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Ear to the Ground

Once Again, It’s Time to Go Home, Boys

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Posted on Jul 30, 2009
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U.S. Army / Sgt. Edwin M. Bridges

U.S. and Iraqi soldiers conduct a cordon in a Baghdad neighborhood in April.

In a recently released memo, U.S. Army Col. Timothy R. Reese, a senior adviser to the Iraqi military’s Baghdad command, argued that despite some of the glaring deficiencies that hinder Baghdad’s forces—see issues of management, corruption and political pressure—Iraqi troops are competent enough to contain the insurgent violence raging on in their country and that it is high time “for the U.S. to declare victory and go home.”

The New York Times:

A senior American military adviser in Baghdad has concluded in an unusually blunt memo that the Iraqi forces suffer from deeply entrenched deficiencies but are now capable of protecting the Iraqi government, and that it is time “for the U.S. to declare victory and go home.”

Prepared by Col. Timothy R. Reese, an adviser to the Iraqi military’s Baghdad command, the memorandum asserts that the Iraqi forces have an array of problems, including corruption, poor management and the inability to resist political pressure from Shiite political parties.

For all of these problems, however, Colonel Reese argues that Iraqi forces are competent enough to hold off Sunni insurgents, Shiite militias and other internal threats to the Iraqi government. Extending the American military presence in Iraq beyond 2010, he argues, will do little to improve the Iraqis’ military performance while fueling a growing resentment.

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By rockinrobin, July 30, 2009 at 9:35 pm Link to this comment
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the $195m to “rebuild” Iraq disappeared into the pockets yet again of the Pentagon & top military personnel; NOTHING was done; never taxed for 1000 years, now they are; never shortage of gas, now there is; previously 5 cents a gallon, gas is now $2.00 & “prices rising”; divisions created immediately: schism: left, right, Shiite, etc; NOTHING has been done for the people; graft, corruption, those at the top have trillions for them, friends, & family: can’t decide on anything & of course, laws never followed by those in charge; & the judges more criminal than any appearing b/4 them; YEP! the so called MOCKERY of DEMOCRACY has STRUCK THEM! as well; now on to the “created” Taliban as there never was any links to Al queda; if they control Afghanistan, they can go on to SE ASIA: yep, carrying Hitler’s agenda thruout the world; EVERYONE gets to be SLAVES to the “politicians” of the USA! and of course, Monsanto, Bush/Clinton/Rockefeller & any other “politician” in the USA gets to KEEP all the $ at the TOP: while ‘inflating” prices everywhere! not just in USA;

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By rollzone, July 30, 2009 at 1:36 pm Link to this comment

hello. our military industrial congress has threatened the administray-nation with frightening cutbacks in military expenditures for hometown corporations, so Congress will cower, and go along with whatever they tell them to do. American aid needs to take on new character, with less military, and more real economic equipment and machinery. bring the troops home now. bring them home from Afghanistan and redeploy them on our southern border. what we allow our military planners do is questionable like never before.

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By ardee, July 30, 2009 at 12:14 pm Link to this comment

It is long past time to end our military presence in Iraq, especially considering the lies that got us in there to begin with. Of course we are certainly obligated to restore and repair that nation’s infrastructure as we destroyed it in the first place.

I would urge those interested to read the Chalmers Johnson article at Tomdispatch regarding the ending of the American military empire:
http://www.tomdispatch.com/

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