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Gen. Myers is "leery" about calling it "war on terrorism"

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Cocoa Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-09-04 02:45 PM
Original message
Gen. Myers is "leery" about calling it "war on terrorism"
Edited on Wed Jun-09-04 03:15 PM by Cocoa
Isn't the Bush campaign ridiculing anyone who questions that term?

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Jun2004/n06092004_200406095.html

<snip>

FORT LESLEY J. MCNAIR, D.C., June 9, 2004 – More attention needs to be paid to the nonmilitary portion of the war on terrorism, and the military must do a better job in cultivating relationships among agencies and countries, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said here today.

Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers told the National Defense University's graduating class he is a bit leery about calling the ongoing struggle the "war on terrorism."

"Most people assume that if it is war, then the military is the lead agency," Myers told the 507 graduates of the NDU's Industrial College of the Armed Forces and the National War College. He said the image most people carry of a war is that the military instrument of power "is the dominant instrument of power, and there is a clearly defined military victory or defeat."

In the war on terror, this is not true, Myers said. "We have an important role to play, but the military alone cannot win or lose this," he explained. "When Iraq becomes a stable and thriving democracy, the struggle against violent extremists will not be over. If we capture Osama bin Laden tomorrow, it won't be over. It's going to take all instruments of our U.S. national power and those of our allies to succeed."

more...



edit: Cheney trashed Kerry for saying essentially the same thing. Seems the people who don't like calling it a war are the people who have been in wars.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/04/20040426-8.html

Given that comment, it is not surprising that Senator Kerry has yet to outline any serious plan for winning the war on terror. Instead, he has questioned whether the war on terror is actually a war at all. Recently he said, quote, "I don't want to use that terminology." In his view, the war on terror is, again I quote, "not primarily a military operation. It's an intelligence-gathering, law enforcement, public diplomacy effort." End quote. As we have seen, however, that approach was tried before, and proved entirely inadequate to protecting the American people from terrorists who are quite certain they are at war with us and are comfortable using that terminology. (Applause.)


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nothingshocksmeanymore Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-09-04 02:50 PM
Response to Original message
1. Now he tells us after we had the programs and invites printed!
Things like this just drive the marketing department crazy!:silly:
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nolabels Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-09-04 02:52 PM
Response to Original message
2. Well then should *co get him for insubordination?
http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/ARTICLE5/
FAKE TERROR - THE ROAD TO WAR AND DICTATORSHIP


Note: This article first appeared as a post written by myself at Free Republic in late 2000. I was surprised to learn that it was copied re-posted at dozens of sites around the world. So, it seems only fitting that the article (with some updating) should re-appear here on my own web site.


It's the oldest trick in the book, dating back to Roman times; creating the enemies you need.
In 70 BC, an ambitious minor politician and extremely wealthy man, Marcus Licineus Crassus, wanted to rule Rome. Just to give you an idea of what sort of man Crassus really was, he is credited with invention of the fire brigade. But in Crassus' version, his fire-fighting slaves would race to the scene of a burning building whereupon Crassus would offer to buy it on the spot for a tiny fraction of it's worth. If the owner sold, Crassus' slaves would put out the fire. If the owner refused to sell, Crassus allowed the building to burn to the ground. By means of this device, Crassus eventually came to be the largest single private land holder in Rome, and used some of his wealth to help back Julius Caesar against Cicero.
(snip)
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Gin Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-09-04 02:54 PM
Response to Reply #2
4. so.........now * can't be known as the "war" president?
works for me.
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Hekate Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-09-04 02:53 PM
Response to Original message
3. Say what? You mean we can't just ride in with six-guns blazing?
Say what? You mean we can't just ride in with six-guns blazing and kill all the bad guys once and for all?

Has anybody informed the (cough cough) Commander in Chief that he may have to put away some of his toys?

Hekate
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klook Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-09-04 03:01 PM
Response to Original message
5. I guess he won't wear
Edited on Wed Jun-09-04 03:07 PM by klook
the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.

By the way, when researching "war on terror" and "ribbon" at Google.com, I found a list of resources including this one:
Buy War On Terror at Barnes & Noble. Get Free Shipping when you spend $25 or more. See bn.com for details.

As the dark clouds of pacifism loom heavily over Iraq, CNNNN wants every war-loving citizen to urge their government to resist peace at all costs.

