Former Top Bush Administration Official Calls For Withdrawal of U.S. Troops From Iraq
Former Top Bush Administration Official Calls For Withdrawal of U.S. Troops From Iraq
President Bush and other administration officials have been smearing anyone who suggests we begin to withdraw troops from Iraq as “defeatist” and “cut-and-runners.”
Now Richard L. Armitage — who served as deputy secretary of state from 2001-2005 — is advocating a phased withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq. From the New Jersey Express-Times:
“We notify the Iraqis that we’re going to be drawing down a reasonable but careful percentage of our troops over a reasonable interval of months — just for example, 5 percent of troops every three months,” Armitage told a crowd of 850 at DeSales University.
“This will show seriousness of purpose, I think. It will give our population some hope and enthusiasm that this is not a never-ending affair. And also it will put the heat on the Iraqis, because ladies and gentlemen, we can’t win this militarily. By the way, we can’t lose this militarily.”
Armitage’s remarks acknowledge the failure of the administration’s “as Iraqis stand up, we’ll stand down” strategy. As Armitage points out, until Iraqis know we will stand down, they may never stand up.
Armitage was intimately involved in the Iraq war policy and recognizes that he and other top administration officials bear responsibility for a policy that ended up being a colossal failure. “A lot of us, including me, are going to have a lot to answer for,” Armitage said.
Armitage’s proposal closely tracks a plan that the Center for American Progress has been advocating for more than a year, Strategic Redeployment.
Sort Comments By: Top Rated | Date
84 Responses to “Former Top Bush Administration Official Calls For Withdrawal of U.S. Troops From Iraq”
Topic Cloud
ArchivesBlog Roll
Flip flop! They really are desperate.
October 20th, 2006 at 10:24 am“A lot of us, including me, are going to have a lot to answer for,â€
WTF personal accountability? Oh man he is going to get one swift boat kick in the ass!
October 20th, 2006 at 10:29 amBring on the smear campaign in 3…..2…..1….
October 20th, 2006 at 10:30 amWasn’t Armitage the guy who outed Valerie Plame? I thought we hated him!?
October 20th, 2006 at 10:31 amAmazing what happens after you leave the administration and the effects of the kool-aid are purged from your system.
October 20th, 2006 at 10:32 amIs this for real? Are they really going to bring our troops home? Or is this a gimmit because of the midterm election. Old Bushies said the next President could make the decision to bring the troops home.
October 20th, 2006 at 10:33 amKevin Tillman, Pat Tillman’s brother and fellow soldier has written a powerful article. It is a must read.
http://www.truthdig.com/ report/ item/ 200601019_after_pats_birthday/
October 20th, 2006 at 10:34 amThis photo triggered a question for me. Powell and Armitage are both pictured with notebooks and reading material on their lap, while Bush has nothing (yes, you can’t legitimately take that in MANY ways). I’m trying to recall if I have EVER seen a photo of Bush with notebook or reading material in front of him while in a meeting. My contrasting impression is that Clinton was often photographed with such in front of him. This would certainly fit my view of the relative intellectual acumen and curiosity as well as active involvement of these two men in their jobs.
October 20th, 2006 at 10:35 amArmitige is still in the enemy’s camp, but he makes a valid point I haven’t heard anyone else make: That the Iraqi’s have no incentive to provide for themselves if we try to do it for them. At this point we shouldn’t have any combatants on the ground. It should be advice, training and (maybe) some money.
It will be interesting to hear how BushCo spins this. With Baker and Armitige saying “I think we gotta get out” and Bush telling anyone who will listen how much he relies on both of them for advice and what great friends of the family they are, there’s very little smear he can do besides “Well I don’t agree with them”
Well, he can do it, but that hole he’s in will only get deeper.
October 20th, 2006 at 10:35 amDon’t align with these guys, they’re trying to help with midterms. When the repugs start standing by this crazy, we should let others know what Armitage has really stood for.
