Fallujah pullback opportunity, not necessarily agreement to end fight: Abizaid (MUST READ!!!)

AFP ^ | Fri, Apr 30, 2004 | AFP

[Teplukin]

If by some strange twist, France had been part of our coalition and their forces had been in charge of Fallujah and pulled this BS, you and everyone else on FR would be ripping them to shreds right now, and rightly so.

President Bush KNOWS the marines could take Fallujah easily. However the President also appreciates that any attendant collateral damage could hand the radical Arabs a propaganda victory. Remember, we need to win hearts and minds for our Iraq nation-building exercise to be a success.

As the British learned to their sorrow in Massachusetts, 1775, using a mailed fist to quell a bunch of hotheads can cause a local problem to erupt into a widespread civil insurrection.

President Bush knows what he is doing. So let's cease the criticism and second-guessing, and show some patience.

[Bahbah]

That verse and number are eerie.

[ARepublicanForAllReasons]

Quran (9:11) -- For it is written that a son of Arabia would awaken a fearsome Eagle. The wrath of the Eagle would be felt throughout the lands of Allah and lo, while some of the people trembled in despair still more rejoiced; for the wrath of the Eagle cleansed the lands of Allah; and there was peace.

(Note the verse number...)

Truely stunning. You can't make up stuff this good!

[ARepublicanForAllReasons]

Ok, maybe it is an urban legend -- but that doesn't make it necessarily untrue!

[No Blue States]

...what scares me most is the majority of negative posts on FR today. Really? What gives me a bit of hope is the negative posts on FR today. These posts tell me that at least some conservatives have standards and hold their President accountable. We aren't all GOP versions of clinton's kool aid guzzlers. We expect more from our leadership."

Spare me the self righteous BS gaykay, in reality you are no better than the rest of us. Nor do you have some extra, extra, insight to how a president should conduct business.

There is a difference between holding the President accountable and throwing a unproductive infantile hissy fit at every single thing some think he didnt do perfectly.

The cool aid drinking ,rino crap is old and weak. The president is overall doing a great job. Heres the new deal, Im not taking people constantly trashing the President anymore, or the more conservative than thou elitism.

[theFIRMbss]

>No. Not EVERYbody is wondering if this is Viet Nam. Mostly just the gullible ones who believe what the mainstream media dishes out.......

I believe the press
when they say the Taliban
has been crushed, beaten.

I believe the press
when they say Saddam's regime
has been crushed, beaten.

I believe the press
when they say Saddam himself
is our prisoner.

Our military
has accomplished everything
it set out to do.

No more state-sponsored
terrorism from these states --
the states are deep-sixed.

Press comparisons
of Iraq and Vietnam
aren't worth sliced cheese.

But in crushing the
Taliban or Saddam, we
did not settle for

a political
work-around, like Fallujah.
This city appears

to be a shift in
our policy and our goals,
from military

goals that are easy
to see when they're accomplished,
to political

"solutions" that look
a lot like the "problems" if
you're outside the loop.

And nobody here
needs the press to remind us
what that compares to.

[FlashBack]

BMP for later.

[mississippi red-neck]

All very good points and true. The only one I might disagree with is the point of the conflict. This was supposed to be part of the war on terror. I'm not sure what we are doing now .

We have apparently gave Fallujah to the people we have been fighting. I guess we'll let Al- Sadr keep Najaf. I guess we'll have to wait for things to really start popping in Bagdad and the rest of the cities and country to see what orwho gets them.

My guess we'll try to find someone like Saddam help set him, up declare victory and go home. Or else let the U.N. come in and do the same. If we can do this quickly and get our soldiers home is the only thing that looks reasonable at this point to me.

[TheSpottedOwl]

We lost the battle for Fallujah. We should already have control of that city. Can you imagine general Patton using the strategy we are using? The war in Iraq is starting to look a lot more like Vietnam than it ever has before. We won all the major battles in Vietnam just like we have in Iraq. But we are horribly restrained now. Fallujah should have been taken by now or we shouldn't have talked so tough.

I don't believe that. There is no way that we're letting Fallujah go. Why would we pull back and bring in Iraqis? Well the rebels are reduced to using women and children as shields. Bad PR for Americans, but Iraqi soldiers or Baa'thists if civilian casualties should occur? Same thing if we had immediately leveled the city. The wailing and accusations of brutality would be heard up at the Mars space station.

We need to sit back and wait. There is no way that we're going to let the criminals in Fallujah get away with what they did. I predict that Fallujah is in for a nasty surprise. Have faith.

[prairiebreeze]

But what scares me most is the majority of negative posts on FR today.

Disruptors paid by the DNC. Seriously.

Prairie

[jaykay]

Fallujah gives Iraqi general hero's welcome

Fallujah Gunmen Celebrate U.S. Pullback

As U.S. military abandons Fallujah, Iraqis proclaim victory

Congratulations to you, All Blue States.

[jaykay]

I have no patience for any more of this:

Fallujah gives Iraqi general hero's welcome

Fallujah Gunmen Celebrate U.S. Pullback

As U.S. military abandons Fallujah, Iraqis proclaim victory

[Captain Kirk]

Who cares what the colonials think eh? Pro-war freepers were very concerned with polls a few months ago when they appeared to show support for the occupation.

[Captain Kirk]

Dubya was the one who said if you're not for us, your against us. Assuming that this is true, 50 percent of all Iraqis is a lot higher than 2000 people.

[No Blue States]

I can picture you dancing in the streets over those negative developments from here jay. Even though you know full well you can trust little of the media, the past has proved that to all of us. In fact General Myers on Fox this am stated this old Saddam general isnt in charge. And even some on the left admit We havent abandoned Fallujah as the last slanted article wrongly suggests.

Meanwhile, The marines are still in position and fully capable to move on Fallujah if giving the Iraqis a chance to take bullets for their own country doesnt work.

Its easy to get discouraged, but we have to see this through.

Did you expect this to be a cake walk?

I do wish Bush would send more troops and not expect the commanders there to ask for them, when the extended stay of some who were told they were going home proves we could use some more men on the ground.

[sgt.k-bar]

I completely agree! The politicians are blowing it again!
Let the Marines do their job of destroying the enemy! Why in the world would we ever trust a former Republican Guard General? President Bush needs to listen to the USMC officers in Fallujah and not the pc politicians in Washington. Let the Marines go foward and bring the insurgents to instant justice...by destroying them! The only way to saving Iraq is by destroying the enemy in Fallujah!

Semper Fi~

[jaykay]

Yeah, I'm really dancing in the street watching my country get rolled. Myers is backing off now because his Iraqi general stabbed us in the back, as anyone with a brain could have predicted: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-backroom/1128474/posts.

If those in charge had never planned for this general to be in charge, as they will likely try to spin this, then what was he doing in Fallujah wearing his old Repubican Guard uniform while his militia celebrated as the Marines withdrew? If he was not put in charge by our side, then he was openly leading an enemy force as we were backing off.

There is now another chance to get this right. Now that this sob has exposed himself almost instantly to be a turncoat, we should do now what should have been done a month ago. Whether whoever is calling the blunders is ready to do the right thing remains to be seen.