"We're Safer Than We've Ever Been Before"

[Mephisto]

Anyone remember that quote? It was made by a man who has a hard time facing reality. The reality is . . .

Iran confirms it will attend summit on Iraq

POSTED: 8:55 a.m. EDT, April 29, 2007

Tehran, Iran (AP) -- Iran on Sunday confirmed it will attend this week's conference on Iraq in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheik, saying its delegation will be headed by its foreign minister.

The announcement will be widely welcomed as Iran, a Muslim Shiite-majority nation, has considerable influence among Iraqi Shiites, who now lead the Baghdad government. Iran is also suspected of having influential links with Shiite insurgent groups -- although it has repeatedly denied such ties.

"A high-ranking delegation headed by Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki will attend the Egyptian conference on Iraq," Foreign Ministy spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini said in an interview with state television.

Hours earlier, the Iraqi prime minister's office had announced that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had called to say his country would send a delegation to the two-day conference, which begins on Thursday.

"The decision came after consultations between Iraqi officials and the Iranian president," Hosseini said in the telephone interview, which was played on state TV.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/04/29/iran.iraq.ap/index.html

How about the numerous quotes about how, "the surge is working," anyone remember those?

Car bomb attack near Shiite shrines kills dozens

POSTED: 4:35 a.m. EDT, April 29, 2007

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- A suicide car bomber attacked between two Shiite shrines in the Iraqi city of Karbala Saturday, killing at least 58 people and wounding 170, a police spokesman said.

Authorities imposed a vehicle ban until further notice.

TV images showed emergency vehicles rushing to the site in the early evening as plumes of smoke rose into the air. (Watch smoke pour into the sky after the bombing )

The bombing occurred as people were heading to evening prayers. After the blast, enraged residents accused police of failing to protect them, and there were reports of stone-throwing.

Karbala, south of Baghdad in Iraq's Shiite heartland, is one of the world's holiest Shiite cities.

It is frequently visited by Shiite pilgrims, drawn to the Imam Hussein shrine.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/04/28/iraq.main/index.html

Anyone remember this quote from the 2004 Presidential debate? "I hear there's rumors on the Internets that we're going to have a draft."

Top general: U.S. needs a bigger Army faster

POSTED: 8:05 a.m. EDT, April 29, 2007

SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii (AP) -- The Army's new chief of staff said he wants to accelerate by two years a plan to increase the nation's active-duty soldiers by 65,000.

The Army has set 2012 as its target date for a force expansion to 547,000 troops, but Gen. George Casey said he told his staff to have the soldiers ready earlier.

"I said that's too long. Go back and tell me what it would take to get it done faster," he said in an interview Saturday with The Associated Press during a stop in Hawaii.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/04/29/army.increase.ap/index.html

It's true! As John McCain (another reality-challenged GOP member) said, "we're not getting the whole picture."

Inspectors: Reconstruction falters at some Iraqi sites

POSTED: 5:06 a.m. EDT, April 29, 2007

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A severe lack of maintenance appears to be threatening the future usefulness of some of the facilities renovated during the effort to rebuild Iraq, says a new report from the U.S. inspector general monitoring reconstruction.

Inspectors reviewed eight facilities throughout the country, including police stations, a military base, a hospital and a recruiting center.

The objective of the review was to determine whether the buildings were operating at full capacity. Inspectors generally found that the facilities met the objectives of their mission, but they also noted signs of deterioration at most sites.

For example, at a recruiting center in Al Hilla, inspectors found bathrooms with floors buckled by what appeared to be sewage backups, makeshift electrical wiring and sewage holding tanks that were never evacuated because concrete barriers blocked access to the rear of the building, where the tanks are located.

The inspectors concluded that the quality of the recruiting center's construction met objectives, but that the useful life of the facility would be significantly shortened if the problems were left unresolved.

At a maternity and pediatric hospital in Irbil, inspectors again found a sewer system that was occasionally clogged, possibly as a result of improper disposal of large amounts of medical wastes. During the site visits, inspectors saw needles, bandages and other examples of medical wastes in the sewer system's traps and septic tank.

