Petreus: Iraq too volatile to plan pullout
Now that both McCain and Obama agree on Iraq, it's interesting to note that the man both swore they'd listen to in formulating Iraq strategy is left out in the cold:
The top U.S. military commander in Iraq isn't buying the increasingly popular idea of a publicly stated timetable for American troop withdrawal.
Gen. David Petraeus, the Iraq commander, said in an interview with McClatchy that the situation in Iraq is too volatile to "project out, and to then try to plant a flag on, a particular date." ...
Barack Obama was first, suggesting he would have combat troops home within 16 months of Inauguration Day. The idea got a big boost during his overseas trip, when Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki indicated support for that general timeline.
During a Friday interview on CNN's "The Situation Room," Republican candidate John McCain, who had opposed setting a timeline, appeared to shift ground. McCain said that 16 months "is a pretty good timetable" but must be based on conditions on the ground.
What a perfect example of how politicians function -- it's got nothing to do with "supporting the troops," or "protecting America," or "promoting democracy." It's all about winning elections.
posted by Michael Tuggle @ Monday, July 28, 2008
4 Comments
4 Comments:
By a remarkable coincidence, Iraq was not especially volatile when Saddam Hussein was in charge.
This Imperial Globalism business is really confusing.
I have a friend who lives in the Phillipines. She says the same rex about living there during the Marcos regime. While it was evil and dangerous to those that opposed it, those that simply lived there lived pretty peacefully and the economy was more stable. She said she actually misses his dictatorship because she felt safer and more successful during that time.
Does a country undergo "growing pains" when invaded or do countries like Iraq even know where they are now going. Their way of life, their leadership, their laws have all been tossed out the window and it seems they do not even know where to begin in replacing them. They aren't Christians, so they don't go by the basic Biblical premises upon which this country was founded. Then again, this country now rebels against those premises. So, how can we lead another country successfully into self-sufficiency when we ourselves are failing so miserably at it?
rex osborne,
But when Iraqis die now, they die in freedom -- thanks to the Great Liberator.
saddlegait,
Yes, it's easy to forget that chaos is easy, while order, even an imperfect one, takes generations to grow. Iraq is a good example of the best being the enemy of the good.
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