U.S. military urging Iraq's government to act against the insurgency

[leftchick]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2005/05/14/MNGE8CPC2L1.DTL

Baghdad -- After nearly three weeks of unrelenting attacks by insurgents, U.S. military officials are urging Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari to respond with strong and decisive action or risk erosion of confidence and a widening sense of insecurity among Iraqis.

Army Gen. George Casey, the top U.S. officer in Iraq, conferred with al- Jaafari on Thursday and Friday in meetings that other U.S. officials said focused on reviewing options and encouraging a firm government response to the violence.

More significant than what the government might do, one senior military officer said, is the fact that the government be seen as doing something. "The perception of governance is important," he said.

The prodding comes during a wave of violence that has taken at least 430 lives since a new government was chosen two weeks ago from among legislators elected in January.

:eyes:

[lebkuchen]

1. What Iraq Govt?

The partisans are picking them off as soon as they can be propped up in their officiating chairs.

[Doctor_J]

8. No shit

the group of puppets that we installed? The locals hate them as much as they hate us.

[tabasco]

17. Really - maybe they can issue a decree from the Green Zone.

I'm sure a memo from the puppet government inside the Green Zone would settle everything.

[Tansy_Gold]

20. I wonder how many people read that headline

and had the exact same response, lebkuchen.




"Where are we going, and what am I doing in this handbasket?"

[MichiganVote]

2. "The perception of governance is important"....as in Bush biking

during a red alert in Washington and then not even knowing about it.

[Wright Patman]

3. I think even most Repukes have known

for a long time that Cheney and his merry band of neocons are actually running the government.

The only hitch in their git-along is that they were supposaed to have already "dominated the world" by now. I really don't believe they thought ANYONE would fight back, much less a bunch of seemingly hapless Iraqis.

[MichiganVote]

13. History has shown ME populations are no light weights

[jobycom]

18. Remember Bush's supposed quote to Hillary?

Right after 9-11, he was assuring several senators that he didn't want to rush into war in Afghanistan without a clear target. He said something like "I don't want to fire a 12 million dollar missile into a tent and hit a camel in the butt."

His side really believed there was nothing there to fight us. Now he doesn't get who he's fighting. Just like Viet Nam-- we aren't fighting an enemy, we are fighting a hatred of us caused by our fighting. Even the government in "power" hates us. They are more likely to sympathize with their cousins, brothers and friends who are fighting us than with a bunch of arrogant, bloodthirsty tyrants from across the ocean.

To the Iraqi government, the "insurgents" and the government both have the same enemy: us. They just choose different ways to fight us. Bush and his crew will never understand that, even after we withdraw in total disgrace. Iraq is our Afghanistan.

I would send him a copy of "The Quiet American," but he wouldn't get it.

[tabasco]

23. I think so too. The sad thing about it, really.

I know some of these republicans and it seems they checked their humanity at the door. They do not fucking care about our soldiers getting killed !

[tabasco]

22. And the perception of the Iraqis when Chalabi made Oil Minister.

That should have told the Iraqi People that they do not and will not have democracy under US occupation. It seems that's how they perceived it because that is when the fighting increased.

[DrDebug]

4. So it's now the fault of the Iraqi government

The perception of governance is important :banghead:

[Botany]

5. Isn't Chalibi in the goverment?

He sat w/ L. bush @ the SOTU speech a few years ago, maybe
he can help. The whole thing is a big phony front anyway.
* biking
Iraqis who get killed as soon as they work w/ America
or in any form of government
our "liberal media's" reporting
the exact cost in deaths, blood, and money
our elections

I wonder if bush's handlers are trying to keep him out of the loop?

[DrDebug]

9. Chalabi's first official job is ...

... to clear himself from an outstanding sentence of 22 years hard labour for embezzlement, fraud and breach of trust. ( http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/GEO348161.htm )

That's of course the first priority...

[bemildred]

6. Is this guy smoking crack? Is he nuts?

This is what happens when you start believing your own bullshit.

[leftchick]

10. I agree bemildred.

scary shit isn't it?

[Solly Mack]

12. exactly

[DoYouEverWonder]

7. Maybe they should ask George Bush to do something?

He's the one that got us into this mess.

[LibDemAlways]

11. There is no legitimate Iraqi government.

The US won't allow it. Letting the Iraqi people decide and abiding by their decision would mean we'd have to get the hell out immediately.

Come to think of it, there is no legit. government in the US either. When will our insurgency against these crooks begin?

[oasis]

14. "The perception of governance is important". A Wizard of Oz quote?

Same smell.

[Roland99]

15. "We broke your country and created 250k militants. Now FIX IT, slackers!"

[jobycom]

16. This is Bush's new escape clause: "We TRIED to help them, but I guess

we just overestimated their love of freedom. Therefore the civil war that we left behind was their fault. Must be something inherent in the Muslim religion--see how glad we are to be Christians?"

[TahitiNut]

19. "Martial law and oppression will continue until the morale improves."

Innoculated with the heady elixer of 'democracy' (the kabuki of voting for a cast of unknown characters), those "children" obviously need the firm guidance of the parental American military. :sarcasm:

It must be tough for a General to be so smart and have to deal with such lesser beings. :eyes:

:puke:

[IndianaGreen]

21. I wonder how long before we put an Iraqi strongman in charge

An Iraqi version of the late South Vietnamese President, General Nguyen Van Thieu.

[ECH1969]

24. Jaffari is totally worthless

Allawi may have been brutal, but he always took action. Jaafri is too busy trying to force Islamic law on the women of Iraq to notice the chaos around him.

The only positive is that there will be another election in December.