"US bribe insurgents to fight Al-Qaeda"....THAT'S why the surge "worked".

[Just-plain-Kathy]

This is a year old article, but it's very important.

US bribe insurgents to fight Al-Qaeda

Marie Colvin and Sarah Baxter

From The Sunday Times
September 9, 2007

AMERICAN forces are paying Sunni insurgents hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash to switch sides and help them to defeat Al-Qaeda in Iraq.

The tactic has boosted the efforts of American forces to restore some order to war-torn provinces around Baghdad in the run-up to a report by General David Petraeus, the US commander, to Congress tomorrow.

Petraeus will tell Congress that there has been great progress at a local level in Iraq following a surge in the number of troops this year, but little sign of political reconciliation.

In a letter to US troops, the general wrote that “local Iraqi leaders are coming forward, opposing extremists and establishing provisional units of neighborhood security volunteers”.


http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article2413200.ece

It drives me crazy to see the likes of George Stephanopoulos trying to nail Obama on whether or not the surge worked.

The surge "working" is a lie. We paid, and are probably still paying people (who our government wouldn't think twice of blowing up), to switch sides. Their loyalty ends when the money dries up.

Be-trayed-us lied when he said “local Iraqi leaders are coming forward", we paid them off.

[smoogatz]

1. The question is, WTF took so long?

Why we didn't do this starting day one is the great mystery: it's the obvious way to go. And yes, the whole equation falls apart when the money dries up. Wemay be able to reduce our footprint in Iraq, but we'll be paying for the loyalty of Sunni Sheiks until judgment day--or until there's an equitable agreement for the division of oil royalties, whichever comes first.

[ingac70]

2. And whenever the insurgents kicked off...

it was when we had stopped or reduced the payments.

Where else you think all that money has gone? When they aren't being paid any more, Iraq will fall into total chaos.

[Union Thug]

3. That is the irony of this whole surge thing...

On the one hand, we don't, as a matter of policy, appease the 'terraists or insurgents, or dead-enders, or whatever the hell they are calling them today. On the other, we happily pay them off for political affect.

[wtmusic]

4. Tense not valid

The surge didn't work, and the surge hasn't worked - in the sense of any lasting effect. As you correctly predict violence will escalate the moment the money dries up/troops come home.

We can pay 'em, we can kill 'em, but "thrice armed is he who hath his quarrel just".

[Overseas]

5. K&R -- Bribery was the primary weapon ?

We could have paid each person in the country one million dollars years ago and saved our country billions.

[Just-plain-Kathy]

9. That's why the word treason should escalate.

The Bush White House milked our treasury for it's worth. They use our armed forces as hostages as they demanded more war funding from our congress.

The talk of teason would win the election for us.

[zbdent]

6. where can I get work like that?

Give me a hunnert grand, and I promise I won't kill anybody ...

[RedEarth]

7. Money, displacement and genocide

have helped reduce the violence, but the question remains, how long will it last....sunnis and shias have been at odds with each other for hundreds of years.

[KansDem]

8. The "surge" really means "a surge of money into Iraq"

The General was right: local Iraqi leaders are coming forward to get their cut...

[Just-plain-Kathy]

10. Thanks for that fifth rec, now maybe more people will talk about the lie of the surge working.

...The neo-cons are using the surge to help take down Obama.

[bvar22]

11. Bribery and ETHNIC CLEANSING.

After the Sunnis were allowed to kill all the remaining Shiites in the areas west of Baghdad, the level of violence naturally decreased (The so-called "Awakening"). This happened BEFORE The Surge.

NOW, the US Taxpayers are supporting the local Sunni Warlords who will NEVER submit to a predominately Shiite government in Baghdad.
The US Policy of supporting the Sunni Warlords in the ethnicly cleansed areas west of Baghdad with money and weapons will only make the problem WORSE in the long run.

[Just-plain-Kathy]

12. So in short, no one won, no one nobly seceded to bring peace...

...the "surged worked" because so many innocent people died.

It's enough to break your heart.

[fascisthunter]

13. it's all politics, all the time... I'm sure the Troops Appreciate Being Jerked around

all for politcs.... sickening

[Just-plain-Kathy]

14. Yeah, and now that the elections are in sight, the neo-cons are claiming "victory"...

...and we're starting to hear "troop withdrawal" from their lying mouths.

The other day some "news" talk show was asking their audience whether or not our senate should stay out on vacation. They contribute the recent fall in gas prices on the dems in our House and Senate being away from their jobs.