A new incinerator was not in use because those initially trained in running it were no longer employed. Also, workers were using an excessive amount of water to clean floors, leading to considerable amounts of water being absorbed into the walls.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/04/29/iraq.report.ap/index.html

Well, one thing can be said about the GOP - at least they're consistent (consistently wrong). How about their assertions that, "if we leave Iraq it will be a bloodbath?" How can we assign any credibility to these claims if they've been so consistently wrong? If you ask me, it's already a bloodbath, our leaving now would only take our troops out of the mix and allow the Iraqis to do what they'll eventually do in the long run.

 

[WildCat]

Anyone remember that quote? It was made by a man who has a hard time facing reality. The reality is . . .

Iran can have it if they want it so bad. Of course, be careful what you wish for, you just might get it...

How about the numberous quotes about how, "the surge is working," anyone remember those?

The surge was to suppress those things in Baghdad, not Karbala.

Anyone remember this quote from the 2004 Presidential debate? "I hear there's rumors on the Internets that we're going to have a draft."

Nothing there about a draft, and it isn't going to happen.

If you ask me, it's already a bloodbath, our leaving now would only take our troops out of the mix and allow the Iraqis to do what they'll eventually do in the long run.

Yep, let the problem of babysitting that place fall in Iran's lap. The Iraqi's have shown they're only interested in killing each other even if it completely destroys the place. I couldn't be happier letting Iran punch that tar baby.

 

[Bikewer]

The oft-repeated line is "If we fail in Iraq, they'll follow us home!" Yet the objective of the insurgents is to get us to leave....

I said this in an earlier post; the administration constantly conflates what's going on in Iraq with the War On Terror.
If we left Iraq tomorrow, we'd be in as much danger of attack by Al Qaeda or it's sympathizers as we would now.
Al Qaeda has publicly stated it's goals, and has apparently stuck with them.

An Al Qaeda presence in Iraq is just a matter of convenience; get some training and recruitment in an ongoing war with the chance to rub America's nose in the dirt a bit.
Then your battle-hardened fighters can take their knowledge elsewhere...
None of the things that tweak Bin Laden's nose are affected by Iraq.
They include such things as our unilateral support for Israel, the presence of "pro-Western" dictators oppressing Islamic peoples, and the occupation of Islamic lands by infidel forces.
These things (and a few others) would still be in place if we left tomorrow.

As Biden points out, the current administration has done little or nothing to address the 9/11 Commission's recommendations, and the pressing needs of Homeland Security have not been seen to either.

 

[Mephisto]

The surge was to suppress those things in Baghdad, not Karbala.

That's the problem with our tactics - they're easily skirted. Once the insurgents see what we're doing, they simply change. As Bill Maher drew a parallel between the surge and domestic violence, "Daddy doesn't beat Mommy when the police are at the doorstep."

Nothing there about a draft, and it isn't going to happen.

Still, there are those who feel that a draft is just what we need:

Rangel introduces bill to reinstate draft

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Rep. Charles Rangel introduced a bill in Congress Tuesday to reinstate the military draft, saying fighting forces should more closely reflect the economic makeup of the nation.

The New York Democrat told reporters his goal is two-fold: to jolt Americans into realizing the import of a possible unilateral strike against Iraq, which he opposes, and "to make it clear that if there were a war, there would be more equitable representation of people making sacrifices."

http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/01/07/rangel.draft/

I don't agree with him, btw - the draft didn't adequately reflect the economic makeup of the nation during Vietnam.

Yep, let the problem of babysitting that place fall in Iran's lap. The Iraqi's have shown they're only interested in killing each other even if it completely destroys the place. I couldn't be happier letting Iran punch that tar baby.

I think Iran's involvement would spell doom for the Sunni population of Iraq. We'd be left with radical Muslim fundies running Iraq and that certainly wouldn't leave us safer. It's just one gigantic cluster-fuuk.

 

[Mephisto]

The oft-repeated line is "If we fail in Iraq, they'll follow us home!" Yet the objective of the insurgents is to get us to leave....

