Oh, she's also a general. Does this mean I have a low opinion of the people who wear the uniform if I disagree with the way she ran that Iraqi military prison?
Posted on 04/30/2004 2:09:46 PM PDT by churchillbuff
By Arnaud de Borchgrave UPI Editor at Large Published 4/29/2004 12:38 PM
WASHINGTON, April 29 (UPI) -- If it wasn't a quagmire, it was certainly quagmiry. And the first prominent retired general to break ranks with President Bush's Iraq war policy was a Republican who once headed the National Security Agency and also served as a deputy National Security Adviser. Gen. William E. Odom, a fluent Russian speaker who teaches at Georgetown and Yale, told the Wall Street Journal's John Harwood staying the course in Iraq is untenable.
It was hard to disagree with Odom's description of Mr. Bush's vision of reordering the Middle East by building a democracy in Iraq as a pipedream. His prescription: Remove U.S. forces "from that shattered country as rapidly as possible." Odom says bluntly, "we have failed," and "the issue is how high a price we're going to pay - less, by getting out sooner, or more, by getting out later."
At best, Iraq will emerge from the current geopolitical earthquake as "a highly illiberal democracy, inspired by Islamic culture, extremely hostile to the West and probably quite willing to fund terrorist organizations," Odom explained. If that wasn't enough to erode support for the war, Odom added, "The ability of Islamist militants to use Iraq as a beachhead for attacks against American interests elsewhere may increase."
Odom, who heads the pro-Republican Hudson Institute, also sees the sum total of what the U.S. occupation of Iraq has achieved is "the radicalization of Saudi Arabia and probably Egypt, too. And the longer we stay in Iraq, the more isolated America will become."
(Excerpt) Read more at upi.com ...
Of course, with me, he is preaching to the Choir. It has been my position right along that we carried out an impressive original campaign in Iraq, but have been lost on an absurd tangent since the occupation began. (See Iraq--Tactical Folly, Strategic Madness.)
I am very glad to see someone of Odom's stature lending a hand to bring America back to reality.
It has never made any sense, either pragmatic or philosophical, for the Administration to adopt the leftist idea from the 1960s, that we should be trying to force "Democracy" on Third World peoples. It is a terribly cruel delusion in its execution, as well as a recruiting aid for our terrorist enemies.
William Flax
There are a lot of old line Arabists around. Just wondering.
Even this dismal scenario is a vast improvement over Saddam.
Oh, I get it. It's a shoot the messenger thing with you.
If the messenger has an axe hidden behind his back, you're damn right.
I still don't understand what your problem is with Odem. He's a top, decorated US military man. Do you have something against the men who've devoted their lives to the uniform and the flag?
you view a general officer of the United States Army as somebody who lives like a lizard under a rock? wow, you certainly have a low opinion of the men who wear the American uniform.
You seem to be trying to cast aspersions here, without committing yourself to an actual accusation of anything. That is pretty contemptible as a form of discussion participation, don't you think?
Nothing that you have posted has suggested that General Odom was part of the coverup of the Liberty incident; only that he gave evidence for the subsequent inquiry. Nor have you even explained what on earth you mean by the term "Arabist"; or against whom you think he is carrying an axe. He praised the efficiency of the War effort, his attack is on the protracted folly of our remaining in Iraq, which is a recruiting aid for our real enemy the international terrorists under Bin Laden.
Make some specific point or stop the innuendo. It does not contribute to an honest discussion.
William Flax Return Of The Gods Web Site
So you're comparing a decorated general of the Army with Dahmer? That's lower than disgusting, and it tells me you're not worth having dialogue with.
Oh, she's also a general. Does this mean I have a low opinion of the people who wear the uniform if I disagree with the way she ran that Iraqi military prison?
The poster of this thread has already rebuked your snide comment. But I would add this from the standpoint of my own criticism. I posted a statement of how I believed the War on Terror should be handled in the fall of 2001: War 2001--The Shortest, Surest Path To Victory. I have consistently upheld the same concepts at this venue, ever since.
General Odom clearly explained in the television interview last night, why he was not more publicly vocal earlier.
As for predicting huge numbers of American casualties in taking on Iraq? I do not think that you will find where many Conservatives ever predicted that. Those who predicted that are on the opposite side of the political spectrum; not those who understand the realities of comparative capabilities.
If you have some reasoned answer to General Odom, by all means offer it. But the snide comments suggest not reason but a desire to suppress honest discussion.
William Flax
Sure... because things were quiet earlier. I am tired of all the Monday Morning Quarterbacking.
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