McCain’s Iraq Surge Overwhelms Obama’s Retreat and Defeat
by Kevin Patrick on September 1st, 2008 at 02:42pm
Making dreams come true seems to be the norm these days for our wonderful men and women in uniform. Security and responsibility for the Anbar Province in Iraq was handed over to the Iraqis today.
“This would have been a dream two or three years ago. This was the cradle of Al Qaeda.”
– Mowaffak al-Rubaie, Iraq’s national security adviser
At the same time, the success of the surge can be seen through the dramatic drop in civilian casualties:
This invaluable chart is provided by Professor John Wixted’s “Back Talk” blog, who concludes thusly:
“No matter how you slice it, the troop surge has been an almost unbelievable success . . . There is no escaping the fact that when it mattered the most, Obama strongly supported abandoning Iraq to the wolves of al Qaeda. That’s definitely not the judgment we need.”
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September 1st, 2008 at 3:22 pm
[...] Original post by Kevin Patrick [...]
September 1st, 2008 at 3:44 pm
This is excellent news. I am so proud of our men and women in the military and the people of Iraq.
This makes 11 out of 18 Iraqi Provinces now under Iraqi governmental control.
I wonder what loser Reid has to say about this now …
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYZEGot-xU4
September 1st, 2008 at 4:00 pm
It’s purpose wasn’t merely to lower casualties… it was to enable to Iraqi politician to do their job… it has failed in that, seeing as the Iraqi government is unwilling to compromise on anything (except on wanting the US out of Iraq)
September 1st, 2008 at 4:02 pm
The surge consists of paying protection money to armed men and beg them not to kill our troops.
They are paid an average of $300.00 a month and were given the promise of government employment.
September 1st, 2008 at 4:04 pm
Great, let’s bring the troops home.
September 1st, 2008 at 4:05 pm
These libs are a crack-up. Now is the time to invest in tin foil because we’re going to run out.
Here you go … especially made for you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVBY_SqzJtI
September 1st, 2008 at 4:05 pm
Casper,
Obama wants to send them to Afghanistan. Are you agreeable to that?
September 1st, 2008 at 4:09 pm
(1) It wasn’t McCain’s surge, it was President Bush who ordered the surge. McCain was certainly a vocal supporter.
(2) Violence is down close to 80%. The real issue is the significance of this fact going forward. The President himself suggested the proper metrics for the surge were political progress/governance metrics. I see no reason to be overly joyful on that score. The Iraqi government is a sectarian enterprise. The Sons of Iraq will never be accepted into the new Army, which will be Shia dominated. The Shia will not give anything - oil money, political power or anything else - to the Sunni.
(3) As I said in a previous post, the combat troops will be out within two years. We are declaring victory and leaving. I certainly agree with that approach, but it could have happened years ago. I do not believe that our presence over the last two years has made much difference. Baghdad would have been partitioned/cleansed, the Sunnis defeated and Al Qaeda marginalized anyway.
(4) Al Qaeda in Iraq has many enemies - the traditional power brokers (sheiks), the political parties, Shia of all stripes, what remains of the secular/Christian groupings, Kurds and of course us. AQI was never going anywhere, and each big suicide bombing made that more obvious.
(5) The Shia-dominated Iraqi government will be close to Iran. Not in outlook, I believe they will be less fundamentalist, but as far as foreign relations they will have warm relations with Tehran and colder relations with the Sunni governments in Saudi and elsewhere.
September 1st, 2008 at 4:10 pm
Rana:
You risk having similar comments made about your assertions about a year from now. If the Iraqi politicians aren’t doing anything, how come they get more real work done than the US (Democrat) Congress? On top of that, you would then imply all has been done by the US troops alone and that is not the case. All hands have been working and this is the result.
Aren’t you for peace? Of just if it comes at the hands of those nay sayers? That’s an interesting concept, for they seem to only complain and never roll up their sleeves to do anything, so it cannot be credited to them.
September 1st, 2008 at 4:13 pm
“Obama strongly supported abandoning Iraq to the wolves of al Qaeda. That’s definitely not the judgment we need.”
