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Posted on 03/24/2003 8:59:27 PM PST by An.American.Expatriate
Good Morning.
This is the Daily Thread of Operation Iraqi Freedom - LIVE THREAD.
It is designed for general conversation about the events of the day. In depth discussion of events should be left to individual threads - but links to the threads or other articles is highly encouraged. This allows us to stay abreast of the situation in general, while also providing a means of obtaining specific information.
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Those Muslims have never assimiliated... They are growing, they are overwhelming the European population, and they are radicalized...
France, Germany, Belguim, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden have a real problem. They have allowed the enemy into the lands... and the enemy is winning. Read some of the articles from these countries newspapers regarding this trend.
They realize that sooner or later, the US, because we are serious about this, will demand that these governments do something about the radicals within their borders. They don't want confrontation... they have been desperately trying to appease their Muslim population.
Do they want to slow down our war... sure... because they don't want it to come to their shores... But it will... not because Europe can stop us... but because Europe can't control the Muslims within their borders...
When those Muslims explode (and they will)... they will need us, and we will need to aid them. An endangered Europe is an endangered USA...
(A good question, IMO)
Answer is we cannot discuss planned targets.
Aussie asks if he is impressed with their soldiers. Good natured laughter.
Answer, yes, we have received no second teams from our coalition nations, but first teams. Lauding the Australians and others, now pointing to particular aid they have provided.
Renuart: Heh, heh, heh (laughter). Enumerating different allied contributions.
National Post - Iraqi 'farmers' ambush column and are defeated
Renuart: You ask this everyday. Do you ask this everyday.
In general though, she's caught up in a dilemma. Bet she wishes she didn't sit on the prized "Armed Services Commitee". Ted, the swimmer, Kennedy has had a seat on that committee and she should have left it at that. Mistake #1423.
Yeah, and Will Collins in the evenings is great, too.
I'm sure McCaffrey's remarks are disturbing to many, but his is current role is not that of cheerleader. His job as a military analyst is to offer his assessment of our military operations and their potential risks. It is now his opinion that we could suffer up to 3,000 casualities. That is not the kind of news any of us want to hear but I'm glad he is not sugarcoating things here. Unfortunately, I don't think that McCaffrey estimate is unrealistic at all, especially if Iraqi's are able to use chemical weapons effectively and/or we are drawn into large scale battles in urban terrain. At this point I think McCaffrey is just calling it like he sees it. He's not the only military analyst who seems to have become more pessimistic in the last few either IMO. His colleague on MSNBC, former Marine General Bernard Trainer has also been critical of certain aspects of the war plan and also seems to think that we could be in for a tough fight in Baghdad.
McCaffrey's demeanor when he served as a general officer is irrelevant. McCaffrey's experience in combat is relevant and he is very well qualified in that regard. He served in combat as an infantry officer in both Vietnam and GWI. Among other things, he has three purple hearts. The guy knows what combat is about. Obviously, other military analsyts have come to different conclusions about potential casaulities for the rest of this war, some more optomistic than McCaffrey, some less. Time will tell who is right, but I don't think McCaffrey's views should be dismissed.
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