Lieberman optimistic U.S. can finish mission in Iraq, draw back

[sabra]

http://www.connpost.com/news/ci_4068760

Lieberman optimistic U.S. can finish mission in Iraq, draw back

BRIDGEPORT — U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman believes the U.S. will withdraw a "solid' contingent of its military forces in Iraq by the end of the year because of gains made by the Iraqi armed forces.

"There really has been progress made by the Iraqi military," Lieberman said Tuesday during a meeting with the Connecticut Post's editorial board. "Two-thirds of it could stand on its own or lead the fight with our logistical support."

...

"The sooner we are out the better," Lieberman said. "But if we leave too soon, that would make it worse for the Iraqis and us."

...

"I was hoping God would send me a poorer opponent," Lieberman quipped. "Test me, Lord," he said looking skyward.

The senator claims Lamont's biggest weakness is "he is unprepared he will be a senator-in-training in the six years ahead — six tough years."

[redqueen]

1. "because of gains made by the Iraqi armed forces"?

who the $#&@ does he think he's fooling?

[skipos]

2. Lieberman's biggest weakest is that he doesn't give a shit about CT Dems

and his history of bet hedging has pissed many of them off.

[saltpoint]

3. I sure would like it if Connecticut Dems turned out in large numbers to

choose Ned Lamont in the August 8th primary.

[DinahMoeHum]

4. Hey Joe. Shut up Shut up Shut up Shut up Shut up Shut up

Shut.The.Fuck.Up.

Ned Lamont is eating him alive. Check these out:
http://nedlamont.com/blog/630/three-new-man-on-the-street-ads


:kick::kick::kick:

[wordpix2]

7. thanks, great ads! Ned is kicking butt

[Rose Siding]

5. Why do they call him holy Joe?

I don't get it. :eyes:

To publically invoke God's help against a primary opponent is ugly, if you ask me.

[MarkDevin]

15. Because he is notorious for wearing his religious faith on his sleeve.

As you yourself said, "To publically invoke God's help against a primary opponent is ugly, if you ask me." Sure it's ugly, but "Holy Joe" does it anyway.

[Rose Siding]

16. Thanks, MarkDevin

Welcome to DU :hi:

I was being sarcastic. Sometimes roll-y eyes help convey that. -Just FYI because lots of DUers will do that, you'll find.

[Rex]

6. Joe mocks the poor and loves war.

Fuck you soon to be citizen Joe!

[Mandate My Ass]

8. he wants a poorer opponent? He admits he has nothing the voters

want, so if he can outspend somebody more willing to represent CT's constituents than he is, he'll win anyway.

Tough shit, voters! Sucks to be you. Love and kisses, Senator Lieberman. And thank you, God, for another victory that serves my purposes so nicely and screws everybody else.

[Sapere aude]

9. That statement ranks right up there with the WMD's and the 9/11- Saddam

ties.

[Supersedeas]

10. repeating WH talking point about progress when R Congressman see different

[cliss]

11. What does he mean here????

"I was hoping God would send me a poorer opponent"

"Test me Lord" looking skyward.

What does this fool mean? That Ned Lamont has too much money? Holy Joe wishes Lamont has less money?

What an idiot....sheesh.

[DELUSIONAL]

12. Oh shut up you old wind bag

What a self centered creep --

[Turbineguy]

13. Wife optimistic she can win lottery

"I'll just keep buying more tickets!"

[Seabiscuit]

18. Mutt optimistic he can win "best of show".

[indepat]

14. What's the mission Herr Lieberman?

[Seabiscuit]

17. Yeah, "finish mission"??? What mission? Finding WMDs???

Friggin idiot.

[54anickel]

19. Violence soaring despite growing number of Iraqi forces

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/world/15076269.htm

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Despite the addition of almost 100,000 U.S.-trained Iraqi troops in the past year, American efforts to pacify central Iraq and the capital appear to be failing, challenging a central assumption behind the U.S. strategy in Iraq: that training more Iraqi security forces will allow American troops to start going home.