Of course Obama had better judgment overall by not supporting the stupid war idea in the first place. He had the better judgment and the balls to defy conventional Washington wisdom, McCain just went along with a bad idea because he didn’t have the guts or intelligence or foresight to do the wise thing.
September 1st, 2008 at 4:15 pm
We will be sending more troops to OEF. We have to, security has deteriorated badly. It will be very tough to win that fight as the Talebs have sanctuary in Pakistan and I do not see that changing. However, even if we are fighting only to prevent a truly radical and screwed up government in Afghanistan that is, in my estimation, a very worthy cause.
Better issue: what to do about Pakistan, which I regard as the threat most likely to cause real security headaches. It is unstable,has nukes and a core of crazy, violent Islamicists. Worse than Iran, IMO
September 1st, 2008 at 4:16 pm
You mean go from two war fronts to one, and the one we should have been concentrating on the last six years. Has to use fewer troops.
September 1st, 2008 at 4:17 pm
I do not believe that our presence over the last two years has made much difference - searp
Unbelievable. Please retire from the military, this country does not need service from people like you.
Hard to believe you continue to project your opinion onto Iraqi’s, considering them one block instead of a collection of individuals.
Leave the military to those with more rational thought.
September 1st, 2008 at 4:20 pm
Yup, OEF will use fewer troops and if we’re smart we will be careful about using bombing campaigns. They have a way of killing civilians along with the bad guys, and if we want to lose the hearts and minds all we have to do is accept a lot of collateral damage. One person’s collateral damage is another’s family.
September 1st, 2008 at 4:21 pm
Did you guys realize Biden was a chickenhawk? I had no idea. I seem to remember the libs here calling Cheney that for his deferments. Seems Biden had five deferments during Vietnam for childhood asthma. A condition he never mentions in his biography.
September 1st, 2008 at 4:21 pm
Casper,
You have previously stated that you support the troops because you want them home and safe. So has the support waned? Why would you send out troops back into battle?
It just conflicts with your previous position.
September 1st, 2008 at 4:22 pm
Neo: your constant ad hominems are silly and add nothing to the conversation. I stated the reasons for my opinion. Please state the reasons for yours.
As for retiring, I think I will wait until my country doesn’t need me, asshole.
September 1st, 2008 at 4:23 pm
K4V
Are you at the convention??
Im jealous,
here is a retort to reidtard by Dennis Miller
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miXAZj-tcGI&feature=related
September 1st, 2008 at 4:24 pm
This country does not need you. We’ll be just fine, if not better off.
I look forward to your retirement.
September 1st, 2008 at 4:31 pm
Neo: so do I, but in the meantime I think I will help the troops. I’m sure your yellow ribbons make you feel like you are doing something.
September 1st, 2008 at 4:33 pm
xformed-
First of all… doubting that I’m for peace is a bit of a red herring–the post made an assertion about the surge… I rebutted that assertion–it’s actually neutral to my feelings about Peace…
Frankly, Anbar Awakening had more of an effect than the Surge, you people are just saying the correlation implies causality, which is not necessarily the case.
September 1st, 2008 at 4:35 pm
I wish I was at the convention … I’m having a party at my house in about 30 minutes …
Seems like we have some news on the anti-war (more like anti-peace) protestors in MN:
Outside the convention hall, an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 anti-war protestors smashed windows, punctured tires, and threw bottles as they marched through nearby streets.
Memories from the anti-war demo in Denver. You have to watch the video … unbelievable!
http://hotair.com/archives/2008/08/31/hot-air-tvdnc-reconquista-lives/
September 1st, 2008 at 4:43 pm
Created in 2007, Sons of Iraq is part neighborhood watch, part paramilitary force, loosely affiliated groups consisting of 103,000 members nationwide. They are overwhelmingly Sunni - only about 18,000 Shiites have joined.
The U.S. military pays each member $300 a month to man thousands of checkpoints throughout Iraq. The Americans have credited Sons of Iraq for the waning Sunni insurgency and the decline in sectarian violence in Baghdad.
