THE ROAD TO IRAQ'S RIOTS: PAYING FOR WEAKNESS

nypost ^ | April 6, 2004 | By RALPH PETERS

[dennisw]

April 6, 2004 -- SEVEN American soldiers died in Baghdad on Sunday because we failed to respond to last week's Fallujah attacks. Whatever our motives, we looked weak and indecisive. Additional enemies believed their moment had come. In the Middle East, appearances are all.

[CDHart]

An important article -- thanks for posting it!

Carolyn

[Belisaurius]

George W. Bush, power-hungry warmonger or craven appeaser? God forbid that he be might doing what he believes must be done to the utmost of his ability, despite the opinions of all these armchair REMF military geniuses.

[Support Free Republic]

[Rokke]

This article is a piece of crap.

1. Sadr and his followers have no connection to the Fallujah crowd. Sadr has been facing severe lack of financing and public support and has had his back to the wall for several weeks. He ordered the latest riots as a fade away jumpshot, with very little to lose. He has subsequently lost control of his own forces and is a dead man walking. But the timing of his action had nothing to do with Fallujah.

2. Fallujah was a Sunni inspired media event designed to pressure U.S. resolve. It was timed to occur during the rotation of Coalition troops in the region. It had nothing to do with Sadr.

[MEG33]

Ralph Peters has written some good columns,he is a strong believer that we went in with too few troops and sticks with it.He isn't an overall critic.I read thinking of both sides of the more troops argument.

I know our march to Baghdad was a breathtaking success and I know we have a difficult situation to deal with.I keep my eye on the ultimate prize..the destruction of a tyrannical,dangerous leader and his regime and the election of representative government in a republic.Not an easy task.It is hoped that other ME nations may wish to do the same and become less interested in terror.

[justshutupandtakeit]

Some people are mightly impressed by rioting and a few skirmishes. Their pants would be permanently soiled at having to see an actual BATTLE. What would they think of a battle which had thousands upon thousands of deaths WITHIN HOURS? Do they think protecting freedom is RISKLESS? Did they not listen when the President told us that this would take time and effort? Which dream world are they coming from?

NIRVANA NOW damn it!!!

[justshutupandtakeit]

I have to catch my breathe having just come in from running wildly around screaming "the sky is falling, the sky is falling." Thank God we have such brilliant commentators telling us how THEY would be doing things. After all this guy won his last Risk game.

Now I can go back outside to run and scream some more.

[justshutupandtakeit]

I have to catch my breath having just come in from running wildly around screaming "the sky is falling, the sky is falling." Thank God we have such brilliant commentators telling us how THEY would be doing things. After all this guy won his last Risk game.

Now I can go back outside to run and scream some more.

[risen_feenix]

While I may personally echo the sentiment in my heart., I'm going to trust the judgment of generals who have been on the ground in Iraq for the past year, who know Fallujah and the attitudes of it's residents, and who is responsible for the life of every man under his command.

A journalist sitting at a Baghdad hotel in the Green Zone, who doesn't have to face the family of the officers' fallen soldiers, is a real peace of work advocating that we recklessly lay siege to a town without a proper plan.

[justshutupandtakeit]

Refreshing to see rationality in action, thanks.

These actions are designed to be the opening shots of the Kerry campaign.

[vbmoneyspender]

Bump.

Sadr went Shiite because the CPA started picking up his henchmen (in particular Yacoubi) on arrest warrants. As a result, the whole point of Peters' article is wrong. This all happened because Sadr knew he was going to be picked up too. And the fact that we were picking up the Sadr goons is a sign of our resolve to not let Sadr intimidate his fellow Iraqis rather than a sign of our weakness.

[Belisaurius]

That may be the case, but until I start reading that the troops coming home or the in-theatre commanders are complaining about a lack of manpower, I'm not gonna give this guy's views much credence.

Theatre commanders are notorious for their past demands for another carrier group, another airwing, another amphibious group, etc etc etc. If they aren't bitching and moaning NOW, then I am fairly certain they have what they need to accomplish their mission.

[TrueBeliever9]

Thanks for posting this article dennisw; I had this exact conversation with two (well trained and experienced) officers on Sunday. I felt like the writer had listened to our conversation and made notes.

[MrB]

I agree whole heartedly, and have been saying as much all week.

Waiting to respond was a huge mistake and shows a lack of understanding of the barbaric culture.

When a dog pees on the floor, you have to smack him with the paper immediately, or it does no good.

The islamic culture is not too far removed from animalistic levels.

[Publius6961]

BUMP

[MEG33]

On the other hand I hear members of Congress state that commanders always say they have enough ..a macho thing or to please the Pentagon and advance their careers..

I have no idea of the truth of that as these members say we needed more troops from the beginning.I find it hard to believe that commanders would not ask for more if really necessary..

[TexasRepublic]

The Middle East is a toilet that ought to be flushed.

[Belisaurius]

This ain't the 1990s. In the current political climate, if the military leadership wanted more troops, they know they could get them. That they haven't been asking should tell you something, and it's not that they are "macho" or playing politics.

[happygrl]

I could not agree more strongly with what Ralph Peters has written.

We must show them The Fist.

We must make an example of Fallujah and Sadr City.

Spare me the blah, blah, blah about the 90% in those towns who want to be our friends or who ar non-Combatants.

The Civilians there, women and children, are under the control of their men.

There's no way that Fallujah and Sadr City can be dealt with, without some collateral damage because they, like the Palestinians, don't truly care for their own anyway, they're merely props in their own drama of humiliation, revenge, and a distorted idea of martydom.