Powell says he's finally given up hope of getting Indian troops...

Associated Press ^ | 09-28-03

[Brian S]

Secretary of State Colin Powell said Sunday that the United States has given up hope of getting Indian soldiers to help coalition forces secure Iraq, but said he was optimistic countries would contribute troops after a U.N. resolution.

"The Indians, they have indicated they would not be in a position to provide troops. And I don't expect that position to change," Powell said in an interview on the television news channel CNN.

[Lion in Winter]

WELL then, so that's that, old boy!!

If the Indians won't help out in Iraq... maybe some MORE H1B visa holders could just fly on over and take the jobs of MORE Americans programmers and engineers, etc.

Then, those unemployed Americans who lost their jobs to OUR FRIENDS, the Indians... why they could just trot right over to Iraq and help out our troops. Spot on!

SARCASM OFF!

[OldFriend]

India and Pakistan are on a continuous brink of war. It would hardly be expected that they would divert troops from their own national security.

[dr_who_2]

Oh, hard luck. Maybe Bush can give him something else to do, like solving a rubik's cube with a couple of the colored stickers removed.

[Brian S]

Why did we even bother to ask then?

[mtbopfuyn]

Was anyone holding their breath over this?

[Ready4Freddy]

As if the mooselimbs around the world wouldn't go apeshiite if Hindus were stationed in Iraq? Might as well ask for some Israeli troops, eh?

[Joe 6-pack]

"India and Pakistan are on a continuous brink of war. It would hardly be expected that they would divert troops from their own national security."

Both of those nations made significant troop commitments to Somalia...

[carlo3b]

Powell... given up hope of getting Indian troops...

WOW ... Those Cherokees must be some tough cookies!

[marron]

The primary reason given for going back to the UN was in order to get Indian and Turkish troops to deploy in Iraq. Both countries said they would only send soldiers if we got them a UN resolution, so based on that Bush has gone back to the UN.

Now that Bush has done what they asked, both India and Turkey are starting to back out.

We have to face the fact that the countries that want to be there with us are already there. The countries who want to be our allies don't need UN approval to be our allies, they just are.

From this point on, there is nothing to be gained by obtaining a UN resolution. We will be giving up control there, but we will not be receiving any troops from the countries we were hoping for.

The essential element for any policy is clarity. I hope it is clear where we stand with our former allies, so that we can just get on with it. This is not a bad thing. Clarity is never a bad thing.

[AmericanInTokyo]

bump

[Endeavor]

Is Powell capable of getting anything done?

[Ukiapah Heep]

Sarcasm on

It is more important strategically for the India resources to be dedicated to projects for IBM, GE, and Key Bank. Let the Americans die. Losing India programming resources will delay life-and-death-of-the company projects by three hours.

Sarcasm off

[Endeavor]

It's called politics.

[FRgal4u]

What Indian troops are good for? Cooking curries or Stinking up the barracks?

Why bother with these guys, if there is any sign of troubles, they will the first to get out. Think of a situation ofn American gradual pullout, the UN cammand take place, with pakis, the turks, the indians and bunch of god knows what, then violence erupts, and the UN pullbacks - who is left to cleanup that mess..you guess that right - Americans!

I don't get why are we still have 60,000 in Germany, 40,000 in Japan and 37,000 in South Korea, and who knows how many in the Kosovo. Yes, we stretch our troops too thin, thanks to the 90s - peace dividend mirage and miltary cutbacks - but we also deploy our troops into too many places that we shouldn't have. We got to get this Iraq thing done right or the miltant islamists will see this as an American defeat, and god help us they think they can beat the world's most powerful army. No one is safe then, not in baghdad, not in mosul, not in new york, not in detroit, and not in Portland, oregon.

[KriegerGeist]

"The primary reason given for going back to the UN was in order to get Indian and Turkish troops to deploy in Iraq. Both countries said they would only send soldiers if we got them a UN resolution, so based on that Bush has gone back to the UN.

Now that Bush has done what they asked, both India and Turkey are starting to back out."

How about the Indians and the Turkeys send their troops to the Balkans and be under the UN, and we can remove all of our troops and equipment from there and send them to help in Iraq and Ashcanistan?

How about we remove the 37+ thousand troops from wealthy South Koria and the 20+ thousand troops from wealthy Germany and send them to help out in Iraq and Ashcanistan?

I could go on with places, but the point is, the UN could then fill in our absence from those places with their 'Blue-hats' and there UN money because they are already participating many of those places and would not need no steeeenkeen resolution to do that and they could be in charge if that is what they like...

I said it before and I'll say it again: get the U.S. out of the U.N. and get the U.N out of the U.S.

We could go from being spread thin to being effectively thick where we are doing business or making a real difference.

Germany, Japan, South Korea and elsewhere will just have to step up and take care of themselves or ask the U.N. for help.

Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Iran and Saudi Arabia are real and immediate threats to us now...not Germany, S. Korea, and the Balkans...et.al.

END OF RANTing transmission.

[Lion in Winter]

Yugoslavia and the Balkans were never a threat to the USA.... Only to muslims.

[marron]

get the U.S. out of the U.N. and get the U.N out of the U.S.

You'll get no argument from me.

[WOSG]

We need to create our own foreign legion and wannabe visa holder into it!!!