War in Iraq Moving in the Right Direction, Says CENTCOM Leader

DoD-AFPS ^ | September 26, 2004 | Samantha Quigley

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

War in Iraq Moving in the Right Direction, Says CENTCOM Leader

By Samantha Quigley
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Sept. 26, 2004 – As January elections loom in Iraq, Army Gen. John Abizaid, head of U.S. Central Command, said today the country is headed in the right direction.

"We are in fact moving in the direction that will allow Iraq to emerge as a democratic and representational state. I think that our military activities there have moved it ahead in a positive manner," Abizaid told host Tim Russert on "Meet the Press." "It's a tough fight, it's a hard fight. But we shouldn't lose heart because there are difficult times. We know that there will be fighting through the elections."

Insurgent resistance continues to plague coalition and Iraqi troops, Abizaid said. He was asked about a Turkish journalist's report that all Iraqis near Mosul, including the children, are involved in or supporting the resistance. Abizaid responded that if that was true, Iraqi forces would not number 100,000, nor would that number be climbing.

"If everybody in Iraq was in the resistance, Prime Minister Allawi would not be trying to lead his nation forward to a better future. If everybody in Iraq happened to be part of the resistance, they wouldn't be volunteering for the armed forces," Abizaid aid. "There's more people that are coming forward to fight for the future of Iraq than are fighting against it."

While the resistance continues, Abizaid said he thinks there are fewer than 1,000 foreign fighters in Iraq, adding that the primary problem in Iraq is former regime elements fighting against the government. He said those elements are trying everything in their power to upend the election process.

"Yes, there is a resistance. Yes, it is hard," the general noted. "But the truth of the matter is that Iraqis and Americans and other members of the coalition will face that resistance together (and) will, through a series of political, economic and military means, figure out a way to defeat it and will move on to allow the elections to take place and a constitutional government to emerge."

Abizaid said that regardless of the insurgency situation, he and his commanders feel sure they can provide stability for the January elections. "Commanders in the field are confident about the military mission, they're confident about our ability to have an election period that is fair and relatively stable," he said.

Abizaid also commented on statements that it's possible only a portion of Iraq, maybe three-fourths of the country, would be stable enough to hold elections. He replied that no election is perfect and that to have most of the country to vote was the goal.

"That the election will be able to be held in the vast majority of the country under good circumstances is our goal. But right now, considering that 25,000 more Iraqi forces will join the effort, between now and the late-January elections, that election will be able to be held," Abizaid said. "We'll have to fight our way through the elections with a lot of violence between now and then."

He noted that Iraqi forces will most likely take the lead on securing elections in the stable areas, while U.S. troops would probably handle the hotspots.

The CENTCOM commander said Americans need to brace themselves for a long war in the Middle East and Central Asia, though not necessarily one that requires huge numbers of American troops. But the war will be long because the battle being waged is between extremists and moderates.

"It'll be a long process. It'll be a difficult process. But it'll be one that can be successfully fought not only at home, but in the international community and with the peoples of the region to set the standards for good government and the standards for a moderate lifestyle," he said.

Biography:
Gen. John Abizaid, USA

Related Site:
U.S. Central Command

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Related:

   4 Gen. Abizaid Blasts Distorted Iraq War Coverage ^ - NewsMax

[OldFriend]

WABC radio news reporting only that the General contradicted President Bush and PM Allawi by saying that he's not certain that all areas will be able to vote.

Spinning worse than CBS, if that's possible.

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

"Yes, there is a resistance. Yes, it is hard - But the truth of the matter is that Iraqis and Americans and other members of the coalition will face that resistance together."

~*~

Gen. Abizaid to the "Meet the Press" audience this morning.

Adults in charge, good news, ping!

[Theresawithanh]

How can it be that this man knows more about Iraq than the Sens. Kerry and Kennedy? It's a quagmire, I tell you! /s

Good post.

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

Nearly 25% 0f Troops in Iraq are Non US Troops - Kerry wrong again!


http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/iraq/foreigntroops.html

In addition to the United States, which has more than 130,000 troops in Iraq, many other countries have sent military personnel. The number of non-American coalition troops is more than 40,000, though numbers fluctuate.

United Kingdom: 9,000 soldiers
Italy: 3,000 soldiers, some serving as police and engineers
Poland: 2,400 soldiers
Ukraine: 1,600 soldiers
Netherlands: 1,100 soldiers plus a logistics team, a field hospital, military police and 200 engineers
Japan: 1,100 soldiers assigned to reconstruction
Australia: 800 soldiers
Romania: 700 soldiers plus 149 de-mining specialists, military police and "special intelligence" members
South Korea: 600 military engineers and medics
Bulgaria: 480 soldiers plus chemical warfare experts
Thailand: 440 soldiers assigned to humanitarian missions
Denmark: 420 soldiers including medics and military police
El Salvador: 360 soldiers
Hungary: 300 soldiers
Norway: 179 soldiers, mostly engineers and mine clearers
Mongolia: 160 soldiers involved in peacekeeping
Azerbaijan: 150 soldiers taking part in law enforcement and protection of historic monuments
Portugal: 125 soldiers functioning as police officers
Latvia: 120 soldiers
Lithuania: 115 soldiers
Slovakia: 102 soldiers
Czech Republic: 80 soldiers, serving as police
Philippines: 80 soldiers plus police and medics
Albania: 70 non-combat troops
Georgia: 70 soldiers
New Zealand: 60 army engineers assigned to reconstruction (expected to leave in Sept. 2004)
Moldova: 50 soldiers including de-mining specialists and medics
Macedonia: 35 soldiers
Estonia: 30 soldiers
Kazakhstan: 30 soldiers (expected to leave end of May 2004)
Spain withdrew its troops from Iraq following the election of Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero on March 14. Honduras and the Dominican Republic quickly followed suit. The three countries combined had nearly 2,000 troops in Iraq. Nicaragua withdrew its 115 troops at the end of March 2004 for economic reasons.

