McClatchy: Pace: Don't judge success in Iraq by level of violence

[babylonsister]

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/homepage/story/17215.html

Pace: Don't judge success in Iraq by level of violence
By Nancy A. Youssef | McClatchy Newspapers


WASHINGTON — Marine Gen. Peter Pace, the outgoing chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Thursday that the success of the U.S. troop surge in Iraq should be measured not by whether violence is reduced, but by whether Iraqis feel better about their nation's future.

In their weekly news conference, both Pace and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates defended the surge, despite a rise in violence against civilians and increasing deaths among U.S. soldiers. Gates said that the increased violence is because U.S. and Iraqi troops are entering new areas.

"Our troops and the Iraqi troops are going into areas where they haven't been for some time, and they anticipated that there would be a high level of combat as they did that," Gates said.

Their comments come at a time when assessments of the situation in Iraq indicate that violence hasn't gone down with the addition of 28,500 troops in Iraq. A Defense Department assessment released last week said violence against civilians had remained unchanged in February, March and April. The new Baghdad security plan began on Feb. 15.

Several members of Congress have said that if that trend holds when the U.S. commander in Iraq, Army Gen. David Petraeus, makes a required assessment on Sept. 15, then pressure will build for a change in Iraq strategy.

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[aquart]

1. Because, hey, war is hell.

Let's not pretend it's not. OUT NOW.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

2. The "Bury your head in the sand and sing 'God Bless America'" theory of winning a war.

[uppityperson]

3. If Iraqis feel better about increasing violence, that is success?

[ProgressiveAmPatriot]

7. See, the Iraq War was originally a sucess because the American public was duped,

now that many of the duped have awoken from their slumber to realize what a mess Iraq is, Iraq is becoming a failure. It is like Vietnam, when people protested, we lost the war because public support waned. Now, with Iraq, we have a new element. If Iraqi politicians can dupe ordinary Iraqis, the war will be a success again.

:sarcasm:

Seriously, Iraq has been ranked second in the world as a failed state, right behind Sudan. Where do they come up with this stuff?

[Solly Mack]

4. Yeah, cause widespread violence always makes me feel better about my nation's future

I'd scream if I thought it would help

[babylonsister]

5. You, my friend,

are feeling every ache and pain I am from this miserable admin and their lying sycophants. I feel your pain, if it helps.

[Solly Mack]

6. Thank you, babylonsister

It does help...it really does.

[GeorgeGist]

8. From the mouths of fools ...

Pace said, however, violence shouldn't be the way the surge's success is judged. He said the surge was intended to give the Iraqi government time to make political progress on divisive benchmark issues, such as how to distribute oil revenues among Iraq's sects and ethnic groups and when to hold provincial elections. How Iraqis feel about their government is a better measure of success, he said.

Comes the proof.