Then again, we might not have to do that, considering Armitage mentioned relatives the two worst words to ever mention around anyone in this Rubber Stamp Congress or this Administration: Personal Accountability. Bush had a spontaneous scream the moment Armitage said it.
October 20th, 2006 at 10:37 amIn regards to # 8.
Bush always has an Ethc-a-Sketch in front of him at important meetings.
-GSD
October 20th, 2006 at 10:38 amAll the new’s media is cranking up their coverage this morning on Iraq…..Lot’s of coverage with little snippet’s of how good thing’s are along with bombing’s..Even CNN is on the war band wagon, well yah, it’s getting closer to election…I for one wish all our troop’s were home……Blessings
October 20th, 2006 at 10:39 amWhy are Armitage, Baker, and Powell emboldening the terrorists? Why do they want America to “cut and run”? Have they turned into “defeat-o-crats”? They must hate America.
October 20th, 2006 at 10:39 amI thought this was the most perceptive thing he said:
“Armitage also played the optimist in suggesting the key to Americans’ revival in the increasingly disapproving eyes of foreign citizens.
“No matter the difficulties we find ourselves out there in, they’re temporary,” he said. “And if we return to our national characteristics, our national values; if we start exposing to the world a face — the normal face of Americans of optimism and enthusiasm — rather than the fear and the anger we’ve been displaying the last five years, we’ll be able to get back into the affection of the world.”
October 20th, 2006 at 10:39 amBush always has an Ethc-a-Sketch in front of him at important meetings.
-GSD
You are so bad/good!! ROTFL
October 20th, 2006 at 10:44 am#11, I was gonna say Mad Libs, but Etch-a-Sketch works well.
October 20th, 2006 at 10:47 amJust yesterday, Tony Blowjob said that a phased withdrawal of American troops — perhaps by 5 percent every two months — also was a “nonstarter.” “You withdraw when you win,” Snow said. “Phased withdrawal is a way of saying, ‘Regardless of what the conditions are on the ground, we’re going to get out of Dodge.’” (Link to quotes: http://www.cnn.com/ 2006/ POLITICS/ 10/ 19/ us.iraq.ap/ index.html)
So, what’s it going to be BushCo? Smear Armitage or, can you say, flip-flop?
October 20th, 2006 at 10:49 amBesides, this is just the beginning of the Bush Administration goal post shift/shift in reality. They now will begin to take credit for redeployment, and will try to erase “stay the course/cut and run” from our memory.
October 20th, 2006 at 10:49 amDidn’t Bush once give a note to Condi indicating he needed a potty break?
October 20th, 2006 at 10:49 amElectricBassPlayer #14
…in other words…
…”Regime change in America is CRUCIAL to our rejoining the community of nations”…
October 20th, 2006 at 10:49 am“…because ladies and gentlemen, we can’t win this militarily. By the way, we can’t lose this militarily.†Which is exactly what then Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Gen. Myers said in 2003. I thought Bush listened to his generals.
October 20th, 2006 at 10:55 amTurn out the lights, the party’s over. Oh yeah, lights haven’t really been on.
October 20th, 2006 at 10:56 amI find this entire administration and congress the worst in our history….They spew fear and smear, rattle and bang war drum’s and then want the entire country to be happy and go shopping and support their miserable take over’s of our country and the world for their own ever increasing domination and increased wealth…..It makes the king unhappy we are not rallying behind his dreadful ass after he has distroyed our country and constitution..This dictator is truly a madman as are his supporter’s…..Blessings
October 20th, 2006 at 10:56 amWasn’t Armitage the guy who outed Valerie Plame? I thought we hated him!?
Comment by Stan — October 20, 2006 @ 10:31 am
The story about Armitage outing Plame simply doesn’t add up. I am certain it was told to cover Cheney and Bush’s asses. By every account Armitage is a very detail-oriented foreign policy professional, even if he has been very, very wrong about the big picture. The cover story that he “casually” revealed Plame’s identity without realizing the implications is ludicrous.
October 20th, 2006 at 10:58 am#17 - Nice.