<edited for HTML sloppiness>
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Parche Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-09-04 03:06 PM
Response to Original message
6. war on terra
He is right, there is NO war on terra
Congress has not declared war
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burrowowl Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-09-04 11:20 PM
Response to Reply #6
17. And also,
Bu$h has declared WAR on Terra Firma and Congress only looks at $$$$ from their contributors!
All this TERRA stuff! Is there a god/godess? Will they hear our prayers?
As Benedict or Dominic said: Pray as if everything depended on GOD and Work as if everything depended on YOU!
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denverbill Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-09-04 03:57 PM
Response to Original message
7. Here's an idea! Let stop funding terrorism ourselves!
You know, like the CIA funded terrorist campaign against Castro in Cuba, the mujahadeen in Afghanistan against the USSR, the central American death squads, etc, etc.

It sure would be nice not to be a bunch of fucking hypocrites.
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phiddle Donating Member (749 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-09-04 04:59 PM
Response to Original message
8. He's fulla crap
..."that approach (intelligence-gathering, law enforcement and public diplomacy effort) was tried before, and proved entirely inadequate to protecting the American people"... To the contrary, General Myers, that approach represents the only suucesses we have had against terrorism.

The Clinton Administration did try that approach, and foiled the Millenium plot and others as a result.

In the Bush administration THAT APPROACH WAS NOT TRIED, with the catastrophic result of 9/11. That is to say, the CIA didn't connect the dots of warnings from over 12 foreign intelligence agencies, the FBI didn't follow up on its own field agents' reports, interagency coordination was limited, due to the downgrading of terrorism as a priority, and diplomacy with the Taliban (bin Ladin's host) was focussed on obtaining access to their natural gas fields for American corporations.

How can such an ignorant fuck be the chief military officer of the US?
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many a good man Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-09-04 05:21 PM
Response to Original message
9. Its the theme of one of their Campaign ads!!!
What a great rebuttal to that ad! Their top general contradicts the president. Somebody better start talking this up...
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Trillo Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-09-04 05:47 PM
Response to Original message
10. Maybe Gen. Myers is to some degree speaking up for the privates
who've had torture charges filed against them. By calling the war on terrorism a war, apparently the Executive Branch appears to consider itself above any international or domestic laws against torture.

Torture memo thread:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=611189
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Book Lover Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-09-04 05:51 PM
Response to Original message
11. Yes, this is why we have a Congress
Edited on Wed Jun-09-04 05:52 PM by Book Lover
to declare war. Then we can do things we cannot do in peacetime under the cover of legitimacy in accordance with our laws, treaties and agreements.

Oh, wait a second, I just woke up.
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Disturbed Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-09-04 06:11 PM
Response to Reply #11
12. What is Terrorism?
This so called War On Terror is another real stupid slogan.

Terrorism is a tactic, not an entity.

What the US has is a War on Non-compliant Countries.Any country that doesn't do the kind of business with US Multi-corps that the US Corps demand upon is considered a rouge state. The Military and the CIA are the protectors and enforcers of US Capitalists. The US Govt. is a facilitator of Multi-Corps expansion and domination on this planet.
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Malva Zebrina Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-09-04 06:22 PM
Response to Reply #12
13. I think you are right
and all the sheep who persist in holding to the mythology, will refuse to see it. They will vote the "saint" who will save us all.

Truth is, there needs to be a great deal of research into exactly what the United States is doing worldwide, to kill those smaller countries who have something we want. The question will be, perhaps not in my lifetime, who will be the country that will bring the corrupt United States down, as Rome fell.

That is the truth. Kerry is our Democratic candidate. We will vote for him. that does not mean it will stop. It will not. He voted to give an evil man a blank check and that evil man took it and ran with it. and we know, there is no doubt, who profited from it all.

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nolabels Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-09-04 10:45 PM
Response to Reply #12
14. Very to the point
:kick:
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Disturbed Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-09-04 10:57 PM
Response to Reply #14
15. J. Kerry and Capitalism
I have read his views. He isn't against the expansion of US Capitalism on the sphere on the planet. He basicly agrees with the concept of expansion only that the US shouldn't invade other countries without direct support of the usual allies.
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nolabels Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-09-04 11:09 PM
Response to Reply #15
16. I have several bones to pick about that
I will save it for about six more months. They say "don't stir shit, it only makes it smell worse". I wont, but will bring my shovel to bury it when the time comes to stop the stench of it all.
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