November 17, 2006 at 12:55:28

Iraq: Assumptions Moving Forward

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By steve pipkin-savage (about the author) Page 1 of 3 page(s)

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After listening to the Charles Goyette Show this morning, as usual,--1100kfnx.com--, then the exchanges broadcast live on CNN later, I am determined to move forward in my thinking regarding Iraq and the U.S. "war on terror" centered there.

I am moving forward in my thinking, better advised by these two luminous listens, based on certain new or hardened old assumptions, to wit:

1) The stated goal of the Iraq war effort is now to assist Iraqis in becoming self-determining "with U.S. help".

This is the stated goal, stated and re-stated today by John Abizaid.

That this assistance is to be open-ended for an indefinite period of time is apparently, based on today's exchanges, an unstated part of the goal. It is heavily implied in all of Abizaid's answers.

This means that I will assume, barring intervention by Congress, that the real goal of the Bush administration and its Iraqi puppets--a hardened assumption based on today's programs/exchanges-- is "to assist Iraqis TOWARD self-determination over an indefinite period of time and at an undefined/undefinable cost to the U.S. with no significant increase or decrease in curent troop levels."

This sounds like "status quo", as McCain so astutely pointed out.

But, Abizaid says, that is not so. He is advocating a "major strategy change" which involves, as nearly as I could determine, the reshuffling of troops from one job description to another to bolster the training ops of Iraqis.

Meanwhile, uniformed Iraqis, obviously well-enough trained to complete a massive kidnap mission did just that in Baghdad.

So, I am assuming, moving forward that the U.S./coalition military intends to "slightly alter" its approach in Iraq to make more Iraqis more capable of offering chaotic resistance to the coaliton-led goal.

And, I will assume moving forward, that this "major slight change" is also part of the real plan which cannot be, has never been, defined for public consumption, for whatever clandestine reasons the Bushies and their puppets continue to hold close to the vest.

Of course, the Goyette show caller said it best: we know that the Iraq quagmire was wrong and intended, but we--the People--feel "powerless" to do anything about it.

That's the bad news. But, read on....

2) The military-industrial complex is firmly in control of the future of Iraq.

I am assuming this based on two things:

1 | 2 | 3

http://myespn.go.com/bgfour

Steve Pipkin-Savage, age 62. ex-USAF missile launch control deputy commander or "triggerman on nukes", 1968-72. grew up in a rightwing fundamentalist cult, graduated from Appalachian Bible College in 1964 and Bob Jones University in 1966. (more...)

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