"We've been trying, and our soldiers are doing terrifically, but we have not had a serious three-year effort to fight a war in Iraq as opposed to laying the preconditions for getting out."
Interesting that even neocon Bushland defenders are now beginning to point out that our effort in Iraq has not been what it should have been. No occupation and pacification plan nor sufficient troops trained in the civil affairs and population control techniques to make it happen. Infantry grunts' tactics are neither gentle nor designed to win hearts and minds. Shock and awe win battles and wars but not civil populations. Especially when you can't or won't deliver basic infrastructure services or protect them. David Bier http://thinkprogress.org/2006/02/26/kristol-war-not-serious/ Kristol: "We Have Not Had A Serious Three-Year Effort To Fight A War In Iraq" This morning on Fox News Sunday, Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol, one the staunches defenders of the administration's policy in Iraq, said the war in Iraq was not a "serious effort." Transcript: BILL KRISTOL: There would not be civil war if Zarqawi had not spent the last 2 1/2 years had ex-Saddamists with him, very skillfully going on the offensive slaughtering Shia in Karbala, now blowing up the mosque. CHRIS WALLACE: They're there. There are going to be more mosques to blow up. What do you do about the terrorists? KRISTOL: Kill them. Defeat them. CHRIS WALLACE: We've been trying. KRISTOL: We've been trying, and our soldiers are doing terrifically, but we have not had a serious three-year effort to fight a war in Iraq as opposed to laying the preconditions for getting out. CICI CONNELLY: I think that really begs the question then: what have we been doing over there for three-plus years? You say there hasn't been a serious effort to rid that region of the terrorists. I just wonder what secretary Rumsfeld would say in response to that or all the U.S. soldiers who have been over there all this time. KRISTOL: Secretary Rumsfeld's plan was to draw town to 30,000 troops at the end of major activities. Essentially, Kristol claims the Iraq war which he was sure would be a smashing success isn't working out because Donald Rumsfeld is Michael Moore. Another question: Mr. Kristol, if the administration's policy in Iraq the last three years has not been a "serious effort" why have you spent the last three years defending it? UPDATE: Crooks and Liars has the video. http://www.crooksandliars.com/2006/02/26.html#a7302 -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: osint@yahoogroups.com Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
