Lt. Col. Dale Kuehl's ... battalion ... the Sunni enclave of Amiriyah. [snip]
"We're going after al-Qaeda," a leading local imam said, Kuehl recalled. "What we want you to do is stay out of the way."
After a bit, Kuehl got the point and the rest is on the front page of the Washington Post. When will his commander in chief understand ? To destroy al Qaeda in Iraq we have to stay out of the way.
Actually the real plan is to arm Sunni insurgents who are now fighting al-Qaeda in Iraq. Arming both sides of a civil war does not sound like an ideal strategy, but it sure beats fighting against both sides in a civil war.
At the end of the article, there is a pessimistic view
The tank driver, Spec. Estevan Altamirano, 25, expressed skepticism about his new partners.
"'Pretty soon they run out of al-Qaeda, and then they're going to turn on us,' he said."
That was the best quote Joshua Partlow could get to prove he is a reporter not a cheer leader. The down side is that after a bit of US forces getting out of the way, the Sunni insurgents will run out of al Qaeda. Hmmm maybe when they run out of al-Qaeda we can leave. Oh no, silly me, that would mean al-Qaeda wins (except for the little problem of all being dead).
Nonsense; but no matter what does more nonsense mean in a sea of nonsense. Suddenly all is al- this and al- that in Iraq. Of course, as Juan Cole points out, this is nonsense but no matter.
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The tank driver, Spec. Estevan Altamirano, 25, expressed skepticism about his new partners.
"'Pretty soon they run out of al-Qaeda, and then they're going to turn on us,' he said."
anne
Hey, then, let's leave Iraq immediately and let the Iraqis fight al- this and al- that while we play tennis.
ReplyDeleteanne
"Arming both sides of a civil war does not sound like an ideal strategy, but it sure beats fighting against both sides in a civil war."
ReplyDeleteNot even Joseph Heller could have found a nuttier sense of what war is about.
anne
We have lost a sense of introspection, an ability to understand just how destructive we are become and how needlessly destructive. I become afraid at times, for our lack of introspection. Where is there a Joseph Heller among us?
ReplyDeleteanne
We are heavily exposed to the war in and occupation of Iraq, but the exposure makes for remarkably little impact, no matter the weariness of older men and women. The young care remarkably little.
ReplyDeleteanne
Repeatedly this morning public radio news sources assured us that there will be no leaving Iraq for years and possibly decades to come. Iraq has become Korea is the current metaphor, and this Administration is insuring that Administrations to come will not and cannot leave. This insurance is brought to us from the same analysts who before gave us the surge and before an before....
ReplyDeleteanne
The New York Times more or less surveyed graduation speeches today, and a more desultory inane set of remarks I cannot imagine, with the exception of remarks by the president of Amherst who evidently really has a conscience. Remarks at the graduations I was oligated to stop briefly by were completely empty, as Thomas Friedman would have them. We are the quiet, an entire country of the quiet.
ReplyDeleteanne