It takes time to build a Goverment. It took the US a lot of time, pain and lives to get were we are.

Semper Fi

I really feel sorry for the ole general having to spend long term deployments in Irag. God, it must be hard to have to live in Saddam's Palace, while our troops are sleeping in the dust filled houses, eating rations, and receiving the lesser of a generals pay to that of the average enlisted troop. Perhaps, the ole general ought to go out on patrols and even getr shot at. Perhaps he needs to roll around in the dirt, so he can look like a soldier that is having a hard time.

Now Sgt, you know Generals just don't do that kind of thing . . . They might find out stuff they don't want to know, and they might find out that everything is not quite like they'd like it to be. We can't have that now can we?

quote:

Originally posted by MGYSGTPenn:
I really feel sorry for the ole general having to spend long term deployments in Irag. God, it must be hard to have to live in Saddam's Palace, while our troops are sleeping in the dust filled houses, eating rations, and receiving the lesser of a generals pay to that of the average enlisted troop. Perhaps, the ole general ought to go out on patrols and even getr shot at. Perhaps he needs to roll around in the dirt, so he can look like a soldier that is having a hard time.

you seem to for get that you are disrespecting a senior officer with rederick like that. am glad you were never in my units.opps your in a different branch.. me bad.

Here's the link:

http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,162658,00.html?ESRC=eb.nl

We can only be grateful the situation is no worse than it is and that things have improved since the start of the surge. If the violence is down by 60 percent, perhaps that's the best we can hope for at least for the present. But it will be interesting to see if the levels of violence increase or decrease as the election approaches.

MGYSGTPenn, General Petraeus is doing his job, and he is doing a damn good job at it. Idiotic comments like that do nothing but make you look like a moron.

As usual the place to go for a full story is Small Wars Journal.

Meaning, "the story the pundits, preachers, and political hacks (in both parties) won't tell you." Like this lengthy interview with General Petraeus.

The in-the-field military blog Abu Muquawama has a hilarious-but-bitter analysis of nation-building efforts (Abu Muquawama says the same thing as Gen. Petraeus, but in less polite language).

The bottom line: our troops---the finest troops in the world---are doing the best they can, with the nation-building resources they have been given. But for way too many years on-end those nation-building resources have not been nearly enough.

That horrible policy "We don't do nation-building" is still killing our troops.

And meanwhile, neither political party has even the faintest clue of what it takes to fight and win, this d*mn war.

quote:

Originally posted by MGYSGTPenn:
I really feel sorry for the ole general having to spend long term deployments in Irag. God, it must be hard to have to live in Saddam's Palace, while our troops are sleeping in the dust filled houses, eating rations, and receiving the lesser of a generals pay to that of the average enlisted troop. Perhaps, the ole general ought to go out on patrols and even getr shot at. Perhaps he needs to roll around in the dirt, so he can look like a soldier that is having a hard time.

You obviously know nothing about the man or you wouldn't be spouting off such comments. He has done his time and now it is someone elses turn. Don't take it away from him by attacking his stature. That only shows your jealousy.

quote:

You obviously know nothing about the man or you wouldn't be spouting off such comments. He has done his time and now it is someone elses turn. Don't take it away from him by attacking his stature. That only shows your jealousy.

Jealousy is a terrible thing, RG, and even I think General P has done the best job possible in a bad situation . . . Ijust hope he goes on doing it for as long as it takes to achieve the objectives we need to achieve there and make the place safer for our troops.

quote:

Originally posted by MGYSGTPenn:
I really feel sorry for the ole general having to spend long term deployments in Irag. God, it must be hard to have to live in Saddam's Palace, while our troops are sleeping in the dust filled houses, eating rations, and receiving the lesser of a generals pay to that of the average enlisted troop. Perhaps, the ole general ought to go out on patrols and even getr shot at. Perhaps he needs to roll around in the dirt, so he can look like a soldier that is having a hard time.

MGYSGT, did you obtain your rank through disrespect of others?(trick question)
He was once shot in the chest during a training exercise, maybe that will make you feel better.

Wow. Obviously if you throw enough troops over here there's going to be security, however if you can't draw down then you can not call the surge a success. The purpose of the surge was to provide more security for a brief time to allow iraqi forces to be able to take over, not for the US to permantly provide that security. If they can't take over, what's the purpose of the surge.

quote:

Originally posted by TPCAT:
We can only be grateful the situation is no worse than it is and that things have improved since the start of the surge. If the violence is down by 60 percent, perhaps that's the best we can hope for at least for the present. But it will be interesting to see if the levels of violence increase or decrease as the election approaches.

I just hope that we continue to get lucky with Sadr (Shi leader using force to grab power and his recent renewal of his cease fire) and the Sunni tribal leaders who for now see Al-Qaeda as a more immediate enemy than the US or the Iraqi government. Petraeus setup the situation were we were able to take advantage of the Al-Qaeda mistakes by changing policy to treat Iraq as a counter-insurgency but if the Iraqi government does not start doing it's job I'm not sure how long the Sunni tribal leaders will continue to cooperate with the US.

quote:

I'm not sure how long the Sunni tribal leaders will continue to cooperate with the US.

Just as long as they see some advantage for themselves in it and not a nanosecond longer.

(QUOTE)But that doesn't mean there still aren't difficulties ahead. Though he clearly wants to highlight success, Petraeus is reluctant to let go too early for fear his counterinsurgency strategy hasn't been given enough time to take a firm hold of Iraq's path toward democracy and the defeat of al Qaeda terrorists there. )(UNQUOTE)

General Odierno who carries out General Petraeus's straturgy on a day to day basis is returning to Washington after serving a 15-month tour in Iraq, He is nominated for promotion to four-star rank and assignment as Army vice chief of staff.

General Petraeus has pulled a couple of tours in Iraq. Will his reluctance to leave Iraq for fear his counterinsurgency strategy needs his personal attention cause him to remain for a third tour of duty in the sandbox? He is nominated for promotion to four-star rank and scheduled for reassignment. I would look for him to remain in Iraq directing the operation at least until January 20, 2009.

Did anyone notice that this article says the Defense Secretary is BILL GATES? Now, as a Commo Soldier, I know better than most that Microsoft runs the U.S. Military, but that's just crazy! I wonder what Defense Secretary ROBERT GATES would think about this.....

Way to go author Christian Lowe and whoever edited your article. It's sad when Military.com can't even name the correct Defense Secretary.

quote:

Did anyone notice that this article says the Defense Secretary is BILL GATES?

I did, but was too polite to mention it.

If we just pulled out, all the lives lost and the effort made would be for nothing and would be a slap in the face to all those envolved.

quote:

If we just pulled out, all the lives lost and the effort made would be for nothing and would be a slap in the face to all those envolved.

That's why, having gone in and made a mess, that we achieve at least some of our objectives and try to leave the place alittle better off than we found it. Otherwise it has all been for nothing.

quote:

Originally posted by TPCAT:

quote:

If we just pulled out, all the lives lost and the effort made would be for nothing and would be a slap in the face to all those envolved.

That's why, having gone in and made a mess, that we achieve at least some of our objectives and try to leave the place alittle better off than we found it. Otherwise it has all been for nothing.

You are of the same make up of good 'ol Ed Koch, a self-proclaimed "liberal with sanity"!