[Vision2020] RE: Continuing "The Ramadi Hell Hole"

[rvrcowboy]

I would suggest to you that General Batiste is correct in his thinking when
it comes to what needs to be done in Iraq at the present time, at least in
my opinion.  We can not afford to just cut and run, we must finish what we
started, regardless of why it started.

As for Rumsfeld, I suppose his role in all this will be debated for years to
come.  However, it is largely an argument of opinion, not fact.  It is an
argument that needs to be addressed at the ballot box and, if necessary, in
the courts.  It has nothing to do with what actions should be taken to deal
with the situation we find ourselves in at this moment.

I personally believe Rumsfeld is a good man but also believe he has made
mistakes when it comes to this war.  I would not be averse to seeing him
replaced, if only to get some new ideas introduced into the fray.  I also
believe many of the mistakes made in this war were a direct result of our
military trying to placate the multitude of media maggots who second guess
the militarys every move.

We spend millions training our military to fight, then send them into battle
only to be confronted by a media bent on destroying them, because the media
hates the present administration, and a Congress that would rather fight the
war on Capitol Hill than in the trenches.  No wonder they get confused and
demoralized to the point they sometimes make mistakes!  How many bosses can
one person answer too anyway?  Even the admistration finds it difficult to
stand behind our troops because the media will castigate them for it before
the facts of the charges are even known.  Just as many here do.

As I have opined before, we are where we are and we must plan how we are
going to go forward from this point.  Yesterday is over, it can not be
recalled.  We must work today with an eye toward the outcome of tomorrow not
any supposed failures of yesterday.

Dick S.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tom Hansen" <thansen at moscow.com>
To: "'rvrcowboy'" <rvrcowboy at clearwire.net>; "'Vision2020'"
<vision2020 at moscow.com>; "'Sunil Ramalingam'" <sunilramalingam at hotmail.com>
Sent: Friday, July 07, 2006 12:33 PM
Subject: RE: [Vision2020] RE: Continuing "The Ramadi Hell Hole"


> Copied and pasted below is an article from the July 6, 2006 edition of the
> San Diego Union-Tribune written by Maj. Gen. John Batiste (Retired) who
> Commanded the Army's 1st Infantry Division in Iraq in 2003 and 2004.
>
> You're right, dick.  This is not about a war over a couple rice paddies
(as
> you put it).
>
> It is a simple matter of accountability, something the Bush administration
> (especially Rumsfeld) fails to assume.
>
> Rumsfeld broke something that we all must fix, regardless of the cost.
>
> -----------------------------------------------------------
>
> Rumsfeld yet to be held accountable
>
> By John Batiste
> July 6, 2006
>
> Sadly, America has yet to hold Donald Rumsfeld accountable for his poor
> judgment and failed decision-making. He alone is responsible for setting
> America up for the prolonged challenge we now face as we continue to plug
> away in Iraq and Afghanistan well into our fourth year.
>
> To say that our military will "stand down as the Iraqi Security Forces
stand
> up" is a slogan, not a strategy. The insurgency continues to gather steam
in
> its many forms, including al-Qaeda, the Iraqi homegrown insurgency (Sunni
> versus Shia, Arab versus Kurd), criminal Mafia-style gangs, tribal
> infighting and Iranian support to Shia militia.
>
> Since the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, we all witness continuing chaos.
We
> have yet to see a turning point. In fact, Rumsfeld's plan for Iraq allowed
> the various forms of the insurgency to take root in the spring of 2003 and
> continue to grow and grow to where it is today. At the current pace, it
will
> take three to five years for the Iraqi army to be in a position to go it
> alone and 10 years for the Iraqi police to do the same.
>
> Were it not for Rumsfeld, it would not have been this way.
>
> America has yet to hold Rumsfeld accountable for his damaging mistakes. He
> sent Americans to war with a flawed plan that ignored the lessons of
history
> and violated basic principles of war. He did not set our great country and
> military up for success. We must confront the past and reconcile mistakes
in
> judgment before we can move forward.
>
> Rumsfeld set the conditions for our current protracted challenge back in
> late 2002 and 2003. If he had listened to competent military advice,
> "stuff," as he characterizes it, would not have happened.
>
> Many find it outrageous that he is quick to hold junior soldiers and
Marines
> accountable for their actions, but continues to dodge responsibility for
> setting the very conditions that our great military is dealing with today.
>
> Leaders are accountable at every echelon, and Haditha and Abu Ghraib are
but
> symptoms of major failures. Rumsfeld and his inner circle did not and do
not
> know how to win. He had a failed vision and no plan of action after the
> removal of Saddam Hussein. He totally ignored the challenge of building
the
> peace, setting Iraq up for self-reliance, and the inevitability of the
> insurgency. The war planning and preparation for the March 2003 invasion
of
> Iraq fell miserably short in the requirements to accomplish the full range
> of the mission and win.
>
> I am continually drawn back to the notion that a leader is responsible for
> everything that happens or fails to happen in his or her organization.
> Rumsfeld had it his way, and he must be held accountable.
>
> Further, our leaders, including the Congress, must mobilize the American
> people, generate the required political will and provide the resources
> needed to win in Iraq. Otherwise, we will never go the distance and
American
> lives and our national treasury will continue to be wasted. We need the
> right leadership at the top of the Department of Defense. Otherwise, we
are
> all on the bus to Abilene.
>
> How do we win in Iraq?
>
> Win we must and an early withdrawal from Iraq will only set the region up
> for disastrous consequences. America needs to turn the reins over to Iraq
> sooner rather than later, but challenges continue in establishing the
> security necessary for a free society to flourish: training and equipping
> competent Iraqi security forces; and identifying the turning point where
> Iraqi's are prepared to take charge and lead.
>
> I suggest we renew our commitment to establish security in Iraq in order
for
> a "democratic government" to take hold and develop. Security will set the
> conditions for the much-needed development of Iraqi oil, electricity and
> water infrastructure. The people of Iraq must experience improvements to
> their quality of life.
>
> Our political leaders must mobilize the American people for a long-term
> commitment of five to 10 years. A quick read of insurgencies over the past
> 100 years would suggest nothing less. This is not about partisan politics,
> but what is good for America.
>
> American citizens expect our military to win and deserve accountability in
> its Department of Defense leadership. Keep in mind that Rumsfeld is not
> elected; he is an appointed official. He is accountable to every one of
us,
> and we all deserve leaders whose instinct and judgment we trust.
>
> We owe this to our servicemen and women who are putting their lives on the
> line every day in Iraq and Afghanistan. We have no alternative but to
finish
> what we started and to fix what Rumsfeld broke.
>
> Victory hangs in the balance.
>
> -----------------------------------------------------------
>
> Seeya round town, Moscow.
>
> Tom Hansen
> Moscow, Idaho
>
> ********************************************
>
> "In America, anybody can become president.
> That's one of the risks you take . . ."
>
> - Adlai Stevenson
>
> ********************************************
>
>
>