ViceZilla’s Views

Retreating Iraqi Military

Reports of Iraqi soldiers abandoning their posts, and refusing to fight the enemy are getting to be regular headlines. A few weeks back during the Iraqi crackdown in Basra, it was well reported of the soldiers who laid down their arms or deserted, refusing to fight their countrymen. How noble.

I don’t particularly fault the fighting men of the Iraqi military for not wanting to fight their countrymen, it is after all not their war. But that being said, if their country is not worth them fighting for it, then we shouldn’t be fighting for it either.

I can see a nasty trend happening in the future. For as long as our troops remain in Iraq, they will be forced to pick up the slack of the Iraqi military. All it will take for the Iraqi’s to keep us fighting on the front lines, will be for the Iraqi military to turn around and leave, which is just what happened today. About 50 Iraqi troops had enough, and just turned around and left their posts, leaving US troops holding the fort, so to speak.

A US company commander pleaded with the Iraqi major who was leading his troops, urging him to return to the front:

“If you turn around and go back up the street those soldiers will follow you,” Captain Veath said. “If you tuck tail and cowardly run away they will follow up that way, too.”

His pleas fell on deaf ears as the major led his men away from the Sadr City fight.

Regardless of what our politicians tell us, it’s the opinions of the men in the trenches that matter most. Bush says “real progress is being made in Iraq,” but troops opinions differ. A US platoon sergeant had this to say about the Iraqi retreat:

“It bugs the hell out of me. We don’t see any progress being made at all. We hear these guys in firefights. We know if we are not up there helping these guys out we are making very little progress.”

As long as Bush and his successor keep troops in Iraq, without at least a deadline for withdrawal, this scenario will continue to be a common headline in our newspapers. Read more

Tags: War in Iraq by vicezilla
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File this one under Bushie arrogance.

Senator Carl Levin asked Defense Secretary Robert Gates if he still hoped that we could get down to 100,000 troops in Iraq by January, 2009. Barely able to control his pompous joy, he replied, “No, Sir,” with a shit eating grin only a Loyal Bushie could appreciate. It was last September that Gates said it was his hope that there would be about 100,000 troops in Iraq by the time the next president took office. Well obviously his hopes were dashed by Gen. Petraeus’s testimony yesterday recommending no further troop reductions until at least September.

The smugness of this Administration is just another black eye to the American people. Despicable.

Technorati Tags: Defense Secretary Gates, Robert Gates, Carl Levin, War in Iraq, Troop Levels

Tags: Bush Administration, War in Iraq by vicezilla
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The leader of the sovereign nation of Iraq has disagreed with Gen. Petraeus’s recommendation that U.S. military forces stay in Iraq, but rather suggests that troops should be “pulled out as the situation permits.”

The prime minister told Bush during a 20-minute telephone conversation on Wednesday that Iraqi security forces are capable of carrying out their duties and U.S. troops should be pulled out as the situation permits, according to a senior government adviser who sat in on the phone conversation. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to disclose the confidential details.

What other reasons are we waiting for? Bush has previously stated that we are in Iraq as invited guests, and will leave when asked to do so. Well, the writing seems to be on the wall, the only question is can Bush read it?

Technorati Tags: Iraq, War in Iraq, Petraeus, al-Maliki

Tags: Bush Administration, War in Iraq by vicezilla
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What have we been listening too for the past 5 years from Bush’s war room regarding troop levels in Iraq? Either we can’t reduce troop levels because the violence is too high, or chaos will ensue if we reduce the numbers. Now, according to Gen. Petreaus’s testimony this week, he will recommend a “pause” in reductions for 45 days beginning in July to assess the situation before making any more decisions. 45 days from July is September. Coincidence? No, not at all. And it shouldn’t come as a surprise either. Same old song and dance from the Bush House!

Leaving the Iraq mess to Bush’s successor was always the plan. Bush and his sidekicks have always waved the flag for victory, and to them a troop pullout, for whatever reason is equal to surrender. But what I find interesting now is the call by the very same people who perpetuated the lie to invade Iraq are now calling warning Bush’s successor that the United States cannot continue to keep such large numbers of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

But wait a minute, it was OK for Bush to keep as many troops in Iraq for as long as he wished, but now all of a sudden the next President can’t? This according to Former Secretary of State Colin Powell on ABC’s Good Morning America:

“Whichever one of them becomes president on Jan. 1, 2009, they will face a military force that cannot continue to sustain 140,000 people deployed in Iraq and the 20 (thousand) odd or 25,000 people we have deployed in Afghanistan and our other deployments.”

Then in the next breath he warned that the next president will face limitations on bringing troops home as Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have promised to do. Yet John McCain has stated his presidential campaign’s success on the war, and has vowed to stay the course in Iraq.

Interesting doublespeak by Powell I must say! Troop levels have to be reduced, but yet they can’t! Which one is it oh wise man o’ war?

Reminds me of some people I knew in college. You know the kind that crashed the party, totaled the place and then left without cleaning up their mess!

Technorati Tags: War in Iraq, Iraq, Colin Powell, Troop Levels, Troop Reductions

Tags: Bush Administration, War in Iraq by vicezilla
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If merely hearing the word “success” doesn’t make you feel dizzy (or nauseous) after listening to the past two days of Petraeus and Crocker testimony in Washington, then you haven’t had enough! TPMtv has compiled this video of the “successful” highlights.

Tags: War in Iraq by vicezilla
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