Yesterday, the NY Times ran an op-ed penned by a handful of soldiers who wrote an analysis of the situation they saw firsthand in Iraq. The picture these soldiers paint of the situation in Iraq is far bleaker than the propagandists in the Bush administration would lead U.S. citizens to believe. Additionally, the juxtaposition of this article compared to the expected report from Gen. David Petraeus (the U.S. commander in Iraq) should show just how unwilling the Bush administration is to accepting the reality in Iraq.
I'm posting this link for mainly comment and discussion, as that the soldiers' analysis essentially reflects the vocalized concerns the LP has made in the past.
In summation, the soldiers call for Iraqis to take center role in security and dealing with domestic issues how they see fit, with U.S. support only coming from "the margins," as they call it. I love how they conclude:
This suggestion is not meant to be defeatist, but rather to highlight our pursuit of incompatible policies to absurd ends without recognizing the incongruities.
Talk about hitting the nail on the head.
You can read the article by clicking here.
I find this article highly suspect, primarily due to the names of the authors. Buddhika Jayamaha is a political comentator, with several books published criticizing US military operations dating back to 2003. Wesley D. Smith is a physician and Oxford University professor. Omar Mora is an accused murderer, at large from Indiana--and is to be profiled later this week on "America's Most Wanted". The other people I don't know about--except for Jeremy Murphy, who is an US Army Ranger (not Airborne) who was shot while serving in Iraq two months ago.
Also, if you would look up the 82nd Airborne's deployment record you will find that the 82nd Airborne Division, housed out of Ft. Bragg, has not deployed to Iraq since the 2005 Iraqi elections.
Unfortunately for the general populace, this bit of propoganda doesn't have to be fact-checked since it was published as an opinion/editorial.
I find this article highly suspect, primarily due to the names of the authors. Buddhika Jayamaha is a political comentator, with several books published criticizing US military operations dating back to 2003. Wesley D. Smith is a physician and Oxford University professor. Omar Mora is an accused murderer, at large from Indiana--and is to be profiled later this week on "America's Most Wanted". The other people I don't know about--except for Jeremy Murphy, who is an US Army Ranger (not Airborne) who was shot while serving in Iraq two months ago.
Posted by: Roger G. at August 23, 2007 08:50 AMAlso, if you would look up the 82nd Airborne's deployment record you will find that the 82nd Airborne Division, housed out of Ft. Bragg, has not deployed to Iraq since the 2005 Iraqi elections.
Unfortunately for the general populace, this bit of propoganda doesn't have to be fact-checked since it was published as an opinion/editorial.