Surging Toward Failure in Iraq. How Many More Deaths? Robert Parry

[autorank]

The “surge” was ultimately described as a political calculation. Some politics, some calculation. We now see it means more troops fed into the chaos of iraq. How many have to die before this madman is impeached? IMPEACHMENT NOW!

SURGING TOWARD FAILURE IN IRAQ

ConsortiumNews.Com

Robert Parry 10 April 2007

The Washington pundits and the press are all atwitter wondering how successful George W. Bush’s Iraq “surge” strategy will be and how fast the Democrats will crumble in a showdown with the steely-eyed President over his demand for $100 billion more for the war with no strings attached.

But the underlying military reality is that the United States has long since “lost” the war in Iraq. As many military and intelligence analysts recognize, it is not winnable in any normal sense of the word. The “surge” of sending tens of thousands more U.S. troops into Iraq only guarantees that the final body count will be higher and the piles of IOUs bigger.

To get a sense of the inevitable disaster ahead, just envision the conditions for U.S. troops stuck in police stations around Baghdad when the summer temperatures rise to over 100 degrees and tempers turn just as hot. By then, too, Iraqi insurgents will have adjusted their tactics to take advantage of isolated American soldiers.

The U.S. death toll in and around Baghdad is already increasing though the “surge” ….The rate of American deaths in the city over the first seven weeks of the security plan has nearly doubled from the previous period.”

[Patsy Stone]

1. Made all the more worthless

by the fact that the Repubs in Congress plan to let this go on until at least August just to see if it will pay off for the election cycle. If not, then they'll start to argue to bring them home.

:mad:

[autorank]

2. OMG! Patsy!

They had better check their retirement plans. It looks like a bunch of them are going to try this.

I liked Reid's comments recently. It's time to pull the money. That's how you support the troops
and the country. It means that they come home.

What utter madness. This guy will be impeached.

Amazing.

[Patsy Stone]

3. I hope you're right

None of us can afford another 18 months of this incompetent insanity, especially those stuck in Iraq with no way home.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2800831

[liberalla]

11. I know! I just read that thread and it made me SO MAD!

We haven't lost ENOUGH? We haven't lost enough YET? How much MORE do they want us to lose?

We're supposed to keep losing this goddamn fake war for 16 more months???

:grr:

[Me.]

4. So What's The Deal?

With the dems seeming to back away from the bill sent to *? Levin's statement certainly took me by surprise. How long are all of them going to continue to play this game. So what's their strategy AutoR.?

[autorank]

7. It's an old strategy based on tired assumptions.

Nice quip, huh;)

In the past we've been sold all sorts of nonsense. Few objected.

1950's: topple the elected leader of Iran for, uh, let's see, no good reason; help topple a Guatemala government which benefits United Fruit when senior policy makers were affiliated with the company; atmospheric nuclear testing in the USA; Communist conspiracy controls (pick a major institution).

1960's: Gulf of Tonkin incident sparks Viet Nam build up; Nixon's "secret plan" to end Viet Nam; coup against a democratically elected government in Chile; etc. etc....

So they tell us these huge lies, we buy them, decades of this nonsense...all of a sudden politicians are going to start "talking straight?" I don't buy that our party is subject to behind the scenes threats by the * people. I think that the Republicans are delusionan and some of the Democrats are scared. Who really just tells the truth? Who has ever said, "Look, our foreign and dmoestic policies have been tailor made for the benefit of large donors. Sorry we screwed up the world and we'll all choke to death or drown in 50-100 years. That wasn't our intention. But did any of you complain?"

Now that we are complaining, they either can't believe it or can't recognize it. It's like a white unicorn, the highly informed voice of the people is a nice idea but the "leaders" have trouble believing it.

I see Webb and some of the "Nays" on the Iraq war resolution riding high pretty soon. I see changes in leadership. I see that my hope probably clouds my judgement. But look at this.

What are we afraid of. Don't sailors have a term for this, "dead calm" or something. People just don't approve of this guy at all. But he gets a pass. I think it's inertia, old habits, and the absense of the absolute will to win.

[jarnocan]

5. Consortiumnews is also a great source for history on the Bush Crime family historyTHANKS

[autorank]

8. And 2000 election fraud too. Glad to post it! n/t

[Kurovski]

6. K&R. (nt)

[bleever]

9. The cynicism is so thick

that it takes just the right knife to cut through it.

MSM is too slow with their sharpenizing.

It all goes back to John Kerry's question so many years ago: how do you ask someone to be the last person to die for a lie?

[autorank]

10. I thought of that Kerry remark the other day, now it's embedded.

And that's the problem, the press fell for the guidelines to get a "ride along." This war was press made, in large degree. Remember, the WMD lie, then with the NYT as the cheer leaders for the lie.

"If the NYT supports it, then it's got to be true."

The control of the media is complete, except for the 60% of Americans who figured out that * is a total liar and incompetent. That would include us...

:hi:

[Jeffersons Ghost]

12. K&R bad news; good article