An unspoken part of the larger story is that Gen. Petraeus backed up the argument that our troops have been stretched painfully thin, and the postsurge presence cannot, practically, be maintained. Thus a seeming illogic in the general's presentation: For the first time in years we're making progress, therefore we should reduce troop levels to the same point at which we made no progress.”
“At one point Gen. Petraeus was asked by Sen. John Warner if Iraq has made America safer and said, "Sir, I don't know actually. I have not sat down and sorted out in my own mind."
Later clarification from the General:
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GEN. PETRAEUS: “I think again if al Qaeda was to be able to retain a substantial presence in Iraq, particularly a sanctuary in the order of what they had in certain areas, in fact, prior to the surge, that that would be a very serious threat … This is their central front in the global war of terror that they are carrying out … I think how al Qaeda plays out in Iraq is of enormous importance to our country and to the overall international jihadist movement. And failing to achieve our objectives there would be just an enormous shot of adrenaline to them, I'm afraid.”
Seems we have some very serious issues that remain to be dealt with. Your comments?
Besides the Iraqi insurgents who already support al Qaeda in Iraq, which groups would provide sanctuary to these foreign fighter – the Shia, Sunni tribes, Kurds, average Iraqis?
Any support al Qaeda gets is because they are seen as fighting the “occupiers.” If Americans were no longer patrolling the streets of Iraq towns and cities, al Qaeda would have little support in Iraq.
If American forces were to reduce their footprint, use the tip of the spear to hunt and kill al Qaeda and hardcore insurgents instead of using the heel of the boot to be an occupying force, al Qaeda in Iraq would have little support.
My formost question is what is being done to reduce the stress on the force.
Given the "stretched painfully thin" force, what happens if something breaks out on another front (notice his comment about Iraq being the "central front")?
Using mainedawgs numbers, I show a total force of 2,685,713 troops, with roughly 138,000 currently in Iraq. So roughly 5% of total forces are currently deployed in Iraq. SO for me the question is not of stretched to thin, but of how to pull all the non hackers out of their nice comfy offices and into the fight.
That is a valid point, we talk about how many tours, but they are not all equal, mine was 7 months, but the army liason we had with us in fallujah was 16 months, they were both ONE tour. The burma case is also valid, WWII was for the duration, millions of servicemen left in 1942 and came home in 1946, does this count as only one tour. Recently some crybaby made the news because he didnt want to go back, after all he had FIVE tours, turns out all 5 tours added up to 11 months. I really dont think counting tours is the right way to judge this.
having said all of this, any tour, no matter how long, or short, is to long as far as I am concern, when it comes to being away from my family, but, I understand that during times of war, sacrafices have to be made, and I am of the belief that I should not make others make the sacrifices for me, I too must make them.
So is this war....unless we betray the fighting already done
That is pure unadulterated BS. You should be ashamed to make such a comment. Until we get on a full war footing we are expecting a small group of men and women to shoulder the burden....as you sit on your azz collecting the benefits of the current tax cuts. BS.
<dmuhler>
Posted
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Originally posted by 6486143:
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Originally posted by dmuhler:
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Originally posted by 6486143:
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Originally posted by dmuhler: How much time do you have in a combat zone?
Your point?
If you have none, your are not qualified to speak to the issue. Pretty simple.
Terms of service say I can....or are you shutting me down?
No I am not, far from it. It allows everyone to see what you really think.
So is this war....unless we betray the fighting already done
That is pure unadulterated BS. You should be ashamed to make such a comment. until we get on a full war footing we are expecting a small group of men and women to shoulder the burden....as you set on your azz collecting the benefits of the current tax cuts. BS.
Your bias is showing....If I used this language towards another member you'd warn me to back off....
Yes I will always be proud of the bias I show toward soldiers in uniform. As for the words I am using, they meet the standard that was established long before I became a mod. If it can be said on TV, it can be said here. Now I have made my point and I am moving on.
