babylonsister
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Wed May-30-07 02:55 PM
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Petraeus Adviser Says Escalation ‘Is Likelier To Fail Than Succeed At This Point’ |
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http://thinkprogress.org/2007/05/30/escalation-succeed/Petraeus Adviser Says Escalation ‘Is Likelier To Fail Than Succeed At This Point’ Over the weekend, Fox News pundit Fred Barnes claimed that in September, Gen. David Petraeus will report “great progress and say is heavily pacified.” That optimistic assessment is not shared, however, by one of Petraeus’ key advisers.
On CBS Evening News last night, Stephen Biddle, an early proponent of the escalation, argued that Bush’s strategy in Iraq is “likelier to fail than succeed at this point.” Biddle assessed that there is “maybe a one in ten” chance the escalation will succeed. “Maybe it’s a one in five longshot, if we play our cards right,” he said. Watch it at link~
Biddle is right to be cautious about the escalation’s success. Despite a brief lull at the beginning of the surge, sectarian murders in Iraq are on the rise again. Car bombings, chlorine bombs, and the use of children as bombers have all also increased. On Tuesday, May became not only the deadliest month for U.S. troops in 2007, but also the third deadliest month in the entire war.
Transcript:
DAVID MARTIN: This is David Martin. All the troops for the surge are now in Iraq. And U.S. military officers say American casualties are likely to go still higher when operations hit full throttle the second week in June. Compounding that grim forecast, Stephen Biddle, an advisor to the American commander in Iraq, says the odds against success are long.
STEPHEN BIDDLE: If I had to put a number to it, maybe it’s a one in ten. Maybe it’s a one in five longshot, if we play our cards right. There’s no question that this is likelier to fail than succeed at this point.
DAVID MARTIN: In an effort to wipe out insurgent strongholds, U.S. troops will be moving into parts of Baghdad and the surrounding countryside, where they have never been before. But even with the surge, former marine Bing West says, there aren’t enough troops to chase insurgents all over Iraq.
BING WEST: The insurgents move 60 to 100 kilometers in a night. And all of Iraq is so flat, has such terrific highways, that you can scoot very quickly from place to place.
MARTIN: According to Biddle, success depends on coercing insurgent factions into accepting a cease fire.
BIDDLE: 160,000 troops is not enough to secure the whole country. But it’s a powerful source of sticks and carrots. If we start using it selectively to reward those who cooperate and consider cease fires, and to punish those who don’t.
MARTIN: There are cease fire negotiations going on with insurgents, but for now one military officer says, “there out to kill us, we’re out to kill them.” David Martin, CBS News, the Pentagon.
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The Velveteen Ocelot
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Wed May-30-07 03:01 PM
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stellanoir
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Wed May-30-07 03:01 PM
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Nothing can ever succeed that is fundamentally based on a lie.
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indepat
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Wed May-30-07 03:02 PM
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3. Biddle sounds like a man just aching and itching to be fired |
ShortnFiery
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Wed May-30-07 03:02 PM
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4. But there will ALWAYS be money doled out to the Military Industrial Complex as it gleans our |
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compliance with the TIRED OLD RUSE, "Support the Troops!" :grr:
Newsflash: The majority of those BILLIONS are NOT going for the support and welfare of the troops.
FOLLOW THE MONEY!
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Tierra_y_Libertad
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Wed May-30-07 03:11 PM
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5. Uh-huh. "160,000 troops is not enough.." Coming soon - Surge II, Surge III, Surge IV.. |
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Not to mention, "Emergency Funding Bill II", III, IV, to "support our troops"...as the numbers increase to try and salvage the egos of the bosses and their collaborators.
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KansDem
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Wed May-30-07 03:47 PM
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6. But...we're going to wait until September...anyway? |
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How many more will die until our "leaders" see the folly of their ways? :shrug:
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Bluebear
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Wed May-30-07 03:48 PM
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7. Exactly my thought. nt |
spanone
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Wed May-30-07 03:51 PM
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8. Typical Karl Rove low-expectations ploy. We should know this by now. |
Warren DeMontague
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Wed May-30-07 03:53 PM
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9. Boy, THAT guy sure didn't get the memo. |
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Wanna bet they fire him and replace him with one of the security guards from the Creation Museum?
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aint_no_life_nowhere
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Wed May-30-07 03:59 PM
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10. It looks like Fred Barnes has already read the memo |
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The memo about the surge's great success was probably printed in February.
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Fridays Child
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Wed May-30-07 03:59 PM
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11. First, Fred Barnes is not giving an "optimistic assessment." He's merely giving... |
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...his viewers a preview of the RNC's September talking points. What is optimistic, though, is Biddle's "one in ten" chance for success assessment. In fact, it's pie in the sky.
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sicksicksick_N_tired
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Wed May-30-07 04:10 PM
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12. Since we are OCCUPYING a formerly sovereign nation, that would be a common sense,... |
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,...assesment. But, OMFG, don't tell the Bushco loyalists.
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tabasco
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Wed May-30-07 04:22 PM
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13. As if anyone in their right mind thought an escalation would succeed in pacifying Iraq. |
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The sole purpose for the "surge" (escalation) is to keep US forces in Iraq as long as possible. Increasing the number of troops will do that. More in country = more to redeploy.
Iraq is the goose that lays golden eggs for the robber barons and they won't give it up easily.
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Joe for Clark
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Wed May-30-07 04:50 PM
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14. The problem is we assume a static resistance - |
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Pretty stupid.
If we surge so might they - and they will not be dumb enough to do so in the face of our strength. They will just move where we are not.
There is one thing proven by this nonsense - there is an asymetric war going on now. We are fighting a war where people can take a 500 weapon and disable a 20,000,000 weapon. We can't continue doing that for very long.
The fight will continue to move north I am sure.
Joe
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speedoo
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Wed May-30-07 06:13 PM
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librechik
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Wed May-30-07 06:15 PM
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16. didn't we all say this in the beginning??? And yet they HAD to go anyway! |
Neecy
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Wed May-30-07 06:16 PM
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Over the weekend, Fox News pundit Fred Barnes claimed that in September, Gen. David Petraeus will report “great progress and say is heavily pacified.”
Yeah, we all remember how well 'pacification' worked in Vietnam.
"Pacified"=slaughter of the civilian population
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malaise
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Wed May-30-07 06:17 PM
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18. It's deteriorating by the minute |
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Petraeus will soon be jumping (on a ) ship...or plane.
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Thu Apr 25th 2024, 04:26 PM
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