This rationale deserves a good belly laugh - a country without a dependable infrastructure, no military, no air force or navy and at war with itself is going to become a threat? I can almost picture thousands of Iraqi insurgents swimming across the ocean. You're right the insurgents want us to leave and I think we should oblige them.

I said this in an earlier post; the administration constantly conflates what's going on in Iraq with the War On Terror.
If we left Iraq tomorrow, we'd be in as much danger of attack by Al Qaeda or it's sympathizers as we would now.
Al Qaeda has publicly stated it's goals, and has apparently stuck with them.

An Al Qaeda presence in Iraq is just a matter of convenience; get some training and recruitment in an ongoing war with the chance to rub America's nose in the dirt a bit.
Then your battle-hardened fighters can take their knowledge elsewhere...
None of the things that tweak Bin Laden's nose are affected by Iraq.
They include such things as our unilateral support for Israel, the presence of "pro-Western" dictators oppressing Islamic peoples, and the occupation of Islamic lands by infidel forces.
These things (and a few others) would still be in place if we left tomorrow.

I agree wholeheartedly. We're offering some valuable training for future insurgents who we'll undoubtedly run into again in future entanglements. This is why the, "we're safer than we've ever been before," quote is a sad joke. Our war in Iraq has actually made more potential terrorists and made them smarter and more experienced than ever.

As Biden points out, the current administration has done little or nothing to address the 9/11 Commission's recommendations, and the pressing needs of Homeland Security have not been seen to either.

That's another thing that bothers me about this administration - they've been given good advice and have chosen to ignore it to pursue their own goals. Had they instituted more of the 9/11 Commission's recommendations they wouldn't be able to play up the fear factor that keeps people believing there is an imminent threat.

 

[pgwenthold]

This rationale deserves a good belly laugh - a country without a dependable infrastructure, no military, no air force or navy and at war with itself is going to become a threat? I can almost picture thousands of Iraqi insurgents swimming across the ocean. You're right the insurgents want us to leave and I think we should oblige them.

It's not just the insurgents that want us to leave. It is also the peaceful, law-abiding citizens of Iraq that want us out. That's what the polls say.

Similarly, much of the Iraqi government wants us out. Note how a big chunk of the cabinet has recently quit (the "Sadrists"?). Why? Because the government wasn't doing enough to try to get the US to leave.

It is interesting, but there are rumblings in the parlaiment from the Sadrists, too, and they are discussing quitting. That would be bad thing, because if they quit, then Al Malicki loses the majority in the parlaiment, which would mean that he would no longer be in charge (recall he is a representative of the majority party in the parlaiment - if the 30 people who have threatened to quit do, then that would no longer be the majority party).

Can you imagine the chaos that would result if all of a sudden someone new came to power?

Now, the chance of it happening is pretty small, I think, but it's not zero. And it is something the US needs to be concerned about.

 

[Mephisto]

It's not just the insurgents that want us to leave. It is also the peaceful, law-abiding citizens of Iraq that want us out. That's what the polls say.

Similarly, much of the Iraqi government wants us out. Note how a big chunk of the cabinet has recently quit (the "Sadrists"?). Why? Because the government wasn't doing enough to try to get the US to leave.

It is interesting, but there are rumblings in the parlaiment from the Sadrists, too, and they are discussing quitting. That would be bad thing, because if they quit, then Al Malicki loses the majority in the parlaiment, which would mean that he would no longer be in charge (recall he is a representative of the majority party in the parlaiment - if the 30 people who have threatened to quit do, then that would no longer be the majority party).

Can you imagine the chaos that would result if all of a sudden someone new came to power?

Now, the chance of it happening is pretty small, I think, but it's not zero. And it is something the US needs to be concerned about.

I agree, and sympathize with the Iraqis who are probably asking themselves WHY it's a good thing that we picked their country to fight terrorism in. I think that if we had simply turned their country back over to them after they had drafted their constitution (back when everyone was feeling so good about their elections), Democracy might have had a better chance at surviving.