I love the smell of a dead talking point in the morning.
October 20th, 2006 at 11:04 amThe ONLY opinion that matters is Bush’s.
He has failed to take responsibility for anything in his life, so don’t expect him to start doing the right thing now.
October 20th, 2006 at 11:04 amArmitage just wants to sell books, he’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing, and he’s a traitor who should be executed.
October 20th, 2006 at 11:05 amIs this for real? Are they really going to bring our troops home? Or is this a gimmit because of the midterm election.
Comment by Mary Poplins — October 20, 2006 @ 10:33 am
Yes, I believe it is a gimmick. I also believe that news stories coming out now about how there will be “changes” in Bush’s Iraq policy AFTER the midterms is also a campaign gimmick. They did this same thing in 2004, trying to mislead the public. But changes aren’t coming, because this would require Bush to admit that he was wrong, something he appears incapable of. The guys making the call, Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfeld, are psychopaths and are absolutely hellbent on carrying out their ideological fantasies of a new world order.
Notice who is carrying water on these stories: people who are only obliquely aligned with the administration (i.e. from the past). The current “unnamed White House officials” aren’t saying anything. They are floating trial balloons in the most subtle way possible to see how it affects the polls. If it goes well, then the unnamed officials in the current administration will start to “confirm” that changes are coming. But changes are coming, at least not troop withdrawals.
October 20th, 2006 at 11:06 amI meant to conclude my last post with “changes AREN’T coming”.
October 20th, 2006 at 11:09 amArmitage is a die hard right wing rethug who believes in US military power but he is a realist I guess is the best term for him. He is an objectivley pro-war hawk but in the Powell mode; if you use military power, use overwhelming power with more than enough troops, have a plan to secure the peace and a plan for when you’re going to get out. You can see that philosophy puts the retired 3 Star Army general in direct opposition to Rumsfeld/Wolfowitz/Cheney regime in power at the pentagon.
He said in an interview a fews years back with the Australian Newspaper: (I’m paraphrasing) “We had a chance to show the world our decency but instead we showed them fear and hate.” Of course not one US publication picked it up.
October 20th, 2006 at 11:11 amWhere in the picture is God? Perhaps God took the photo-op. Bush needs taller boots if he doesn’t want them filled with all his sh*t.
October 20th, 2006 at 11:12 amTheresa #17
I’m betting flip-flop…
…or HIJACKING the Democrat plan…
…the criminal TRAITORS Bush/Cheney/Rove are experts at “creating reality”…
…NOW Murtha’s, Biden’s, and Pelosi’s ideas…
…belong to the Bushites…
October 20th, 2006 at 11:12 amHey! Check out our anxiety index and see just how anxious Americans are about Iraq and other international issues!
Here at Public Agenda, we’ve created a new tool to track Americans’ opinions on foreign policy issues, providing a basis for political commentary. Similar to the Consumer Confidence Index, the Foreign Policy Anxiety Indicator provides policy makers, journalists and ordinary citizens with the public’s overall comfort level with America’s
place in the world and current foreign policy.
An essential tool updated twice a year, the Indicator will consistently provide much-needed information on the public’s perception of more than two dozen aspects of international relations.
In a world strewn with violence and highly-charged international issues, Americans are broadly uneasy about U.S. foreign policy. The September 2006 shows the Foreign Policy Anxiety Indicator at 130 on a scale of 0 to 200, where 0 is the most confident, 200 the most anxious and 100 neutral.
Eight in 10 Americans feel the world is becoming a more dangerous place for Americans, yet they’re also skeptical about most of the possible solutions, such as creating democracies or global development. Only improved intelligence gathering and energy independence have substantial support, with energy firmly established as a national security problem
for the public.
In fact, the public lacks confidence in many of the measures being taken to ensure America’s security. Less than 33% of Americans give the U.S. government an “A†or a “B†grade for its execution of the following foreign policy issues: reaching goals in Iraq and Afghanistan, maintaining good relationships with Muslim countries and protecting U.S. borders from illegal immigration. And these are just a few of the findings of the survey.