But questionable loyalties, often brutal conduct and an uncertain future make these groups a wild card in the ongoing effort to stabilize Iraq. In April, Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., said these U.S.-funded militias may one day “turn their guns on us.”
Sons of Iraq “brought security to Iraq,” said Eddie Bello, an Iraqi-born American military contractor who works as a cultural adviser to U.S. troops. “But it’s like sitting on a volcano. You never know when it will explode.”
In the beginning, the Sons of Iraq were composed solely of Sunni tribesmen disillusioned with Islamic fundamentalists such as al Qaeda in Iraq. Even Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, has acknowledged the presence of former fighters against the Iraqi government and U.S. troops in the ranks of Sons of Iraq.
“Tens of thousands of Iraqis, some former insurgents … contribute to local security as so-called Sons of Iraq,” Petraeus told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in April.
Chase suspects that Gortani, an Iraqi Army colonel under Saddam Hussein, was a member of al Qaeda in Iraq or Jaish al-Islami, another radical Sunni insurgency organization. Gortani, whose real estate investments made him wealthy, refused to comment about his past, saying only that he is well connected.
In Risala, violence has dropped sharply in Sunni areas since the Americans began paying 637 Sons of Iraq, while armed anti-American Shiite militias still hold sway in the Shiite sections. With U.S. funds and a $220,000 donation from Gortani, the Sons of Iraq have organized trash pickup, rebuilt schools, and installed several street generators to augment the unreliable power supply provided by the government.
“Their contributions to the country’s current stability cannot be overemphasized,” the U.S.-led coalition press center in Baghdad wrote in a recent statement. “Capitalizing on the gains made by the (Sons of Iraq), efforts can now focus on building capacity, revitalizing the economy, and improving the quality of life for the region’s residents.”
Less essential
But as Iraq becomes safer, the Sons of Iraq are less essential to security around the war-ravaged country. “Never intended to be a long-term solution for maintaining security in Iraq, the militia is no longer needed at its current scale,” the press release said.
As a result, it remains unclear what will happen to these armed veterans once they find themselves no longer on the U.S. payroll. Gortani wants his men incorporated into Iraq security forces. “They fought against al Qaeda,” he said. “They are great soldiers.”
But U.S. and Iraqi government plans do not include turning all members of Sons of Iraq into soldiers and policemen.
According to Maj. John Hall, a U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad, less than 17,000 Sons of Iraq members have made the transition to Iraqi security forces, and 6,100 more have been approved. Hall could not say what will happen to the other 80,000 fighters once the program is disbanded.
Such uncertainty frustrates Gortani.
“We have 637 members (in Risala) who took physical tests with the Americans. So far, only 46 have become policemen,” he said. It is unclear whether the rest will be allowed to join Iraqi security forces.
If U.S. and Iraqi authorities don’t fold all the Sons of Iraq into Iraqi security forces, the militia members at least “need some alternative - we’re talking about some kind of trade school, something to keep them busy,” said Chase.
Bello, the U.S. contractor, warns that these battle-hardened men will probably join anti-U.S. forces again - for the right price.
“It’s a competition. The Americans are paying them $300,” said Bello. “The (Sunni) militias will offer $500.”
September 1st, 2008 at 4:44 pm
neocon,
Are you saying you don’t want our troops home? Are you willing to sentence them to unending war?
Of course I want them home. However, regardless of where they are, I will support them.
September 1st, 2008 at 4:48 pm
Casper,
Nice spin Casper. If you were true to your convictions, you’d be calling for them to come home regardless, as you have so many times.
Now, because of Obama’s plan, you’re back peddling.
Typical weak minded liberal.
And I want the troops to win. Period.
September 1st, 2008 at 4:53 pm
There is no doubt the surge worked. Anyone who says difference is just playing politics with a war. Something John McCain refused to do even when it looked like it would help him get the Republican Nomination.
