purplegirl

we do know our leaders have sold us out a long long time ago , you should hear what viewers say on Most Arabic channels , the disgust they feel against the rulers , most call them puppets, weak traitors, quislings, cowards . many want them out and be replaced . but no one does anything about it . the fear is such you dont know who to trust , people speak out on phones and net but they wont say anything at work or in the neigbourhood in case the neighbour or colleague at work is from the intelligence bureau . people are scared to lose their jobs and find themselves on their own fighting ruthless leader . sometimes i ask myself where are our brave men ? those who liberated Algeria from the french empire ? where is Omar al Mukhtar and people like him , or emir Abdelkader , we have none . some have sold thier soul to the dollar and write dispicable columns to please the dictator , others are simply busy working to provide food for the family and life goes on , while we still feel disgust and despair .

Rapid Withdrawal Is Only Solution

By William E. Odom, lieutenant general, USA (retired)

Information Clearinghouse
Wednesday 02 April 2008

Testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Iraq.

Good morning Mr. Chairman and members of the committee. It is an honor to appear before you again. The last occasion was in January 2007, when the topic was the troop surge. Today you are asking if it has worked. Last year I rejected the claim that it was a new strategy. Rather, I said, it is a new tactic used to achieve the same old strategic aim, political stability. And I foresaw no serious prospects for success.

I see no reason to change my judgment now. The surge is prolonging instability, not creating the conditions for unity as the president claims.

Last year, General Petraeus wisely declined to promise a military solution to this political problem, saying that he could lower the level of violence, allowing a limited time for the Iraqi leaders to strike a political deal. Violence has been temporarily reduced but today there is credible evidence that the political situation is far more fragmented. And currently we see violence surge in Baghdad and Basra. In fact, it has also remained sporadic and significant inseveral other parts of Iraq over the past year, notwithstanding the notable drop in Baghdad and Anbar Province.

More disturbing, Prime Minister Maliki has initiated military action and then dragged in US forces to help his own troops destroy his Shiite competitors. This is a political setback, not a political solution. Such is the result of the surge tactic.

No less disturbing has been the steady violence in the Mosul area, and the tensions in Kirkuk between Kurds, Arabs, and Turkomen. A showdown over control of the oil fields there surely awaits us. And the idea that some kind of a federal solution can cut this Gordian knot strikes me as a wild fantasy, wholly out of touch with Kurdish realities.

Also disturbing is Turkey’s military incursion to destroy Kurdish PKK groups in the border region. That confronted the US government with a choice: either to support its NATO ally, or to make good on its commitment to Kurdish leaders to insure their security. It chose the former, and that makes it clear to the Kurds that the United States will sacrifice their security to its larger interests in Turkey.

Turning to the apparent success in Anbar province and a few other Sunni areas, this is not the positive situation it is purported to be. Certainly violence has declined as local Sunni shieks have begun to cooperate with US forces. But the surge tactic cannot be given full credit. The decline started earlier on Sunni initiative. What are their motives? First, anger at al Qaeda operatives and second, their financial plight.

Their break with al Qaeda should give us little comfort. The Sunnis welcomed anyone who would help them kill Americans, including al Qaeda. The concern we hear the president and his aides express about a residual base left for al Qaeda if we withdraw is utter nonsense. The Sunnis will soon destroy al Qaeda if we leave Iraq. The Kurds do not allow them in their region, and the Shiites, like the Iranians, detest al Qaeda. To understand why, one need only take note of the al Qaeda public diplomacy campaign over the past year or so on internet blogs. They implore the United States to bomb and invade Iran and destroy this apostate Shiite regime. As an aside, it gives me pause to learn that our vice president and some members of the Senate are aligned with al Qaeda on spreading the war to Iran.

More at the link

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/040408D.shtml

No surprises on this last part. Our “VP” has been doing whatever he can to spread the war to Iran. It was the plan all along.

This War is about Oil Territory and Control.
The Goal is to place these nations in the hands of the UAE who are working in conjunction with the Oil Incs. It amazes me that the People of the Region have not realized many of their leaders and ‘royal families’ Sold them Out decades ago, but use US as the deflection shield to mask their crimes against their Own people.
So how’s those ‘Royal Families’ doing? As well as Cheney & the Clintons? Face it may Middle Eastern Friends We have All been had and are now being Used to boost their Bottom Line and Sell Us all as commodies on the Global Market- indentured Slavery- with ‘Futures’ to boot.

we fight Sunni’s, then cut a deal with some so they’ll reject AlQuada.  we fight Sadr’s bunch off and on; we support Maliki’s side, but he and Sadr both are friendly to Iran as Shiites; we support the Kurds except when they’re fighting our NATO friend Turkey

we should not be providing support for a government that doesn’t represent the 3 major groups, especially when they’re going at each other.

shoot back at those who shoot at us on our way out of Iraq.  we can’t fix it, and our involvement makes things worse through our constantly shifting, frequently misguided policies

was Cheney really involved in this latest action around Basra, pushing Maliki to go after the Shia down there?  that guy is a clusterf$%k - everything he does makes things worse for the US, assuming his influence in this

I agree with you MaryinNC. But to describe the situation Bush and gang created in Iraq as mere “mess” is indeed an understatement. What they did in Iraq is the greatest crime against humanity and environment in modern human history.

Nothing will come close to bringing justice to the untold numbers of victims of this Holocaust short of bringing Bush and gang to a World Court of Justice and have them hanged in the same way Saddam was hanged!

Not even Iraqi Shiites support the Shiite Maliki’s government.  What a joke!

I agree with you Mary.  This is really a lost cause, and shows that the Iraqis may have a chance of working things out if we would only get out of the way.  Unfortunately the powers that be are set on having the new Iraq be friendly to US “interests.” That means more fighting and further fragmentation and chaos.  Its not good any way you slice it and the longer we are there the worse its going to be.  Tom Engelhardt wrote a wonderful piece on this situation which can be found Here and is worth a read.