These are some of the other startling findings:
- 83 percent say they are worried about the way things are going for the United States in world affairs (35 percent worry “a lot”, with an additional 48 percent saying they worry “somewhat.”)
- 79 percent say the world is becoming more dangerous for the United States and the American people
- 69 percent say the United States is doing a fair or poor job in creating a more peaceful and prosperous world
- 64 percent say the rest of the world sees the United States negatively
- 58 percent say U.S. relations with the rest of the world are on the wrong track
Want to learn more? Go to http://www.publicagenda.org/foreignpolicy/index.cfm to download the report.
Public Agenda is a nonprofit, nonpartisan group devoted to public opinion and public policy. The confidence in U.S. Foreign Policy Index is developed in cooperation with Foreign Affairs with support from the Hewlett and Ford foundations.
October 20th, 2006 at 11:19 amWhoops #14 has the whole quote of what he actually said. When I read it i thought he was saying it more out of regret than optimism.
October 20th, 2006 at 11:20 amPick Snowjob’s press briefing response when asked about Armitage’s statements:
1. “Armitage was taken out of context. What he was referring to is a reassignment of troops, which is something that goes on all the time. The military is always making adjustments to react to the realities on the battlefield.”
2. “He didn’t say what he said. And, by the way, the president’s official daily calculation of 2 + 2 is 7. In fact, it never was 5. Or 4. Or whatever crazy number the liberal media has been trying to say it is.”
3. “Armitage is just trying to sell a book. He will no doubt begin writing it soon and is just trying to get some early publicity for it.”
4. “Armitage is a liberal, which is why he left the State Department to begin with.”
5. “Well, would you want to see a drawdown of our forces, conceding defeat to the terrorists, leaving them an open invitation to attack our country, enter your living room, rape your wife, kids, family pets, then kill them all, chop them up into little pieces and feed them to you while you’re being skinned alive? Is that what you’d like to see happen? Well, neither would the president and that’s why he’ll accept nothing less than total victory.”
6. All of the above
October 20th, 2006 at 11:23 amI just heard that Bush is going to “consult with his generals” regarding a change of direction in Iraq. I think it’s too little, too late.
October 20th, 2006 at 11:35 am#7, Dallas NE
October 20th, 2006 at 11:36 amThank you for posting this link…
http://www.truthdig.com/ report/ item/ 200601019_after_pats_birthday/
TP’ers, please do go & read this. It’s the most powerful take on current events I’ve read for a long time.
If you think you’re ‘hurting’ over Bush’s war crimes, imagine how Kevin Tillman and his family feel.
Anytime I hear that lame jingolism “Cut and Run”, my ears want to bleed. Call these failures on the carpet. Their only trite failed answer is “STAY THE CORPSE”
October 20th, 2006 at 11:36 amLet the smears begin!
October 20th, 2006 at 11:40 amAmerica’s Least Wanted
Nice preemtive strike on the Snowjob chimpeach.
October 20th, 2006 at 11:46 amPlans of Democratic Party Now Dominate Iraq Strategy
When the GOP blows its false trumpet and hollers that the Dems have no plans for Iraq I suggest they first bite down on the following sentence.
“Redeployment” is now the leading strategy for Iraq with a bipartisan world-wide cast coming on board.
Jack Murtha, a Democrat, at some personal political risk announced that “our presence in Iraq has become the cause, not the cure, for much of the violence.” This has now been openly confirmed by many others, including the presently serving United Kingdom Army Chief of Staff.
Murtha’s wisdom is now a major policy plank for an Iraq solution.
Murtha, a Democrat, was the first to call for implementation of a plan to “redeploy.” This, a Democrat plan, is becoming the majority opinion strategy for Iraq.
Joe Biden, a Democrat, was the first major political figure to forcefully call for a partition plan for Iraq, a Tri-Part solution. This too has, in various forms, become an operational force in solving the internecine Iraqi violence.
