So Abizaid, Vallely and a host of others who have commanded divisions and brigades in Iraq and Afghanistan are "absurd" when they state such things and your's is the voice that Americans should heed?
You'll understand if I disagree with you of course.
You can't trust an officer to say anything to a camera other than what he's supposed to say. The fact that they all say the same thing in almost the exact same wording should be an indication that something is up. It's certainly not a unanimous opinion behind closed doors.
After we get some historical milage between us and Iraq, it will come to light that many officers and analysts didn't support this line of reasoning. Still, at the time, it was the party line, and you either toe it publicly, or you lose your job. Selectively keeping your mouth shut when talking to the media and following orders is part of the job, even when you know your boss is wrong.
I understand if you disagree with me, of course.