Countries that provide non-military support include: Kuwait and Qatar, which have hosted the U.S. Central Command and the invasion force; Ethiopia and Eritrea, which have given use of bases or ports; and Turkey, which has given permission for airspace use. Others countries have opted to give political support: Angola, Costa Rica, Colombia, Iceland, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Mongolia, Palau, Panama, Rwanda, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Uganda and Uzbekistan.

In early April 2004, the Bush administration indicated it was negotiating with another 50 countries that had expressed interest in providing peacekeeping troops.

FOREIGN WORKERS

The exact number of foreign workers in Iraq is hard to gauge, but it's at least 30,000. Many work for companies that have contracts with the American military to provide support or to rebuild the country. Others work for aid agencies.

Companies with U.S. Department of Defence contracts:
Kellogg, Brown and Root
Washington Group International
Fluor Intercontinental
Perini Corporation
Vinnell Corporation
CSC DynCorp International

Companies with U.S. Agency for International Development contracts:
International Resources Group
Air Force Augmentation Program
Stevedoring Services of America
Creative Associates International
Research Triangle Institute
Abt Associates
Skylink Air and Logistics Support
Bearing Point Inc.
Bechtel (including subcontractors from the UK, Saudi Arabia, Cyprus, Kuwait, Switzerland)

Non-governmental organizations with USAID grants:
United Nation's Children's Fund (UNICEF)
World Health Organization (WHO)
Mercy Corps
International Relief and Development Incorporated
Agriculture Co-operative Development International
Volunteers in Overseas Co-operative Assistance
Co-operative Housing Foundation
Save the Children Federation
Iraqi Nursing Association

[SandRat]

Gee whiz that's we've been trying to tell the MSM and the LIBs but they just don't listen.

[MizSterious]

Yes, but has he consulted with the Hollywood thinktank on this? And the foreign policy "experts" in the DNC? (/sarcasm)

[OneTimeLurker]

Powell was yapping today about how things are getting worse.

Support the CINC I say or get out.

[tomnbeverly]

So as our military leaders tell the President and as our Military tell us all... This is going to be a tough fight but we are winning on all fronts...It is the very insistance by the left that we are not winning that emboldens our enemies... Since the left rhetoric started they have made it harder not easier to win the peace in Iraq... Once the President is re-elected the enemies of freedom will be surrendering enmass because George W. Bush does what he says in contrast to John Kerry who does what he is told...

[Wild Irish Rogue]

On NBC Nightly News with John Siegenthaler tonight, Sieg said that General Abizaid admitted the attacks were definitely on the increase.
And that's it.
Not one positive remark from his interview.
MSM-biased editing like this, is why you are on life support.

[WOSG]

180 degrees from the MSM spin on this ... Iraq media bias strikes again!!

[WilliamofCarmichael]

I am sure glad the "greatest generation" did not have TV.

I cannot imagine FDR being pressured to explain day after day why the "show" didn't end on time. Why some of the charaters are so mean and the plot so difficult to understand.

Perhaps if the Bush Administration would just announce that the writers haven't decided on an ending? That would satisfy the critics emotional needs to understand vis-a-vis their experiences watching TV?

If emotion is frozen like that from past experiences, it's an aberration.

Emotion differs from cognition.

The Bush Administration must tread carefully lest liberals be further damaged.

We have enough problems fighting a damn World War without turning a third (?) of the population into full-fledged slaverers. It's not a felony to be a drooling idiot, they'd still be able to vote. But we'd be forced to intern them to protect and care for them.

Hmm. Wonder how much a guard job at one them places would pay.

[WilliamofCarmichael]

If anyone read my reply above and thought I was being a wise ass. You wish.

"The West Wing as a Pedagogical Tool," American Political Science Association

http://www.apsanet.org/PS/june02/beavers.cfm

The article asks, "When oversimplifications or inaccuracies prevail on screen in the name of drama, will this lead viewers to build their perspectives and actions on flawed criteria?"

This goes beyond simple sit-coms and TV drama that I and others say have distorted reality for couch potatoes emotionally attached to their TVs. A vast majority are "liberal" in their views, I'd bet -- emotion being the key.

As far as the answer to the above question, apparently the answer is yes.

"[A]n instructor using The West Wing in the classroom should ensure that students view the show as engaging fictional TV drama rather than as a weekly civics lesson. . .[instructors should] knock away any impressions that the series depicts the 'truth' of the presidency."

I am not going to pay the San Francisco Chronicle to search their archives but I swear I remember reading an editorial stating that President Bartlet was their president not Bush.

BTW, I did not locate in the article a bigger question. Do instructors want to "knock away any impressions" that West Wing depicts the "truth".

[Alamo-Girl]

Bump!

[blackie]

The Adults Are In Charge ~ Bump!

We are winning ~ the bad guys are losing ~ trolls, terrorists, democrats and the mainstream media are sad ~ very sad!

~~ Bush/Cheney 2004 ~~