When the GOP attempts to paint Democrats as weak on terror and having no plans for Iraq solutions it only serves as a continuing illustration of their bankrupt and inept foreign policy.
“Stay the Course” has put our Troops in harm’s way. “Stay the Course” has hamstrung our now openly angry and frustrated Military leadership. “Stay the Course” has now been openly exposed for what it is, a disingenuous mantra employed by Joe Lieberman and the GOP for political gain.
Democrats have changed the debate and the strategy for Iraq.
They will continue to seek honest open and considered strategies for Iraq and the War on Terror. They will not substitute political sound bites for strategy. In pursuing the War on Terror, they will also not emasculate the honest work product of the CIA, the Joint Chiefs and the State Department for political power.
October 20th, 2006 at 11:59 amBushco’s operatives are only biding their time so that they can get their contracts signed with the puppet government to the effect that Bushco companies control the oil.
It is imperative that this not be allowed to happen. The solution is to get out of Iraq before it does. US Congress must also pass laws to the effect that the US will not recognise contracts enacted by, with or for the Iraqis, during the American occupation, of Iraq which takes any income or control of property (oil) in Iraq. The UN needs to establish a motion that America will pay the Iraqis reparations for damage and harm done to Iraq, to the People or Iraq, to the historic treasures of Iraq, to the businesses of Iraq, and to the infrastructure of Iraq. American companies and their shareholders, directors, and executive must be made to leave Iraq forthwith and be charged with crimes for their illegal, inhumane, irresponsible, lying, deceitful, damaging, thieving, actions and to return any and all gains made during that period. There should also be punitive damages paid to Iraq by American and Bushco operatives.
October 20th, 2006 at 12:02 pmWhere’s the article on the Shiite Militia taking over Amarahya??
October 20th, 2006 at 12:16 pmflip-flop….cut ‘n run….flip-flop…..cut ‘n run…..which is it? This is the GOP game of “take your pick”.
October 20th, 2006 at 12:20 pmI’m not really a fan of Armitage, but after reading Rajiv Chandresekaran and Bob Woodward’s books, he’s one of the few who comes across as having a functioning brain. its hard not to admire that, since the White House has lowered the bar considerably.
October 20th, 2006 at 12:20 pmhey Bush, that sounds like a timetable. you remember what you said about timetables? how can you embolden “the terrorists” this way?
October 20th, 2006 at 12:48 pm#7 Just read the Kevin Tillman article, it is a must read. I’d like to make chimpy read it, but if it doesn’t involve sports or goats he probably wouldn’t.
October 20th, 2006 at 12:49 pmAccording to the NY Times today, Bush continues to talk about changing “tactics” in Iraq, but not “strategy”. So why are we hearing so much in the press about how the “strategy” will change after the election? For the answer, see my post above, #28. It’s a ruse.
There will be no substantive changes in Iraq before or after the election. There will be permanent military “superbases” in the future, however.
October 20th, 2006 at 12:52 pmTP Judd claims:
Armitage’s proposal closely tracks a plan that the Center for American Progress has been advocating for more than a year.
CAP calls for a %7 reduction of US troops per month.
Armitage calls for
October 20th, 2006 at 12:55 pmWhat happened Hippy? Have a misfire?
October 20th, 2006 at 12:58 pmHippie again. The first troll of the day shows up at noon. Typical. Got the talking points settled this morning, and ready to roll. (Exley is already here, but he is a special case, a true professional with clearance to write his own very clever talking points).
October 20th, 2006 at 1:01 pmExley’s talking points usually fall apart upon closer inspection.
October 20th, 2006 at 1:06 pmdoug #42
First and foremost…
…Diebold and the criminal Bushite junta must not prevail on Nov. 7th…
…second, don’t count on the UN to do anything to the criminal Bushite junta…
…America pays the lion’s share of dues that keep the UN running…
…i’ve called many times for the UN to salvage what ilttle integrity it may have left…
…by MOVING out of NY (sorry NYC- nothing personal)…
…and into a NEUTRAL country…
October 20th, 2006 at 1:11 pm…
CAP calls for a %7 reduction of US troops per month.
