Stakes in Iraq rival those in WWII, Gen. Myers says

[tocqueville]

By Dave Moniz, USA TODAY
2 hours, 5 minutes ago

Defeating the Iraqi insurgency is as important to the United States as winning World War II was 60 years ago, the Pentagon's top officer said Monday.

Air Force Gen. Richard Myers, who will leave his post as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the end of this week, said the United States must win in Iraq because "the outcome and consequences of defeat are greater than World War II."
............................

In the interview, Myers linked the post-9/11 war on terrorism with the fighting in Iraq, saying both require a continuing commitment by the American people, who sometimes "tend to forget" the threat from al-Qaeda and other terror groups. "This is a handful of folks who are willing to do despicable acts in the name of extremism," Myers said.

Iraq, Myers said, is now al-Qaeda's "center of gravity," and the United States shouldn't reduce its forces there prematurely. "My view is, if terrorism wins in Iraq, the next 9/11 is right around the corner."

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/usatoday/20050927/ts_usatoday/stakesiniraqrivalthoseinwwiigenmyerssays

[Ufour20]

1. These people will tell you anything

As long as they can push THEIR agenda. I hate these people.

[Bob3]

2. Oh just shut up.

If terrorism wins in Iraq it will be because a) we destabilized the existing government without an idea in our head about what we were going to do after that and terrorism loves vacuums. b) we tired to do it on the cheap - not enough boots on the ground not enough of everything the troops needed (lots of money for the contractors and the well connected however) which made the fight against the insurgents (who are by and large locals) harder and c) our invasion of an arab nation has energized al-qaeda like nobody's business . The common saw these days is that the winners of the Iraqi war are Iran and Osman Ben Laden.

Since they don't know where Ben Laden is and since Al-qaeda (a pretty loose group of people) wasn't that many people in the first place it's silly to talk of a center of Gravity for it. Again they are imagining if they were running a terrorist organization.

And lastly if Al-Qaeda is such huge threat why are we fighting mostly Iraqis.

One more thing - leave World War II out of it - that conflict is nothing like this one - other than people dying there is no resemblance. This is a colonial war - you want parallels look up the history of the Boer war.

[Old and In the Way]

3. And you are still around to let it happen.

Very odd reasoning on his part. It's just as likely another 9/11 will happen if we continue to occupy a country that just so happens to have the 2nd largest oil reserves in the world.

He sure is prone to hyperbole, isn't he?

[tocqueville]

6. They are pushing the idea of an "Al Quaeda state"

I think that it's the meaning of the propaganda :

"If we lose in Iraq, Al Quaeda wins. They are going to take over and use the state resources to attack the US" (thus the comparisons with WWII).

This is of course preposterous. If(when) the US leaves there will be a settling of scores mostly between Sunnis and Shiites. Al Quaeda considers the Shiites as heretics. So the likeliest outcome is that the Shiites will exterminate Al Quaeda if they don't leave the country. They have all the Iranian backup to do that.

And they have already started...

[speedoo]

4. Well, then Mr. Joint Chiefs Chairman, why did you fail so miserably?

In planning for the occupation? Why did you allow Rummy to force you into a premature invasion with totally inadequate planning?

You caused the deaths of hundreds, if not thousands of US soldiers, not to mention tens of thousands of innocent Iraqis.

You are a cowardly murderer and will rot in hell.

[ComerPerro]

5. So then why aren't those College Republicans enlisting?

To make sure that the job gets done?

[Jacobin]

7. The analogy kind of fits, but not like General Doofus thinks

I think the parallel is more similar to Japan attacking the U.S. and then getting its ass kicked.

Commander in Chief Monkeyman invaded IraqNam for no good reason and has now set the muslim world (and most of the rest of the world) against us.

The Imperial Chimp is having his ass handed to him and unfortunately, we are going down with the idiot.

[Inland]

8. If that were true, then there would be a draft, full mobilization

What Myers means is that its like WWII in that we should all rally around the president, create a few internment camps, and stop bitching.

What they want is a victory over political opposition.

[emald]

9. Iraqi insurgency...

is bullshit because without the US there would be no Iraqi insurgency. Let us leave right now and the whole structure of this insurgency will collapse.
As to the next 9/11 right around the corner....one has to wonder just what information he is privy to? Since these criminals knew of the first 9/11 and chose to do nothing about it so they might have a political stage of the first order it may be that the same sort of idea has happened to them (rove) again. If there is another 9/11 then these neoconners need to keep their heads down as I and many others I know will be hunting them. Their whole idea of leadership is to shepard us and keep us safe. If another terrorist bomb goes off (and who is the bigger terrorist; mother nature or human beings) than it will be obvious that those in charge are incapable of protecting us. Lies, lies and more lies. Criminal actions without culpability. Threats like this one of gen meyers make me mad. what he's saying is that if we don't continue killing Iraqi civilians than we will have another bomb here in the US. A slightly modified version of the shoot them there so we won't be bothered here line.
I tell you, I am getting mad. Really mad. Actionable mad. I've voted, I've wrote letters, I've expressed myself in comments on blogs all over, but here is an evil that keeps growing, keeps stealing from the poor, the old, the children, an evil that mocks my Father God. My personal limit is close. The problem is what action taken would result in any change?

[amjfv]

10. Oh for God's sake...

Lately the right can't even keep its lies plausible.

See Tom DeLay's comment about there being no pork left to cut in the federal budget.