Dept Of Duh

by DemFromCT

Two senior American military commanders said today that the wave of sectarian bloodshed in Iraq has heightened the danger that the country will slide into all-out civil war.

“I believe that the sectarian violence is probably as bad as I’ve seen it, in Baghdad in particular, and that if not stopped, it is possible that Iraq could move towards civil war,” Gen. John Abizaid, the commander of United States forces in the Middle East, told the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Gee, i wonder why Lamont's doing so well lately?

A similarly sobering assessment was offered by Gen. Peter Pace, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who said he can envision the present situation “devolving to a civil war.”

“But that does not have to be a fact,” General Pace added. In the long run, he said, peace in Iraq depends not just on American forces helping the Iraqis secure their own country but on Iraqis of different heritages deciding that they “love their children more than they hate each other.”

General Abizaid, too, said he remained optimistic. “Am I optimistic whether or not Iraqi forces, with our support, with the backing of the Iraqi government, can present the slide to civil war?” he asked rhetorically. “My answer is yes, I’m optimistic that the slide can be prevented.”

But the tone of the hearing, coinciding as it did with the continuing carnage in Iraq and the Israeli conflict with the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon, was not one of optimism. Nothing in the testimony of the commanders, or in that of Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, pointed to an early withdrawal of United States forces.

This was the worst strategic mistake by a sitting president in a generation. We will be paying for it in treasure and tears for years to come. So why has Rummy not been fired?

[UPDATE] from Gallup:

Several points are clear:

• A majority of 55% of Americans currently favor the withdrawal of troops either immediately or within a year's time (by August 2007), although only about one in five favor immediate withdrawal.

• Just about a third -- 35% -- believe that troops should be withdrawn without a strict timetable and only when the control of the country can be turned over to the Iraqis.

• Only a few Americans want more troops to be sent to Iraq.

While the percentage of Americans who favor a withdrawal of all U.S. troops either now or within a year is not a supermajority, it is a majority, suggesting that the Democratic leadership is speaking to an issue that resonates with many Americans.   

No kidding.

 

Comments

[freepatriot]

so what would a Civil War in Iraq look like ???

until we get rummy to answer that question, he'll just keep dancing around with the "woulda, coulda, shoulda" act

if the truth is told, a Civil War in Iraq would look VERY SIMILAR to what we're seeing today

what factor is lacking ???

multicolored party hats, a catchy jingle, some matching uniforms ???

what is the vital component of civil war that is missing in Iraq ???

[kvenlander]

See Billmon on the "Peter Principle".

[Melanie]

It's been a civil war for over a year. Rummy and the general staff are slow learners.

[ats]

The US has been slow to realize that some champions of the Iraq war (e.g., Israel-firsters) are quite okay with the prospect of seeing that nation devolve into civil war. Indeed, Israel has been working its destabilization magic up north with the Kurds.
That is within Tel Aviv's rights too, but let's not pretend Israel is at one with the US in wanting a free, democratic, united Irag. Such an Iraq would still, by overwhelming popular vote, be a foe of Israel—especially now.
In fact, nowhere in the Muslim world would a pro-Israeli ticket gain favor. With good reason: the settlements expands, the wall-building goes on, the checkpoints multiply, the bombing continues.
Then we have Alan Dershowitz and Tom Lantos, suitable for framing as anti-semitic cartoons.
All the free-downlaod megaphone software in the world, flooding sites like this, will avail the Likudniks but little. Nations that have no Jews are turning on the Israelis for a reason.