Posted on 03/28/2007 4:40:00 AM PDT by Types_with_Fist
An influential retired Army general released a dire assessment of the situation in Iraq, based on a recent round of meetings there with Gen. David H. Petraeus and 16 other senior U.S. commanders.
“The population is in despair,” retired Gen. Barry McCaffrey wrote in an eight-page document compiled in his capacity as a professor at West Point. “Life in many of the urban areas is now desperate.”
McCaffrey is widely respected in the military, having fought in the Vietnam War, commanded a division in the 1991 Persian Gulf War, and later served as the commander for U.S. military operations in Central America and South America. After retiring, he became President Bill Clinton’s director of drug policy.
McCaffrey, who has met twice with President Bush to discuss the war, most recently in December, was scheduled to brief White House officials on his conclusions late yesterday.
His report also lists several reasons for some new optimism, noting that since the arrival of Petraeus last month, “the situation on the ground has clearly and measurably improved.”
Nevertheless, his bottom line is that the U.S. military is in “strategic peril” — a sharp contrast to his previous views. In 2005, he concluded in a similar report that “momentum is now clearly with the Iraqi government and coalition security forces.” In a 2006 assessment, he wrote: “It was very encouraging for me to see the progress achieved in the past year.”
(Excerpt) Read more at kerryfoxlive.com ...
This guy has gone back and forth on this.
1 out of 16 plus Petraeus and this is news.
Did you know, the guy was in Vietnam? OK, now the obligatory is out of the way -- Now if he would opnly get out more, he might be useful, otherwise, trash bin.
Reminds me of a turtle I once knew, had three broke legs and wondered why his world was so small.
It's all about smoothing the way for hitlery now.
McCaffrey seeking the spotlight of significance the only way he knows how- by focusing on the negative to the point of disaster.
The Clintonistas keep babbling.
Bipolar?
He was just in Iraq, meeting with General Petreaus. Does that not count as "getting out more"?
BTW, this makes the 5th switch on the topic he has made. How do you know he simply will not change his mind again?
And of course, as usual, the Junk Media ignores the meat of his report to exaggerate and hype the negative. New day, Same spin lines from the Junk Media
This man is in the employ of NBC and MSNBC. Take what he says with a ton of salt.
Did he take off his blinders? Leave the green zone? Doubtful. The guy is a Bush hating windbag, regardless where he is.
I don't know, I imagine he got out as far as General Petraeus. Which is to say, if he left a secure area, it was only to fly to another.
I'm no fan of McCafferty. I think he's a clown enamoured of his own media visibility. But he's been well recieved by FReepers over the last few years, as a Clintonite who was nevertheless seeing positive trends in Iraq. Even in this article, he had some good things to say.
So, maybe he's not the one wearing blinders?
I believe he commanded Clinton's "War on Drugs". What was the outcome of that War?
Man the life boats, the War on Drugs is flooding the lands.
And you are doing your part to help.
While I never thought I'd have to stand up for Barry McCafferty twice in one day, I'd have to say that anyone who thinks that Iraq is utterly doomed or destined to succeed is either ignorant or a fanatic. Iraq has had ups and downs, and the industry thinking on it has evolved tremendously over the last 4 years. The fact that his observations swing good and bad is because there's a lot of objectvely good and bad to see. People who always predict success or failure are selling something, but it's not expertise.
McCafferty, clown media darling that he is, still takes himself quite seriously, and believes what he's saying. I tend to disagree with him, as I think he's a pompous fool. But he's a genuine one. He's not an outright opinion pimp like Wesley Clark, who was always far more politician than officer, and now no longer has to pretend otherwise.
Ricks has a vested interest in our failure. His "Fiasco" book will not sell if Iraq succeeds.
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