U.S. officials say Iraq role to last years, cost more

POSTED BY: citizen
UPDATED: Wednesday, August 1, 2007 00:53
VIEWED: 1201
PAGE 1 of 1

CITIZEN

Tuesday, July 31, 2007 10:23 PM

Quote:
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush's nominee to be top military adviser said on Tuesday the United States will be in Iraq for "years not months" and a Pentagon official said the war was costing even more than expected.

Navy Adm. Michael Mullen, picked as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, warned U.S. lawmakers unhappy with the conflict against seeking a rapid pullout from Iraq, saying it could turn the country into a "caldron."

http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSN3123378320070731?src=
073107_1716_DOUBLEFEATURE_dow_jones_deal_close
I don't know about anyone else, but I've been saying this for years, and been called some choice names for saying it too.

More insane ramblings by the people who brought you beeeer milkshakes!
No one can see their reflection in running water. It is only in still water that we can see.

BIGDAMNNOBODY

Tuesday, July 31, 2007 10:49 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by citizen:
I don't know about anyone else, but I've been saying this for years, and been called some choice names for saying it too.

So the war could go on for years because a fast pullout would leave Iraq in chaos.
You are against the present administration and the war (I'm going out on a limb with that one). Are you for an immediate pullout given the trepidations of the acting boss on the ground? Are you against the money being spent to better equip and protect the troops? Are you upset with the lack of serviceable Iraqi security forces to keep the peace? Not enough reconstruction taking place for your liking? Just curious about what point you are trying to make besides self-aggrandizing.

CITIZEN

Tuesday, July 31, 2007 11:11 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by BigDamnNobody:
Quote:
Originally posted by citizen:
I don't know about anyone else, but I've been saying this for years, and been called some choice names for saying it too.

So the war could go on for years because a fast pullout would leave Iraq in chaos.
You are against the present administration and the war (I'm going out on a limb with that one). Are you for an immediate pullout given the trepidations of the acting boss on the ground? Are you against the money being spent to better equip and protect the troops? Are you upset with the lack of serviceable Iraqi security forces to keep the peace? Not enough reconstruction taking place for your liking? Just curious about what point you are trying to make besides self-aggrandizing.

You're making rather a lot of assumptions there if I may say so.

Firstly, I was just posting a news article that I found looking for something else, not particularly making a point. Rather thought this was the Real world event discussion area, eh

. But the tacked on bit, not really self aggrandising, though there is a bit of gloating.

Saying that this was going to last years sparked off a series of events that led to a thread being started with the title "Citizen is an Idiot", so I rather thinks I deserves a bit of a gloat eh? You wouldn't deny me a little gloat about being right after being called an idiot would ya?

But anyway, more specifically to your question. I was against the Iraq war, but now we're there the whole ideal of not going in, in the first place rather goes out the window. The fact is we're there, and that is the situation we must deal with. So no, a pull out now will do more harm than good, and was one of the reasons I was saying it would take a long time to begin with. Way I see it, we made the mess, only polite we clean it up eh?

I think the answer for the next question kind of follows on from there. I mean, yeah, I really want the troops (some of them my colleagues) to have second rate equipment while cleaning up our mess?

As for reconstruction and Iraqi forces. Yes, the reconstruction could be done quicker and cheaper, IF the US administration opened it up to real bids instead of just giving the contract to one of their short list US companies, and I think there could be a much greater effort made for the Iraqi's own forces.

More insane ramblings by the people who brought you beeeer milkshakes!
No one can see their reflection in running water. It is only in still water that we can see.

LEADB

Wednesday, August 1, 2007 12:53 AM

**pours a pint of gloat to Cit, passes it over**

That money would go a whole lot further if they accepted more 'local content' to the reconstruction bids, that's for sure.