As critics feared, the U.S. military’s "surge" — now at full force — involves far too few troops to make a real difference. We still don’t have enough troops to do the job — that is, not only to clear insurgent areas in Baghdad and elsewhere but also hold them.
Two U.S. generals confirmed that analysis this past weekend, saying Iraqi forces were too weak to hold onto gains secured by U.S. operations. "There’s got to be more Iraqi security forces," Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch said.
After several years of training, where are they?
Posted by Randy Scholfield
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56 Comments
Can we see the light at the end of the tunnel yet?
Most of us can, Ben. Then there’s bushco and his 24 percenters who won’t ever see the light, or if they do see the light they’ll keep it a secret or cover it up hoping they don’t have to admit they saw the light. What a bunch of losers!
Randy,
I read the linked article and I didn’t see where the Generals said or confirmed:
“…involves far too few troops to make a real difference.”
Seems like you had your own conclusions here.
“His counterpart south of Baghdad seemed to agree, saying U.S. troops are too few to garrison the districts newly rid of insurgents. “It can’t be coalition (U.S.) forces. We have what we have. There’s got to be more Iraqi security forces,” Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch said.”
There are either not enough occupation troops or not enough ARI troops to do the job. “troops are too few”
Funny how Randy Scholfield can draw the conclusion that more training and lack of ammunition is conclusive proof the “surge” is coming up short.
Let’s flip this around…
Let’s say, more training and more ammunition was needed for U.S. troops. Would the circumstance of Randy Scholfield’s assessment differ?
Of course, those with a modicum of editorial sense realize what this is all about. Don’t we?
The senior Republican Senator from Indiana, Richard Lugar was quoted today as saying that the surge isn’t working and Bush needs to come up with a new stratergy………….
Even the Republicans are turning on the Administration.
And the link, for the doubters…..
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19426648/
“Key GOP senator says Iraq strategy not working – In blow to Bush, Lugar calls for new approach that downsizes military’s role.”
“As critics feared,…”
That pretty much says it all. The Libs are afraid.Reason # 846 why the American people will not them into the White House anytime soon.
The Ghost of McGovern lives!
Libs like Lugar?
No.
We played the same game in nam, take the hill, give up the hill, take the hill …., and lost lives every time the hill was over run, or had to be re-taken.
Very true Phantom … Strategic Hamlets … Operation Phoenix … VietNamization … ignoring Geneva … Light at the end of the tunnel …
Why are we in Iraq, besides killing Iraqis? And don’t tell me it’s oil, because at 2 billion a week, we can buy the oil cheaper, so like it or not, there is still a reason { but it’s the one you’re not allowed to talk about, you know, the ole free speech thing }.
Republican Voinovich of Ohio is also now calling for change. Saying current policy is not working.
We will never win this because to defeat an enemy you have to be like them.As per example:
PoorIgnorant (lack of education)Radical FundamentalistA believer in Islam
of course it was bound to fail.
Bush is like the reverse Midas
every thing he touches turns to fecal matter
Where are the Iraqi soldiers?
Protecting the checkpoints by day, blowing up American conveys by night.
Iraq is Arabic for Vietnam . . .
We’ll see whether Lugar remains the lonely voice crying out in the wildnerness, or whether his stature provides sufficient cover for lesser, endangered Republicans to begin peeling away from the President. It’s time everybody stopped deferring to the President’s need not to be wrong, and started to look squarely at the situation on the ground in Iraq. We need to get out for the sake of the Army, and sooner than later.
And just like that, Senator Voinovich chimes in as well.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070626/ap_on_go_co/us_iraq
we have heard some other voices – Hagel for example. I think deluge may be near.
MORE REPUKE DIRTY DEEDS
The response to Simpson’s affidavit (Affidavit Suggesting Rove Involvement 06-04-2007 http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/docs/rove-affidavit /)has been a series of brusque dismissive statements – all of them unsworn – from others who figured in the discussion and the federal prosecutor in the Siegelman case, who has now made a series of demonstrably false statements concerning the matter. She’s been smeared as “crazy” and as a “disgruntled contract bidder.” And something nastier: after her intention to speak became known, Simpson’s house was burned to the ground, and her car was driven off the road and totaled. Clearly, there are some very powerful people in Alabama who feel threatened
It’s amazing how badly most journalists want want the U.S. to lose in Iraq. It should be common sense to anyone that it is too soon to judge the results of the troop surge, which was just fully implemented last week.
How come the U.S. media only reports on the number of troops killed? Why don’t they provide some context when they report on it? How many terrorists (sent largely by regimes in Iran and Syria) have we killed? You are aware that when it is reported that “U.S. troops are killed in an explosion,” that it most likely was these terrorists specifically targeting the U.S. troops, not any kind of “civil war” as you like to report.
Can you just imagine where our country would be today if the U.S. media reported this way during World War II?
(sent largely by regimes in Iran and Syria)
No, they are mostly Iraqi. And they get help from the Saudis.
When you see it walking down the street
And it starts to cry each time you meet
Walk on by DA DAH DAH DA DAHH DAHH
Walk on by DA DAH DAH DA DAHH DAHH
Anyone hear Annthrax Coulter on Good Morning America?
“So I’ve learned my lesson about John Edwards [she called him a "faggot."] Next time I’ll just say that I hope he gets blown up in a terrorist attack.”
