Posted on 12/17/2006 10:41:36 AM PST by Extremely Extreme Extremist
Colon Bowell--loser.
He's a real stateman in the mold of our founding fathers...../s
What's wrong with saying this?
Powell has advocated an approach that I think FReeper would endorse...The Powell Doctrine of Overwhelming Force.
an approach in a previous engagement, I should say...
Police forces don't do very well when they are attacked by terrorists!
What's wrong with what Powell said? Iraq is obviously still unstable with the Sunnis and Shiites fighting each other and all the groups unable to agree on what Iraq should be as a state.
Shut up Colin.
Q: Powell's reaction to the highway of death....explain it. Was it an overreaction?
Trainor: Powell was the military advisor to the President. In a moment expected, he would give his advice based on military merit . But, when he recommended the end of the war, he recommended it less on a military basis than on a political one. For him, the military campaign had become irrelevant, we had pretty much shown that we had beaten the Iraqis. What concerned him now was the political fall out from what was perceived as us beating to death the Iraqis who were innocently trying to escape the guns--the so-called highway of death where television pictures and news pictures showed this long line of destroyed vehicles and presumably a lot of dead Iraqis soldiers in there. So he felt that that would tarnish the image of the great American victory and it was largely a public relations basis that he recommended to the President that we bring the war to a close when we did.
Was it an overreaction? I think in retrospect it certainly was an overreaction. Most of what existed on the so-called highway of death were stolen goods and stolen vehicles from Kuwait city. There were very few Iraqi solders that were found amongst the wreckage. Most of them when the bombing started were smart enough to jump out of their stolen vehicles and run into the safety of the desert so the highway of death was the highway of death for vehicles, washing machines and stolen television sets, but it really wasn't the highway of death for Iraqi solders.
If Powell had kept his mouth shut when we had a half million troops in Iraq during Desert Storm, we wouldn't even be having this discussion right now. I think we've heard all we need to hear from Colin Powell.
There were Guardsmen all over NYC the evening of 9/11.
I am starting to lose respect for Powell.
A lot of name calling here. As long as innocent lives get blown up daily in front of our TVs, we are not winning in Iraq. This is clearly a PR war. We have to find a way of bribing the different factions into believing it is in their interest to stop the carnage and work for a pluralistic government. I only see a temporary surge of troops working if it provides security support for a bold political/economic/diplomatic solution already carefully thoughtout.
Why is no one discussing the fact that all these cut-and-run cowards have emboldened our enemies and resulted in the increase in violence over the past two years. How much closer to winning this war would we be if these people could have brought themselves to support this war instead of providing aid and comfort to our enemies?
Stopping short on the Highway of Death, he can take the blame on that. My advice would have been to continue to shoot anything moving north AFTER we dropped leaflets, broadcast such orders and made it clear that those that wanted to surrender could, those attempting escape would be killed.
I really don't understand how WE are losing in Iraq. We are there. Isn't that the goal when you invade a country. To get there. Why is it that because the Arabs have decided to go about killing each other does that make us the losers. I believe it makes them the losers and the fools. I don't even understand why we try to stop it. Let them have at each other. Who cares. We should guard our bases take care of our soldiers and stop worrying about how the Iraqi people are living. They had a chance and blew it. Now we should hold Iraq up as a shinning example as to what will happen to your Middle Eastern country if we are attacked again. We will come to your country kick out your leaders and sit back and laugh at you as you kill each other.
Colin Powell the loser.
Exactly...
In the north that HAS happened. The three sides, Kurd, Sunni and Shia have decided prosperity is better than revenge.
exactly!
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