Anybody listening to Kimmitt about the Long War on Cspan?

[liveoaktx]

Creepy. Basically, if we think that after Iraq and Afghanistan will bring troops home, NOTHING COULD BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH.

[madokie]

1. With the bases we are building, hell, built in Iraq, this bunch has

no intention of ever leaving the region, this WMD was a ruse to get there, world domination anyone. I am a child of the 'cold war' and I have seen nothing like this. I just pray, and I don't often pray, that the/we will wake the fuch up. these are perilous times, I, like most here, wished this wasn't true. My children, what have I left you. A mess.
On edit: just mad, scared, hope to sleep tonight.

[TayTay]

2. This topic came up when Sec. Rice testified last week before SFRC

Here is a transcript:

KERRY: Thank you, Madam Secretary.

The other day, General Kimmitt, Mark Kimmitt, gave a speech in London to the Institute of Strategic Studies, wherein he reportedly said the United States will not maintain any long-term bases in Iraq.

KERRY: Our position is, when we leave, we won't leave any bases there.

I wrote to General Pace to follow up on this, and General Pace wrote me back and said: "At present, the Department of Defense has no plans for the permanent basing of U.S. forces in Iraq."

This has long been an issue of contention.

So, you know, General Casey has said, "The sense of American occupation is part of what feeds the insurgency."

The administration, however, has never formally said, "We're not going to have permanent bases."

So I would ask you today: Is it, in fact, the policy of this administration not to have permanent basing in Iraq?

RICE: I think General Pace has spoken to that, Senator, and he speaks for the administration.

Senator, our job now is to use our forces to help the Iraqis gain control of their own security environment, to train their forces to protect our people who need to go out in the field to be a presence outside of Baghdad.

That is the purpose of our forces.

As the president said, we don't want to be there one day longer than we need to be.

KERRY: I understand that, and we all want that transition. I'm just trying to figure out what the long term is, because I don't think the administration has actually said that before with clarity.

So if you're affirming today what the generals have said as the policy, that's a step forward.

RICE: Well, Senator, I think General Pace has spoken to this.

I don't want to, in this forum, try and prejudge everything that might happen all the way into the future. The policy of this administration is to, as quickly as possible, turn over responsibility for security to the Iraqis and, as the president said, we will be very pleased the day when American forces can come home.

KERRY: So the conclusion for what you've just said is that the civilian leadership, which is how we lead the military in the United States, has a different position from the uniformed leadership -- which is you're reserving the right to make that decision in the future?

RICE: Senator, I said I'm not going to try to speak to something that is that far into the future.

KERRY: I heard what you said. I understand.

RICE: We are...

KERRY: No, I understand.

RICE: Yes. Sorry.

KERRY: I got your answer.