U.S. commander in charge of training cedes point on Iraq handover

[Ernesto]

By Lisa Burgess, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Saturday, March 25, 2006

ARLINGTON, Va. — A national security expert “has a valid point” when he says that turning over large portions of battle space to Iraqi forces is meaningless if most of that land is desert, a top U.S. commander in Iraq said Friday.
Anthony Cordesman, a national security analyst with the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, believes the hand-over emphasis is “nonsense.”
With almost the entire western half of Iraq virtually empty desert, “the figures vastly overestimate the actual area of influence and are at least as meaningless as the worst reporting on pacification in Vietnam,” Cordesman wrote in a March 22 paper for CSIS.



http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?article=35994§ion=104

[WhiteTara]

1. damn him for telling the truth

how dare he give more bad news. He must be part of the media and not a REAL American.

[LynnTheDem]

2. "the hand-over emphasis is “nonsense.” "

Yeppers, sure is. As is the entire bush "administration".

[VegasWolf]

3. What? Bush was lying about Iraqi progress??? I'm shocked! nt

[cliss]

4. Regarding the "They'll stand up and we'll

stand down" hoax, just think of it as a ruse to buy them more time. More time for the contractors to spend money. They're not done, you see.

Now when you think of Iraqi troops, think "chameleon". While the US forces are there, they will behave, take good advantage of the training (you betcha!), get used to holding a weapon in their hands.

Then, as soon as the US leaves, the chameleon will turn green. They will work in their own best interest. US military analysts know this, I'm sure.

[rodeodance]

5. Yes. the WH stats of 15/18 provisences are peaceful is meaningless, or

I hear the stat about 75-85 % of the country is peaceful--simple use of numbers to be convinsing!

[Canuckistanian]

6. B-but Laura Ingraham said that turning over battle space was happening!

She couldn't be um, WRONG, could she?

[unblock]

7. reminds me of the red/blue map of the u.s. by county

which vastly overstated shrub's support by basing it on acreage rather than population.

[EVDebs]

8. President's press conference dichotomy

We'll stand down when Iraqis stand up vs. We'll never leave until after '08. Hmmm ?

[tabasco]

9. Reminds me of the republicans who crow about how many

"acres" Bush won in the election.

[Ernesto]

10. Folks, It's the rovian "big picture" plan for upcoming elections. n-t