U.S. mum on strength of Iraqi troops (Hearst Newspapers 6/12/06)

[Up2Late]

(I think we missed this story from last week, I found it after Harry Shearer read it on today's "Le Show," even though, due to technical difficulties, Le Show didn't air "Live" today)

U.S. mum on strength of Iraqi troops

Pentagon stops revealing number prepared to fight

June 12, 2006

BY ERIC ROSENBERG

HEARST NEWSPAPERS

WASHINGTON -- The Pentagon has stopped releasing its assessment of the number of Iraqi army units deemed capable of battling insurgents without U.S. military help. U.S. officials had been releasing a tally every three months of Iraqi military units that were sufficiently trained to operate by themselves, without the aid of U.S. firepower, logistics or transportation.

The decision to stop making the information public came after reports showed a steady decline in the number of qualified Iraqi units. That number now is classified, said Air Force Lt. Gen. Victor Renuart, director of strategic plans and policy for the Joint Chiefs of Staff....

(clip)

...When the downward trend became known, Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Susan Collins, R-Maine, and other members of Congress expressed disappointment about the lack of progress. Collins said it "contributes to a loss of public confidence in how the war is going." The Pentagon then decided to stop releasing those reports.

Asked why the information now is classified when it had been previously made public, Peter Rodman, assistant defense secretary for international security affairs, said the figure "was always supposed to be" classified, even though military officials had routinely released it.

(more at link)

<http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060612/NEWS07/606120361/1009>

Link to the "Le Show" website:
<http://www.harryshearer.com/leshow/index.html>

Link to a list of stations with "live" streaming, where you can hear today's Le Show: <http://www.publicradiofan.com/cgi-bin/program.pl?programid=60>

[peacebird]

1. it's classified now because all the lipstick in the world can't turn that

pig into a princess.....

[tocqueville]

2. the new "Iraqi Army" is a fantasy

it will never work. The Iraqis are not united and don't represent a national force but fight only for local political agendas. Similar attempts of creating a national Army with the Vietnamese failed too but for different reasons. The problem is similar too in Afghanistan. Too many different ethnic groups, religious tensions, wills and political agendas.

[Up2Late]

4. You might be right, but if you were in a position to advise the...

...current or future U.S. Government, what would you suggest they should do?

Giving up and saying it will never work doesn't seem like a good solution.

I know a few things I would tell then to change, but I'd like to hear your view.

[Jacobin]

6. Maybe a look back in time

I know you didn't direct this question to me, but I wanted to throw in my two cents.

The Iraqi army, such as it is, is gathered from a pool of Iraqi men where there is 70% unemployment. They go to get money to feed their families. Some may actually support the Iraqi puppet government, but I wonder if its more than just a few.

A good question would be whether the Iraqis who we give money and guns to are loyal to the government we imposed on them with faux elections, or whether many are simply getting a paycheck or whether many are inflitrating to even scores with rivals or to simply create havoc for the occupation forces.

I wonder whether this entire fantasy of an "Iraqi Army" is more like the South Vietnamese army which we paid to support the puppet government we installed there. Many were not willing to fight and die for the puppet government we installed and I suspect that the same holds true in Iraq.

There is no easy answer, but pursuing Bush's course is clearly a disaster and will continue to be a disaster.

The sad truth is, IMHO that we have to withdraw and let the Iraqis fight out their differences and inevitably a new leader will emerge, most likely a mullah who will gain power ruthlessly and who will harbor an enormous grudge against the US. There is no likely good outcome. Bush screwed up in a huge way.

[tocqueville]

7. Jacobin has it right and expresses another major aspect

there is nothing to be done, because the situation is perverted from the beginning. One solution of course would be to back up one/two group at the depense of the others (which has been partly done at the expense of the Sunnis) but that wouldn't look good... and only fuel the insurgency.

The comparison with the Vietnamese Army is interesting : there was at least favorable factors : ONE ethnic group and a common fear of communism, ingredients the Iraqis never had. The Vietnamese Army was quite well equipped, but in the end the national factor was overwhelming and when they felt betrayed by the US, they turned their arms against it. The Iraqi Army hasn't 10% of the level of equipment the Vietnamese Army had. And they will never have. Because if they had it they'll throw out the US immediately.

Jacobin is right. Pull out, it's too late. Pull out before they single handedly throw you out.

But I'd love to hear about your solutions, even if I think that an ordered withdrawal is the only one... I have the suspicion that the WH is very aware of that. But they await a Democratic takeover to let implement by others and give them all the blame. And the fact that today some Democratic leaders fill in in the "stay the course" rethoric is only helping them...

[rodeodance]

3. can't have no nasty news (like the coffins-out of sight-out of mind)

[karynnj]

5. Could this explain Kerry's "if they're telling the truth"

When he spoke at Take back America. (He compared the 260,000 that were trained versus the around 272,000 and asked where the standing down was.)

[Skittles]

8. because it is going backwards and they f***ing KNOW it

rather than lie they've chosen to quit releasing