Armitage calls for
October 20th, 2006 at 1:44 pmLooks like Hippie is having motor control problems at the keyboard.
October 20th, 2006 at 1:51 pmGeee…isn’t that kind of what Kerry had proposed????
October 20th, 2006 at 2:01 pmI say to the Americans you are a disgrace to the civilised world go to hell …………………………………From France
October 20th, 2006 at 2:24 pmThis site doesn’t like my less than symbol. Let’s see if this gets truncated.
…
CAP calls for a %7 reduction of US troops per month.
Armitage calls for less than %2 reduction per month.
Do the math Judd, that’s not “closely tracking”.
Maybe I’ll get into the lies found in the CAP strategy later.
October 20th, 2006 at 2:43 pm“Maybe I’ll get into the lies found in the CAP strategy later.”
Don’t bother, the GOP are giving us enough lies and distortions without your help.
October 20th, 2006 at 3:15 pm#8, you can’t see it because it’s on the table behind Armitage’s head, but W set his copy of “My Pet Goat” down to use his hands to brag about the size of the perch he caught earlier that day.
October 20th, 2006 at 3:22 pmflip-flop, flip-flop. and wtf. isn’t this the peckerhead that leaked plame. i thought that WHOEVER leaked this info. was going to be fired. talk about hypocrisy.
what a flippin joke this whole entire political process.
October 20th, 2006 at 3:31 pmRichard Armitage is a realist, and as straightforward as you can be in his position.
What he’s saying is what anyone who lived through the Vietnam experience knows, and knew from the beginning. In Iraq, as in Vietnam, the US cannot lose militarily.
In my opinion, the comparison of the chaos in Baghdad with the Tet offensive is just another lazy way to avoid the complexity of the issues in Iraq.
October 20th, 2006 at 3:32 pmIf Armitage wants out, IRAQ is way more FUBAR than we even can guess.
October 20th, 2006 at 3:44 pmTony Snow said that 5% every three months was a “non-starter.”
Dig this.
So Cheney says we’re looking for a victory while the President (via Snow) doesn’t know how to define victory. Brilliant.
Don’t these guys ever sit down and at least hash out their dishonest talking points? Don’t they get their stories straight before they go in front of cameras? Or do they just say, “screw it, I’ll wing it.”
October 20th, 2006 at 4:00 pmOwned?
October 20th, 2006 at 4:39 pm“Armitage was intimately involved in the Iraq war policy and recognizes that he and other top administration officials bear responsibility for a policy that ended up being a colossal failure”
HILARIOUS. Is that how you interpret GENOCIDE?
The policy is working GREAT. There are four major airbases, a 60-acre Citadel, and a war with Iran on the front burner.
ThinkProgress has to STOP pretending this is a policy failure just because it is GENOCIDE. Mission Accomplished, y’all.
October 20th, 2006 at 5:58 pm“Joe Biden, a Democrat, was the first major political figure to forcefully call for a partition plan for Iraq, a Tri-Part solution. This too has, in various forms, become an operational force in solving the internecine Iraqi violence.”
– CJ
For which he shall be HATED, forever, the dirty bastard.
“There IS NO MORE IRAQ. There will be three territories.” — Kissinger, overheard briefing his Saudi clients in early 2004
PARTITION IS, AND ALWAYS HAS BEEN, THE POLICY.
What, did you think it was about democracy?
October 20th, 2006 at 6:04 pmIt’ simply too late for George.
October 20th, 2006 at 7:48 pmHe will certainly up in a cave like his phoney adversaries.
His legacy will be “TORTURE”.
The RATS abandon ship. And drown.
October 20th, 2006 at 7:50 pmWhat Armitage is saying is Bush spin.Read between the lines,their in trouble and their just using Armitage to somehow keep the troops in Iraq. In spite of the people turning against them,or saving face if they lose this time.Don,t count on our troops coming home,This is just more of the same.
