From Michael Yon of the Wall Street Journal:
I may well have spent more time embedded with combat units in Iraq than any other journalist alive. I have seen this war – and our part in it – at its brutal worst. And I say the transformation over the last 14 months is little short of miraculous.
The change goes far beyond the statistical decline in casualties or incidents of violence. A young Iraqi translator, wounded in battle and fearing death, asked an American commander to bury his heart in America. Iraqi special forces units took to the streets to track down terrorists who killed American soldiers. The U.S. military is the most respected institution in Iraq, and many Iraqi boys dream of becoming American soldiers. Yes, young Iraqi boys know about “GoArmy.com.”
…
We know now that we can pull off a successful counterinsurgency in Iraq. We know that we are working with an increasingly willing citizenry. But counterinsurgency, like community policing, requires lots of boots on the ground. You can’t do it from inside a jet or a tank.
Over the past 15 months, we have proved that we can win this war. We stand now at the moment of truth. Victory – and a democracy in the Arab world – is within our grasp. But it could yet slip away if our leaders remain transfixed by the war we almost lost, rather than focusing on the war we are winning today. [Read More]
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1 response so far ↓
1 Casper // Apr 15, 2008 at 2:12 pm
That’s a pretty selective quotation you’ve got there. Let’s read some more…
“”"”,,,our soldiers under the Petraeus strategy got off their big bases and out of their tanks and deeper into the neighborhoods, American values began to win the war.”"”
Now Petraeus is a standup guy, but I think we should call this the “Shinseki” strategy - for the general that suggested it 5 years ago. Too bad Bush fired him for saying it. Just think of the lives that could have been saved if your president had listened to somebody in a uniform instead of Cheney & Rummy and the PNAC gang.
“”"due to excessive de-Baathification and the administration’s attempt to marginalize powerful tribal sheiks in Anbar and other provinces – including men even Saddam dared not ignore – we transformed potential partners into dreaded enemies in less than a year”"”
Excessive de-baathification? Marginalizing tribal sheiks? Who did that? Oh yeah, I remember who did that…
“”"For all our successes, we still do not have enough troops.”"”
There’s that “should’a listened to Shinseki” thing again.
“”"counterinsurgency, like community policing, requires lots of boots on the ground. You can’t do it from inside a jet or a tank.”"”
I think Shinseki should receive a presidential medal of freedom - and I think that he should get it from an honorable president in about 9 months - but that’s just me.
The only thing worse than doing something stupid is doing something stupid badly.
Here’s a great quote for you. What did Don Rumsfeld say when presented with the Shinseki/Petraeus strategy before the invasion? “”"”…product of old thinking and the embodiment of everything that was wrong with the military.”"”"
Four More Years!!!
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