Murtha Tells CNN: 'Surge Has Failed,' Prepare To Redeploy

[Purveyor]

Congressman John Murtha (D-Penn) believes that President Bush's 'surge' or escalation of US troops into Iraq "has failed," and that redeployment would not necessarily cause the humanitarian crisis that the White House has warned may happen, and that there might even be more stability.

"I think the surge has failed," Murtha told CNN's John Roberts on American Morning. "I think there was no possibility that it was going to work. I think the British had 130,000 people there 50 years ago, and -- well, it was 80 years ago, and they only 2.5 million people in Iraq."

Murtha doesn't believe conditions would get worse in a withdrawal, despite a recent op-ed written by former Secretary of State James Baker who was co-chairman of the Iraq Study Group, which warned, "A premature American departure from Iraq, we unanimously concluded, would almost certainly produce greater sectarian violence and further deterioration of conditions in Iraq and possibly other countries."

"I have a high regard for James Baker, but that's what the White House has been saying," Murtha said. "Just because they say it, doesn't make it true. We already have sectarian violence. We already have civil war and our troops are caught in between."

---EOE---

http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Murtha_Surge_has_failed_prepare_to_0424.html

[SpiralHawk]

1. Failure is to be expected with a deserter pretending to be Commander in Chief

The desertion rate is skyrocketing now --

because America's soldiers are following the example of their leader: Commander AWOL.

Bush sets such a pathetic example of military conduct...

And Dickie "Five Military Deferments" Cheney inspires ZERO confidience.

No real soldier would follow them anywhere,

not even to the latrine...

[Exiled in America]

2. Let me be the one to say it: I DONT CARE IF IT ESCALATES THE VIOLENCE IN IRAQ!

It goes without saying that as a compassionate person, violence always hurts my heart. I don't want Iraqis killing each other.

But having said that, the US MILITARY SHOULD NOT BE THERE CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF A CIVIL WAR. GET THEM OUT! If the remaining Iraqis choose to continue to kill each other, well then that's tragic but SO BE IT.

[Blackhatjack]

3. If 260,000 troops could not do it, a 'surge' of 21,000 was not going to make a difference...

It is all an attempt to 'run out the clock' and pass this war off to the next Democratic President to end.

Newsweek reported 260,000 deployed in the region. There are no other troops available to deploy. We are at the end of any kind of voluntary enlistees being deployed.

A draft is imminent if this war is to continue at its present level.

[bdamomma]

5. they know if they call a draft this war will be over, and this is from

the chickenhawks who deferred from Vietnam. What cowardly SOB's.

[Blackhatjack]

6. I agree the public will turn totally against a 'draft', but that is the conundrum they face...

... it is an inconvenient fact, but like a car with no gas they have to figure out a way to keep this war going without any available troops to call upon to continue it at the present level.

I suspect they are wanting the Democrats to cut off funding so they can blame the Democrats for making them fail in an effort 'we could have won if only the Democrats had not thwarted us.'

[bdamomma]

4. everyday we stay in Iraq longer the death count will keep on getting

higher and higher, we need to get them out with a withdrawal plan. No surrender no retreat by Reid to the bush killing machine.

we got to keep the pressure on all of them.

When is Patreaus going to talk to Congress, this is all to sell this war to the Congressmen to sway them, Patreaus can go to hell too, I bet George tells him to resign too, if he doesn't get his way.