The number of trained Iraqi soldiers and police grew from an estimated 168,670 in June 2005 to some 264,600 this June. Yet Baghdad's morgue is receiving nearly twice as many dead Iraqis each day as it did last year. The number of bombings causing multiple fatalities has risen steadily. Attacks on American and Iraqi troops last month grew 44 percent from June 2005.


"Even as the number and capabilities of Iraqi security forces have increased, overall security conditions have deteriorated," concluded a report that the Government Accountability Office submitted to Congress earlier this month.


Baghdad, usually clogged with traffic, has fallen quiet in recent weeks. Shops are shuttered. Roads are nearly empty in many neighborhoods. No one wants to be caught out in the open by gunmen, who set up roadblocks with seeming impunity.


Lt. Gen. Martin Dempsey, who commands the task force that's training Iraq's army, didn't respond to written questions about whether the U.S. still has confidence in the training program. Other American officers in Iraq acknowledged the difficulties but counseled patience.

more....

You were saying, Joe? :eyes:

[IndianaGreen]

20. 14,338 civilians killed in the first half of 2006, Joe!

U.N.: 14,000 Iraqis killed in 2006

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- More than 14,000 civilians have been killed in Iraq in the first half of this year, an ominous figure reflecting the fact that "killings, kidnappings and torture remain widespread" in the war-torn country, a United Nations report says.

Killings of civilians are on "an upward trend," with more than 5,800 deaths and more than 5,700 injuries reported in May and June alone, it says.

The report, a bimonthly document produced by the U.N. Assistance Mission for Iraq, covers May and June, and includes chilling casualty figures and ugly anecdotes from the insurgent and sectarian warfare that continues to rage despite the establishment of a national unity government and a security crackdown in Baghdad.

The report lists examples of bloody suicide bombs aimed at mosques, attacks on laborers, the recovery of slain bodies, the assassinations of judges, the killings of prisoners, the targeting of clergy -- all incidents dutifully reported by media over these three-plus years of chaos in the streets.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/07/18/iraq.main/index.html

Deadly Disconnect: Iraq Reality vs Bush Administration Fantasy

Arianna Huffington

The report also puts a human face on those numbers and on the rampant violence raging in the country. It offers examples of homosexuals who have been targeted by militias and death squads because of their sexual orientation. And it's not just gays facing intolerance. The UN cites the case of an Iraqi tennis coach and two of his players who were gunned down in Baghdad because... they were wearing shorts! Forget the fashion police; we're talking fashion assassins. Others were targeted because their hair styles or facial hair didn't conform to the rules of the extremists now in control on both sides of the sectarian divide.

And according to the report, women have lost many of the freedoms they used to enjoy. In parts of Baghdad, they "are now prevented from going to the markets alone." They've also been warned not to drive cars and have been harassed for wearing pants. What's more, a new regulation dictates that women wishing to apply for a passport or travel abroad must be accompanied by their husbands or another male member of their family. And not wearing a headscarf can now mean being targeted for attack -- all the more troubling for the tens of thousands of non-Muslim Iraqi women.

The report also details kidnappings and acts of violence directed at children, including the chilling tale of a 12 year old boy named Osama who was kidnapped, raped, and grotesquely murdered -- hanged by his own clothing -- even though his family paid a $30,000 ransom.

This report is dripping in blood and suffering -- a stark reminder of the turmoil our failed invasion of Iraq has wrought. A point driven home yet again by Tuesday's suicide bombing in Kufa that saw at least 57 killed and 105 wounded when a man, on the pretext of offering work, drew a crowd of day laborers to his vehicle then blew them all up.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/deadly-disconnect-iraq-r_b_25402.html

[VegasWolf]

21. Joe doesn't mind killing innocent muslim civilians for oil. nt

[shanti]

22. hey joe, i'm optimistic that you'll lose your election

dumbass :eyes:

[Joe Bacon]

23. How many more must die, Joe?

Give us a number.

How much spilled blood, killed or wounded soldiers and deformed children does it take to satisfy your bloodlust?