Powell announced it at UN today...FIVE more coalition partners

[diamond14]

are preparing to send troops to Iraq...


and from YESTERDAY's news, the FIVE coalition partners are:

A group of 238 soldiers from the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Honduras headed for Kuwait to join a Polish-led peacekeeping force that will operate in south-central Iraq. A group of 14 troops from Kazakhstan also left for Iraq to join the Polish-led force. Another 13 are scheduled to leave Wednesday. Jordan ruled out sending peacekeepers to Iraq under the umbrella of U.S. occupation forces.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=74180

it is truly shameful for OUR great country to push this 'coalition' ploy, just to prop up bush* failures....

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

1. And these 238 soldiers...

Will have WHAT sort of effect? Will contribute in WHAT way?

Powell needs to quit. Just for his own sake.

[Kolesar]

9. That's what? One graduating class at the School of the Americas?

You are so correct. We need 100x the number of troops from those little countries.

[indepat]

33. I wonder if the US will end up paying some $100,000 per man per

year?

[htuttle]

2. I guess that's what Rumsfeld was doing in Honduras yesterday

Doesn't seem to have come away with very much.

Can 238 Central American troops replace the 3rd Infantry?

[kentuck]

3. They can guard the Burger King....

Of course, some may have to take the outside seating....

[Randi_Listener]

4. 200 troops?

Is that to replace the 200 dead Americans that have been wasted due to the fucking bad decisions of the drunken shitbird in the White House?

[Cocoa]

5. don't you love farce?

I bet the French are especially enjoying this.

[LeftistGorilla]

18. Don't get mad at the French....

they warned Bush....
:evilfrown:

[papau]

6. Has Powell heard of the "laugh test" - he just failed it!

Well we have found out that Powell has no pride - black or otherwise.

Amazing.

:-)

[Kolesar]

7. McCain is sounding like our Al Gore at New York University (& moveon.org)

Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona says he thinks "we may have misled the American people by
telling them basically that it was over."

I guess that McCain is making a step in the right direction.

[diamond14]

15. it's criminal lying: the UN and aid agencies and congress reps

went to visit Iraq, because bush* has been lying for WEEKS, telling everyone that things were just peachy keen over there...everything was under control, with "happy" Iraqis everywhere...

bush* led the UN (and almost, our congressional reps), and other aid agencies right to their DEATHS....

[Doctor_J]

16. McCain will be

a SOLID Clark supporter. He won't change parties, but he will likely head up a group of free-thinking GOP'ers who would love to free themselves from *.

[nostamj]

37. "a step in the right direction" ???

wouldn't that be the LEFT direction ???

;-)

[alcuno]

8. Many of the coalition troops who are there now aren't allowed

anywhere near potential combat areas. The Japanese "senate" had a brawl over sending troops and that was to areas well out of harms way.

[ugarte]

10. Has Costa Rica sent its Guardia Nacional?

If so, look for the Iraqis will throw in the towel.

[wtmusic]

11. And if they don't

the Micronesian First Infantry and Eritrean Special Forces can finish the job.

[arcos]

13. hahaha...

well, we don't have an army, but we were part of the "coalition of the willing"... I wouldn't be surprised if our dumbass president sends policemen over to help Bush.

[ugarte]

14. Sos tico, mae?

Puuuuuura viiiiida!

[Starpass]

12. What the hell are our Boy Scouts doing these days.........

..put some guns in the little bastards hands and send them over there; they already have uniforms (that will save us a few bucks) and their mom's will make sure that at least they pack enough water with them (unlike our Pentagon supplies for our troops). And, they probably can think faster than the idiots we have in charge over there presently.

[ugarte]

17. Careful, there might be somebody gay over there

Better keep 'em home.

[Solly Mack]

19. My husband was supposed to come home when Spain arrived BUT

once Spain arrived they were told they would remain until March 2004.
Fact is, the U.S. doesn't have enough soldiers...from anywhere..to handle the "mission."

There is no coalition of anything..willing or otherwise. Just names on a piece of paper in hopes of garnering some favor down the road.

[Starpass]

20. Solly Mack----didn't know husband was over there---do you have

any hint of what the troops are really thinking by now?? Do you think many of them still think Bush is the great leader and support him and this mess???? Would love to hear your input.

[Solly Mack]

27. Many just want to come home

Some don't know why they were sent-they question it daily. Most just want to survive; and Mom, Apple Pie and the Flag just don't play into their thinking- simple survival does.

They are tired, fed up and worn down. Mine's working 18 hour shifts because of troop shortages. They only have electricty 2 hours a day (thats for everyone in the town)...water is a problem..clean, safe water. They have all lost weight. They want news most of all. They are sick of the filtered stuff they get (Faux Snooze) and all request news magazines, newspapers, and anything else that lets them know whats going on around them-and concerning them.

Some curse Chucklenuts but not enough. Mainly, "Bush" isn't a consideration at this point. Bush isn't keeping them alive and he isn't helping them so he's pretty much out of the equation for them. Once they get home, I'm sure (hope) it will be different. I hope they see Bush as their enemy-because he is.

The troops think differently from their families. Probably because the troops "see" the reality and the families only see what they want. Most people only get to hear what the families say so a very slanted picture of the reality is all you see in the news.

Some have injured themselves to come home. Some have opted to behave suicidal in a bid to come home-and while I don't blame them in some ways-their actions made my husband's job more dangerous. Some are actually suicidal-and those do need to come home...I somehow doubt the ones that truly need to be lifted out will get lifted out.

