Posted on 10/07/2004 10:01:06 PM PDT by neverdem
OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR
In recent days, attention has been focused on some remarks I've made about Iraq. The coverage of these remarks has elicited far more heat than light, so I believe it's important to put my remarks in the correct context.
In my speeches, I have said that the United States paid a price for not stopping the looting in Iraq in the immediate aftermath of major combat operations and that we did not have enough troops on the ground to accomplish that task. The press and critics of the war have seized on these remarks in an effort to undermine President Bush's Iraq policy.
This effort won't succeed. Let me explain why.
It's no secret that during my time in Iraq I had tactical disagreements with others, including military commanders on the ground. Such disagreements among individuals of good will happen all the time, particularly in war and postwar situations. I believe it would have been helpful to have had more troops early on to stop the looting that did so much damage to Iraq's already decrepit infrastructure. The military commanders believed we had enough American troops in Iraq and that having a larger American military presence would have been counterproductive because it would have alienated Iraqis. That was a reasonable point of view, and it may have been right. The truth is that we'll never know.
But during the 14 months I was in Iraq, the administration, the military and I all agreed that the coalition's top priority was a broad, sustained effort to train Iraqis to take more responsibility for their own security. This effort, financed in large measure by the emergency supplemental budget approved by Congress last year, continues today. In the end, Iraq's security must depend on Iraqis.
Our troops continue to work closely with Iraqis to isolate and destroy terrorist strongholds. And the United States is supporting Prime Minister Ayad Allawi in his determined effort to bring security and democracy to Iraq. Elections will be held in January and, though there will be challenges and hardships, progress is being made. For the task before us now, I believe we have enough troops in Iraq.
The press has been curiously reluctant to report my constant public support for the president's strategy in Iraq and his policies to fight terrorism. I have been involved in the war on terrorism for two decades, and in my view no world leader has better understood the stakes in this global war than President Bush.
The president was right when he concluded that Saddam Hussein was a menace who needed to be removed from power. He understands that our enemies are not confined to Al Qaeda, and certainly not just to Osama bin Laden, who is probably trapped in his hide-out in Afghanistan. As the bipartisan 9/11 commission reported, there were contacts between Al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein's regime going back a decade. We will win the war against global terror only by staying on the offensive and confronting terrorists and state sponsors of terror - wherever they are. Right now, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a Qaeda ally, is a dangerous threat. He is in Iraq.
President Bush has said that Iraq is the central front in the war on terror. He is right. Mr. Zarqawi's stated goal is to kill Americans, set off a sectarian war in Iraq and defeat democracy there. He is our enemy.
Our victory also depends on devoting the resources necessary to win this war. So last year, President Bush asked the American people to make available $87 billion for military and reconstruction operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The military commanders and I strongly agreed on the importance of these funds, which is why we stood together before Congress to make the case for their approval. The overwhelming majority of Congress understood and provided the funds needed to fight the war and win the peace in Iraq and Afghanistan. These were vital resources that Senator John Kerry voted to deny our troops.
Mr. Kerry is free to quote my comments about Iraq. But for the sake of honesty he should also point out that I have repeatedly said, including in all my speeches in recent weeks, that President Bush made a correct and courageous decision to liberate Iraq from Saddam Hussein's brutality, and that the president is correct to see the war in Iraq as a central front in the war on terrorism.
A year and a half ago, President Bush asked me to come to the Oval Office to discuss my going to Iraq to head the coalition authority. He asked me bluntly, "Why would you want to leave private life and take on such a difficult, dangerous and probably thankless job?" Without hesitation, I answered, "Because I believe in your vision for Iraq and would be honored to help you make it a reality." Today America and the coalition are making steady progress toward that vision.
L. Paul Bremer III, former chairman of the National Commission on Terrorism, was the administrator of the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq from May 2003 to June 2004.
Thanks for the links.
The press has been curiously reluctant to report my constant public support for the President's strategy in Iraq and his policies to fight terrorism! NOW THERE"S A BIG SURPRISE!
That was good.
Setting the record straight. And removing the wind from the windsurfer's sails.
Let's see what Kerry pulls out tomorrow.
LOL! If they could only stay overseas permanently, but that's too much to ask. I can still dream, before they get activist judges to make it a hate crime.
Ping. Absolutely astonishing that the New York Times published this. But, they probably realize most people will never read it and it's unlikely it will receive any media attention. Still look for sKerry to use Bremer's earlier, out of context quote, against GWB in tomorrow's debate.
>>>Did anyone ever get a copy of his goodbye speech to the Iraqi people. The Iraqi bloggers said the people were deeply touched by his words and I've never been able to find a copy of it. Naturally, the media didn't cover it.
I saw that too. I don't know who got a copy. I think a press release is up for grabs. I have it here on my website reprinted for the sake of a press release. It is under 'voices unheard'. Sorry I don't have another source. Press releases are for reprint.
http://goexcelglobal.com/NJ_DefenseForce/
The MSM has thrown all ethics out the window in this election(not to say they ever had any) This election campaign is going to be really brutal for the next 26 days. President Bush not only has to parry Kerry's lies, he can never expect the press to get his truth out. There is a complete blackout in the MSM on the UN scandal, to me that makes them complicit with all the bribe takers, and basically an enemy of their own country.
I made the follow remark: I expect Bremer to clarify his remarks shortly. He supports President Bush and he supports the war in Iraq. See post #28
Please remove your tin foil. Some men have horrible first names and simply use their forst initial. That's all there is to it.
"I have been involved in the war on terrorism for two decades, and in my view no world leader has better understood the stakes in this global war than President Bush.... Mr. Kerry is free to quote my comments about Iraq. But for the sake of honesty he should also point out that I have repeatedly said, including in all my speeches in recent weeks, that President Bush made a correct and courageous decision to liberate Iraq from Saddam Hussein's brutality, and that the president is correct to see the war in Iraq as a central front in the war on terrorism."
Nope... you won't be hearing this! You won't be seeing headlines about this all day. You won't be seeing every news TV "show" open their program with it. It kinda makes you want to scream.
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French President Jacques Chirac (L) talks with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao at the first closed session of the 5th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), at the International Convention Center in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi, October 8, 2004. REUTERS/Lee Jae-Won
Ha. Bremer just unspun the democrats.
If it's any consolation for the looting that went on after the invasion, it's that it absolutely pales in comparison to the looting that was going on before the invasion.
Saddam and the U.N. The biggest looters in history.
Choke on it Kerry. :-)
Edwards: "John Kerry and I will put 200,000 trial lawyers in Iraq in the first 90 days."
And that's just the first one percent!
Say what you want about Bremer, (and I can say a lot, but little positive), he was still orders of magnitudes better than his predecessor, Jay Garner. Whereas Bremer didn't have the sense to take the advice of his military field commanders, Garner was too conceited to accept any guidance from a subordinate.
Barn Owl
It doesn't matter, sir, what you say. The press will say what it wants to say, and so will Kerry.
By the way, is Joe Wilson still on Kerry's steering committee?
...Nevertheless he should have kept has mouth shut before the election...
I don't know, but you must admit this couldn't have worked out any better. paging Carl Rove...:-)
Maybe his first name is Lesley?
You must hate "The Great Gatsby".
tommy franks had respect for him. His was an enormous task.
I agree.
How can an honest person see it otherwise?
The MSM has an agenda, plain and simple, and it is preventing them from doing their job properly. It is both shameful and painful. We are forced to endure one distorted onslaught against the administration after another, with absolutely no parity.
Where's the outrage over Kerry not signing Form 180, over his refusal to release his tax records? There's two biggies for starters.
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