October 20th, 2006 at 8:03 pmWell it’s obvious that Richard Armitage hates America.
October 21st, 2006 at 12:20 amIt seems to me Pres Bush is looking for a way to withdraw from Iraq while saving face.
A year ago, this kind of talk from a trusted insider would not have been tolerated. Let’s not forget how this administration has worked hard to destroy the reputation of anyone who breaks ranks. They have not stopped at anything to smear dissenters.
That Armitage can say this and get away with it is very telling. I suspect it is part of a Rovian strategy: Republican leadership will get a few influential Republicans to repeat this meme, allow it to “trickle down” to the rank and file, and eventually Pres Bush will order troop withdrawal while expressing regret, claiming it is due to pressure from within his own party.
I don’t expect anyone associated with this administration to speak their mind -not without having an ulterior motive.
October 21st, 2006 at 1:08 amThis fellow Armitage who lost his job in this present racist and fascist adminstration is no Buddha. This fellow was aiding that former slave Powell in his lies to invade Iraq in the first place. Now this scoundral wants his job back as a slave to Condi.
Just sour grapes, you winging Armitage. Apply for soup coupons.
October 21st, 2006 at 2:08 amthese men have used fear and war to further their own lust for world domination. It is now coming back to haunt them. We need change now.
October 21st, 2006 at 10:17 amin the words of Charlie Chaplin: from The Great Dictator
Also noticed that Dumya Dumbass has no notebook or pen. Also wondering what that clear liquid in the bottle next him be might be….water….vodka…?
October 21st, 2006 at 12:58 pmoh wow, I am SOOOO thrilled–FIVE PERCENT every THREE months? so that means, another FIVE YEARS until the troops are gone, right? wow, I am really, really impressed.
October 21st, 2006 at 2:56 pmhow would you like to be the last of the troops with 95 % percent of your military companions not be there if you need them?
October 21st, 2006 at 3:42 pmhow would you like to be the last of the troops with 95 % percent of your military companions not be there if you need them?
October 21st, 2006 at 3:42 pmHow would you like to be the last 5%?
October 21st, 2006 at 3:47 pmArmitage, in effect, is “playing snake” for at least a couple of agendas.
Drawing down troops is a minor concession and admission for Bush Administration failures.
I think is a play for an BushAdministration “return to sanity” which may at least diminish by at least a few tenths of percentage points the election’s loss expected in a couple of weeks…but should be seen only as a p-r ploy to diminish what could be a severe vote against Republicans.
Third, this may be his way of repairing his ’status’ he had among what is a growing majority of sceptics, but who still respect him, within both parties. It’s a reasonable gamble for his political future.
However, he’s still in and good pals, with these goddamned NeoCon thugs; this corrupt, immoral, illegal administration who are gradually de-constructing the country piece by piece.
What a gross embarrasment this nation is…
I just can’t get past the torture, the torture, the torture…
October 21st, 2006 at 3:53 pm“Oh, no, we’re not going to have any casualties.” —discussing the Iraq war with Christian Coalition founder Pat Robertson, as quoted by Robertson
October 21st, 2006 at 6:42 pmFinally a Bush official who tells it like it is. He will have a lot to answer for. I think he was referring to facing God with what he’s done. There are a lot of people who voted for Bush knowing that his war policy would kill thousands and they voted for him anyway. They did it because they have a fear, encouraged by the religious right, that “Muslims” want to take over. They have a lot to answer for too because I don’t think God places Christians over Muslims. And by the way, I am a lapsed Catholic.
October 22nd, 2006 at 8:28 amMore evidence that rats are leaving the ship and that the thinking Republicans are anticipating an ass-kicking in November.
October 22nd, 2006 at 9:15 amwe have already won the “war” by toppling Hussein and proving that there were no WMDs. but the real task was to “secure” Iraq’s oil and it is why we must “stay the course”. Cheney’s revenge for being kicked out of Iraq by Hussein. Check it out
October 23rd, 2006 at 2:48 am