I’ll be blogging live about the Cindy McCain/Laura Bush event at 5:45pm
http://thenewconservatives.blogspot.com/
September 1st, 2008 at 5:35 pm
newcon
“Playing politics with the war” is a talking point nothing less. I could just as easily say the surge was unnecessary and the militias would have quelled the violence either way, and anyone who disagrees is Playing politics with the war, something Obama would never do. A debate isnt unpatriotic, nor inherently political.
And have you realized how you never bring any meaningful input to the debates here? All you do is post talking points and pander for hits on your blog. A lot of people here have websites, almost none of them say “Come to my site!!!!!!!!!” with every post.
September 1st, 2008 at 6:18 pm
Catfish,
I don’t have a blog, nor do I ask people to go to it. Learn the f**%$ck who you’re talking to before you spout off, you ignorant piece of shit.
September 1st, 2008 at 7:32 pm
Haven’t the conservatives here admitted in the past that Iraq was a mess strategically before the surge? Yes, that’s called being “honest”.
Have the libs that post here ever admitted the surge worked or even acknowleged a possible victory in Iraq? No, that’s dishonest and IMHO, will come back to haunt the democrat party in Nov.
Many of us are old enough to remember the Winter Soldier Syndrome, and as Michelle Malkin has so rightfully stated: “The Winter Soldier Syndrome will only be cured when the costs of slandering the troops outweigh the benefits.” The same has happened in an indirect way with this war with the way phonies such as searp denigrate the mission.
searp is a phony and if you look at #14 searp, you’ll notice the entire paragraph is one big lib talking point.
September 2nd, 2008 at 12:35 am
[...] (NYT via BlogsforVictory) [...]
September 2nd, 2008 at 3:48 am
I don’t have a blog, nor do I ask people to go to it. Learn the f**%$ck who you’re talking to before you spout off, you ignorant piece of shit.
HA! That is too precious. He was talking to New Conservative…you know, the guy who whores his blog every other post and was talking about “playing politics” with war in the post right before Catfish’s? Touchy touchy! Why so angry all the time, kiddo?
At any rate, you should “learn the f**%$ck who you’re talking to before you spout off, you ignorant piece of s**t.”
You constantly find new ways to make yourself look ever worse. Why do you do that to yourself? Really, you should just sit the next couple rounds out. Pull yourself together, for crying out loud. You’re just plain sad at this point.
September 2nd, 2008 at 4:56 am
Navydad: ok, so you impose an ideological purity test on those that serve. Un-american, of course, and we have examples of where that goes.
I am a proud American.
You don’t have to like my opinions, that is the whole point of this great country of ours.
I would never slander our soldiers, I risk my life for them, you idiot.
As to the mission, well, since I am an American I am allowed and encouraged to have an opinion, even if you don’t like it.
September 2nd, 2008 at 10:15 am
Well…good for you searp!
But I stand by my reason that you’re a fraud.
You’ve covered (and I went back to Feb.) just about every lib talking point known to man and with that, I’d say that if you’re still in the military…get out, because we truly don’t, nor want, insanely liberal aholes that would turn their backs on our own soldiers during battle….get it?
September 2nd, 2008 at 11:24 am
Can we see this graph back to January 2002? I think that would be very revealing.
Next, crack open your calculus book and take the definite integral of this graph from 2002 through today. Also very revealing.
September 2nd, 2008 at 6:16 pm
not neocon newcon the new conservative. i didnt want to give him another advertisement.
I like your posts neocon, i disagree, but you rarely resort to the vitrol and non-debate that many posters of both sides use here.
Besides disagreein with you, I dont think ive criticized you here…..except now, to say you are too defensive.
September 2nd, 2008 at 6:18 pm
wow, i just read your whole post…Whos the ignorant one? i didnt use your name, and if you read what i said, you would know who i was talking to. F*** that man. I have never attacked you or anyone unwarrantedly. I will reiterate my newcon complaint, but you need to not be so angry dude. i was OBVIOUSLY not responding to you if u just read what i said…jesus
September 2nd, 2008 at 6:19 pm
thanks for the lookin out fc.