Woohoo! Slap me silly, and call me Claribell!
That woman is hysterical!
“I hope he gets blown up in a terrorist attack!” OMG, some body make her stop!
HI LAR IOUS!
No wonder we libs are losing–we don’t have anybody with her razor-sharp wit and so sweet to boot.
Yup, nothing but jello and pudding there–not a mean-spirited bone in her body.
“blown up in a terrorist attack”
I’m still wiping tears from my eyes, I tell you what . . .
Remember, Coulter loves terrorist Tim McVeigh.
No coroborration for Randy’s link??
Here ya go:
“The Iraqi military does not even have enough ammunition, said Brig. Gen. Mick Bednarek: “They’re not quite up to the job yet.”
His counterpart south of Baghdad seemed to agree, saying U.S. troops are too few to garrison the districts newly rid of insurgents. “It can’t be coalition (U.S.) forces. We have what we have. There’s got to be more Iraqi security forces,” Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch said.”
I wonder what kind of dress Coultergeist will wear next?? He/She has a strange wardrobe for somebody pretending to be a straight female…
Cap’n,
Indeed. And then the Filty Whore took a call on “Hardball” today from none other than Elizabeth Edwards, who politely asked her to cool it with the gutter-mouthed hate speech. And Coulter, like the Filthy Whore she is, accused Edwards of trying to censor her.
Josh Marshall has the video.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/
more video at hardball.msnbc.com
And the rightie wingnuts call US hateful!
Hey, how many females you ever see with an “Adam’s Apple”???
And she seems SO obcessed with female size… Lewinski chubby, and Hillary’s “chubby legs” How can she look at Laura Bush, and NOT see chubby legs??? LOL
Annie C. is onto something, there are a bunch of “people” in D.C. that deserve to be blown up, real good. I am not partisan and those to be blown up should be of both parties.
Coulter is SO skinny, if she turned sideways and stuck out her tongue, you could mistake her for a zipper!!
Git er done, Sgt!!! Sikkim!!
In the town, and on the date Coulter claims to have been born, there is NO record of any baby girls born there on that date… I wonder if her original first name was maybe Andrew??
Would that be the same mAnn Coulter who laughed at and mocked the death of Edward’s teenage son? Imagine if Democrats did that after Tiahrt’s son’s death.
But for Republicans it’s standard behavior.
sgt – you in the same militia unit as McVeigh? You and he are two peas in a pod.
I hope the FBI is on your terrorist trail.
That Adam’s apple turns sgt slaughter on!
69 time!
When asked how she could possibly call Obama “godless” she basically responded that his church preaches communism — So, he belongs to the wrong church, and thus he is Godless… Hmmmmm SHAME on Annie for being against First Amendment rights!!
Is that the same mAnn Coulter who committed voter fraud and used some FBI connections to get out of?
Or the same Coulter who wished Edwards was assassinated?
Or the same Coulter who called Edwards a “faggot”?
Nice spokesman you Republicans have. Thanks to his actions I made a campaign contribution to Edwards today.
https://johnedwards.com/action/contribute/coulter
That would be the SAME Ann Coulter, Doug… And that was the substance of Elizabeth Edwards’ call to her on Hardball tonite…
BTW, I know the Pastor of Obama’s Church, and he does NOT preach Communism… Never has… Never will…
And it is the same Ann Coulter who said if it wasnt for HER, Edwards couldnt be asking for contributions… because of what she said!! Arrogant female impersonator!!!
Wow, craziness, it’s hard to identify all the players without a damned scorecard!
Sgt. — Better be careful here… you just advocated KILLING people of both parties on this Blog… I’m sure you know what the Patriot Act might think of such a thing…
If the journalists were allowed to show the true horrors of the war, it would be over tomorrow.
NOTHING GOOD will EVER come from this
BRING OUR TROOPS HOME NOW
Yes, leave — Support our troops… Bring them home NOW!!
Those that support Ann Coulter are no better than the hate-filled propaganda that she spews. But yet these so-called Christian Conservative Republicans are the first ones to give her a high-five for the latest assinine comment she makes.
As far as morals go, I have to wonder who dresses Ann Coulter. Is it her pimp? I’ve never seen this woman dressed appropriately. And when she sits in that tight short black dress, someone needs to tell her the world does want to see her c_____. No wonder she likes Bush so much – she likes to show it.
SAM maybe thats not what it has to show???
I am no conservative, and certainly not christian, but with fienstein, boxer, pelosi and hillary, you libs should refrain from using the word C#NT.
Hmmm I didnt see that word, Sgt…. I saw c_____.
Afghanistan produced dramatically more opium in 2006, increasing its yield by nearly 50% from a year earlier and pushing global opium production to a new record high. Opium production in Afghanistan increased from about 4,500 tons in 2005 to 6,700 tons in 2006.Guess where the Taliban gets money for continuing to attack and kill U.S. troops.The Taliban keeps collecting huge drug profits because no one has the guts to stop Afghan farmers from growing poppies, and stop drug lords and smugglers from funneling most of the profits to terrorists. The leftists would say we were being cruel if we made the poor farmers starve on what little they could get from growing crops like corn or beans.The ones growing poppies and smuggling heroin wouldn’t starve in Gitmo.
Wrong, the Left attributes the growing Heroion production fiasco to the (anti-) King Midas GWB.