On the phone they strain themselves to sound upbeat but you can hear the depth of their weariness. The disgust just creeps out.In my husband's company,NONE..and I mean ZERO, of the ones up for retention opted to re-up. They've had enough. They refuse to constantly be deployed for what they see as an oil war...and most think Iraq is an oil war...nothing more.

In the military, morale is a problem of leadership...if the morale is bad then the leadership is bad. Well, morale is bad...very bad. But I somehow doubt Chucklenuts understands that concept or makes the connection.

[trogdor]

42. You may have hit on something there...

...send them NEWSPAPERS. REAL newspapers!

Is this the TRUTH? All they get is Fox News? THAT'S IT?

I say we start a drive to send actual print media to the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Anybody want to help me with the nuts and bolts?

Do they at least get MAIL? If we were to order subscriptions to, say, Time Magazine on their behalf, would they get it?

We could do it like this. I set up a website where readers can either send mailing addresses of troops in the field, or cash to buy 6-month magazine subscriptions, matching the names with the donations on a first-come, first served basis. This shouldn't take very long to set up.

[caledesi]

21. Absoultely shameful!! Where are the major countries Mr. Powell?

Why aren't they helping us? Hmmmm...could be that we humiliated them?

[diamond14]

24. it seemed that even Britain pulled out a lot of their troops after

shrub's aircraft show...does anyone have an exact count of how many British troops are still in Iraq ????

[karlschneider]

22. I thought maybe they had gotten the Marx brothers.....

:eyes:

[RedEarth]

23. What a joke.......

sounds like we will need 238 interpertors also. This administration makes me sick....:puke:

[Rose Siding]

25. There's a problem here

The Poles are "withdrawing" and "ceding" land after yesterday's attack. -Better known as...ahem...retreating. -Not that I blame them or think it's a bad idea for them to do so.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=76296

These 238 could be one from every country on the face of the earth and not add any legitimacy or tactical support to this invasion.

[diamond14]

26. I'd laugh, if I wasn't crying...this is such a total disgrace....and

sadly, people are getting KILLED over these LIES, everyday....


BRING OUR TROOPS HOME....NOW !!!


BOOT bush* in 2004
http://www.Democrats.org

[Bandit]

28. One of the main reasons stated for us going it alone was because we

were so technologically advanced that other troops couldn't work with us. I guess that was another lie or else this is. :shrug: I wish they would stick to their stories. I get so confused.

[realFedUp]

29. Sending their incarcerated to Iraq...priceless

.

[yellowcanine]

30. You can't make up this shit

238 soldiers from 5 different Central American countries???? And Powell said this with a straight face? Are these the ones that are going to be paid $50 a month and their families get $6,000 if they get killed in Iraq? I am sure all 238 "volunteered", right? Including the Hondurans, where the army has been known to get 14 yr old "volunteers" off the streets of Tegucigalpa? Good thing those Poles speak Spanish, isn't it?

[Cocoa]

31. I was wondering about the language

were there negotiations about whether the americans would have to learn Polish, or vice versa? Probably a pidgin, Spolish, will develop.

[Hubert Flottz]

32. I'd volunteer the WV Sniper If I Knew Where He Was!

Prolly an NRA FReeper Type and Raring to go!

[Robin Hood]

34. The international community is bringing Bush down.

by refusing to help clean up his mess in Iraq. These bozos have been trying for months to get troops for Iraq, but the International community is saying screw you! We told you not to do it in the first place.

[Kolesar]

39. The International Community never gave Bush a chance, even before Iraq

The arrogant Texan came strutting into office, criticizing "nation building" and bragging about his record of lethal injections. The Europeans were amazed that America could ever elect such a pin head to be president and they gave him no respect. He cancelled Kyoto (global warming accord) and several other treaties. The Europeans did not wait to retaliate in the steel tariffs or the banana wars when that came up. Now, here we are. The Europeans were right and George W. Bush is destroying the world.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

35. I wonder how much in "aid" was promised to get the 238

The best scrapings of the bottom of the barrel that (a lot of) money can buy.

Nicaragua? El Salvador? Honduras? Interesting that those are some of the same countries that we previously helped "protect" from their own people.

[StandWatie]

36. oh, let's export them to Iraq..

It wasn't good enough that we actually were fined by the international court for exporting terrorism in Honduras by funding and training those monsters, now we are going to send them over to Iraq.

Oh, we DEFINATELY have the best interest of the Iraqi's at heart here!

[grasswire]

38. PATHETIC!

Sorry for yelling. But this is freaking pathetic. It would be better not to have them at all than to crow about 238.

[diamond14]

40. there MUST be a 'coalition'...it's all for shrub's BS, and it well

may endanger OUR troops more, due to lack of equipment, communications in foreign languages, etc...

as everybody notes: it's screaming PATHETIC....but it's all for the TV sound bits...at rummy's press conference today, I heard it again...rummy made a bunch of comments about the glorious 'coalition' and most Americans really don't have the time or ability to figure out who this 'coalition' is....so bush* minions are very effective in their spin...

wishing that the PRESS would ask the hard questions, and publish a LIST of all the members of the coalition and HOW MANY troops from each member are CURRENTLY serving in Iraq....

[Gloria]

41. And didn't Polish troops just pull out of the Baghdad area into

the more central zone of Iraq which they're supposed to police? They apparently quit the Baghdad area after quick consultations with the US....did they "chicken out" or did they get pressured out because the US doesn't want anyone else seeing what's going on??

Gotta wonder if Japan will send it's troops and the water treatment expertise at this point....advisors were scoping out "safety" issues, since Japan really doesn't want to get draw into the fight.....so if it's not "safe," we may not see them in there....