solly Mack]

7. The attempt by the ISG to shift responsibility for Bush's crimes

onto the people is bovine caca.

Invading Iraq was criminal. America is torturing people. America is illegally detaining people indefinitely...and using extraordinary rendition.

I can't unite behind that...and fuck anyone for suggesting I should.

[Captain Hilts]

9. I thought we were supposed to "go shopping." Do we unite to go shopping? nt

[BurtWorm]

10. Who's got to unify the country?

Bush? Whom is he addressing? The country is getting more and more unified each day--against the war.

[blm]

11. Leon Panetta is still the mouthpiece for Clinton. We will unite for WITHDRAWAL, Leon.

.

[Fridays Child]

15. Exactly. There is no "third way," here. The only way to go is OUT!

:mad:

[Avalux]

14. Fuck Him. Bring Our Troops Home NOW.

:grr:

[trumad]

16. Panetta has 3 sons....

Panetta married Sylvia Marie Varni, who administered his home district offices during his terms in Congress.

Currently, he lives on his family's 12 acre (49,000 m²) walnut farm in Carmel Valley with his wife. They have three sons: Christopher, Carmelo, and James, and three grandchildren<8>.

I betcha not one of them is in the military.

[Fridays Child]

19. Nice life. In the meantime, poor and working class Americans are...

...fighting and dying in this war. I will unite with Republicans to bring them home, NOW. Beyond that, fuck 'em all, and that includes the weaselly Panetta.

[Cass]

17. I wonder who that comment is directed to. It should be directed to Bush and the republicans

who like to say divisive things about dems like calling them terrorist lovers, Nazi appeasers, and saying that if a dem wins we'll get attacked, etc. But if he's trying to lay blame for this Iraq war mess on the public, then that's a low blow.

He should have pointed out the shoddy job the media did during the run-up to the war while he's on this subject. The media were the enablers in this mess and should take their lumps in this analysis.

(edited for spelling)

[H2O Man]

18. There is a very real danger

that the ISG is intended as the novocaine needed to prepare the public for a new phase in extending the war, rather than a progressive effort to end it.

[Fridays Child]

20. Going by what Panetta said, I'd have to agree with you.

Relax, everyone. We're a distinguished bipartisan panel. You don't have to worry about this war, anymore, so just go back to your football games and reality TV shows. We'll take it from here.

[bridgit]

22. there it is, did i not understand; they are advocating some 15,000...

'specially trained advisers', where the hell are they going to come from, and what the hell is the difference between them and a flat-out escalation of intent to sanction war without end, and my sense is that while they're there they'll just be conducting war parties as they were trained

the ISG is just saying it with greater intellectual aplomb than bush's feeble mind could EVER have mustered the notion

[H2O Man]

25. There is a very real

danger of the administration going after Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army .... that is the reason they are looking to increase troops in that area.

[sweetheart]

21. Get him on the first flight to iraq

Any shit-talkers need to do a tour, with a big 'i support killing iraqi civilians'
t-shirt, with 'kill 'em all, let got sort 'em out.' on the reverse of the T-shirt,
with their hands and ankles secured with zip-ties.

Then they would be united with the war crimes they support.

[Metta]

23. He has his head up his ass. He was picked because he carries water.

Anyone have any doubts about that?

[Atman]

24. God, they just SO want us to believe "WE" are at war, and not just THEM!

Those fuckers need to wake up to the fact that just because they saw this fiasco as a good strategic business move for themselves and their cronies, it doesn't mean the country shares your neo-con visions of world domination. GET OVER IT! You fucked up. Your plan failed. Let the grown-ups get back in and fix things now.

.

[patricia92243]

26. Bush has never even pretended to be President of the whole USA, He has always made it abundantly cl

clear that he is president to Republicans only.

I don't believe anything he does would unite the US now. It is too late for him. I don't know what the answer is - but I do know it is not Bush.

[robertpaulsen]

27. The country is unified. They want OUT OF IRAQ, fool!

Did you miss the election results last month, Panetta?

[stevietheman]

28. I did get a very sick feeling today that the ISG is about granting...

the Bush Regime one final allowance to politically recover from all its lies and crimes more than anything else.

:puke: