• "The insurgency in Iraq is now self-sustaining financially, raising tens of millions of dollars a year from oil smuggling, kidnapping, counterfeiting, connivance by corrupt Islamic charities and other crimes that the Iraqi government and its American patrons have been largely unable to prevent, a classified United States government report has concluded." --The New York Times, 11/25/06
• "Iraq is as bad as it looks, and Afghanistan is worse than it looks. A year ago, the Taliban were fighting us in units of eight to twelve, and now they're sometimes in company-size, and even larger. Bombing Iran and expecting the Iranian public 'to rise up' and overthrow the government, as some in the White House believe, is a fool's errand." --Richard Armitage, Deputy Secretary of State in Bush's first term, quoted by Seymour Hersh in the 11/27/06 issue of The New Yorker
In Afghanistan, insurgents now launch more than 600 attacks a month. There have been more than 3,700 deaths this year, making it the most deadly year since the Taliban was ousted in 2001 (Baltimore Sun, 11/13/06).
The United Nations reported (11/22/06) that 3,709 Iraqi civilians were killed in the month of October, making it the most deadly month since the invasion in March 2003. Every month, 100,000 Iraqi leave the country to escape the violence.
• "'[T}he social and political situation has deteriorated to a point' that U.S. and Iraqi troops 'are no longer capable of militarily defeating the insurgency in al-Anbar,' the [Marine Corps intelligence] assessment found. In Anbar province alone, at least 90 U.S. troops have died since Sept. 1." --Washington Post, 11/28/06
• "[America] is in a civil war, and we're being shot at by both sides." -- News analyst Fareed Zakaria, ABC News, 11/29/06
Seventy two percent of American troops in Iraq said [eight months ago] that they should leave country within a year (Zogby poll, 3/1/06). Seventy one percent of Iraqis want us out of their country within a year (Program on International Policy Attitudes poll, 9/6/06); and the American people have issued a mandate to their government to bring the troops home (2006 election). So, what are we waiting for?
Please contact your Senators and Representative today. Let them know that bringing the troops home must be their number one priority. They don't need to wait to confirm a new Secretary of Defense or hear any more recommendations from anyone--especially the Baker Commission. Poppa Bush's friends can't fix things for Junior--this time. They can't just pay the fine and make the records disappear. This time, the record of George W. Bush's colossal arrogance and stupidity is carved in stone in graveyards all across America.
Mick Youther is an American citizen, an independent voter, a veteran, a parent, a Christian, a scientist, a writer, and all-around nice guy who has been aroused from a comfortable apathy by the high crimes and misdemeanors of the Bush Administration.
"After six years of King George and the Rubberstamp Republicans, there are many things begging for the attention of the new Democratically-controlled Congress; but their number one priority must be bringing the troops home."
I respectfully disagree. The most important priority of the new Congress has to be to restore the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, the rule of law, and the system of checks and balanced destroyed by the The USAPATRIOT Act, The Domestic Security Enhancement Act, The RealID Act, The Military Commissions Act of 2006 and The Defense Authorization Act.
There is no reason why these two cannot be accomplished concurrently or why an effort to begin withdrawing the American presence from Iraq cannot begin immediately. But if Congress had to prioritize these two, attention to the war should be deferred until the republic is restored and strengthened again.
by
Yaybob (12 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 174 comments)
on Saturday, December 2, 2006 at 5:08:07 AM
I agree with you on the importance of restoring our Constitutional protects is a top priority, and that more than one thing can and should be worked on simultaneously (I would add fixing our electoral system to that top priority list). I only name "bringing the troops home" as our number one priority because every day a couple more Americans die in Bush's Folly. It needs to be stopped yesterday, or last year, or better yet; it should have never started in the first place. Thank you for the comment.
by
Mick Youther (83 articles, 3 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 10 comments)
on Saturday, December 2, 2006 at 11:26:27 AM
...I am not the only one who has no idea what the ultimate goal is in Iraq. DUBYA keeps yammering about winning, and I can't see any win anywhere. The country is in civil war. Everyone but us is pulling out. There is nothing to win. There never was. All there is now is anarchy on a grand scale.
We lost Iraq on day one. Everything since that time has been a waste of time and life. There is no winning. There is most likely no breaking even either. We took a basically stable government and replaced it with Anarchy Light. Now it's gone to full blown anarchy, and still DUBYA, living in his own private Idaho, thinks there is something to win.
Has anyone but me noticed DUBYA is out of his mind?
Blessed be!
Pappy
by
Pappy (61 articles, 0 quicklinks, 11 diaries, 860 comments)
on Sunday, December 3, 2006 at 12:59:27 AM
3 comments
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