The Iraq Comment Surge
President Bush's unannounced visit to Iraq Sunday, coming just before a report card is due on the surge, has had our readers surging to their keyboards since the trip was announced. In a related story this morning, Sudarsan Raghavan reports that "If there is one indisputable truth regarding the current offensive, it is this: When large numbers of U.S. troops are funneled into areas, security improves." That article, which takes a close look at just how much is required to provide security for one Iraqi community, has also energized the readers who comment. Taken together, the strong majority of comments on those two articles come from readers who are strongly opposed to remaining in Iraq and highly suspicious of the value of the surge. Few defenders of the Bush administration's war in Iraq have bothered to comment.
First, we'll visit with those who commented on the president's trip to Iraq. Many expressed views like this, from glp1940, who wrote, "A Staged event by a dilusional leader by "select" military who will probably get a raise in rank, a medal, or a 10 day all expenses paid, leave in Europe. for their participation in this charade..."
Gary Polodna added, "A cheap re-make of the "Emperor's New Clothes". Much like the "Mission Accomplished"... speech on the aircraft carrier..."
EXPAT4 was similarly unimpressed, saying "Bush's virtual touch and go visit to a heavily fortified U.S. airbase in Iraq equates with him maybe going to Acapulco to check on our Mexican border crisis. Bravo and Ole!, George"
robinficker said, "We need another Iraq surge. A U.S. surge OUT of the country."
But nychap44 disagreed, saying, "You left leaning guys seem very upset that the surge seems to be working. Why? Is it possible that you might be wishing we are not able to stabilize Iraq and allow the people their to manage their own democracy successfully because it would mean a political disaster for the left?... You can only gain politically if America fails while a republican is president..."
Mithras, in one of several postings, wrote that "Bush's six-hour tour of duty must have impressed the bejeesus out those National Guard troops on their second or third fifteen-month tour of duty."
The article assessing the surge attracted similar commentary. BartonKeyes said he is suspicious that "...both the limited time and limited resources used to accomplish the goal of stability in Iraq almost guarantees that the statistics of success are being massaged and manipulated so as to "prove" that success, and thus allow the surge to continue. But the harder truth is that whatever the true level of stability achieved by the "surge" (either large or small), long term success is utterly dependent on the continued presence of American troops..."
jherpers, in commenting on one of the anecdotes in the story, asked, "This is progress? You need a military escort to go there and the people who own the shops are scared for their lives and know that without the large US military presence, they would be closed or worse, maybe shot?..."
Ricardo1, commenting on the fact that the U.S. military hands out $2,500 grants to shop owners to open or improve their businesses, said, "I suspect that there are a whole lot of small merchants and shopkeepers in America who really could have used that $2500... We REALLY need to be looking after our own people, here, in America because no one else is going to look out for us."
And blakesouthwood, who has been very busy writing to us today, said, "Iraq is no longer a country. It's clearly not governed. It's pure anarchy. We should leave and let those who wish to leave with us do so... It's become the Forebidden Zone in the Planet of the Apes movie."
paulnolan97 wrote, "We deserve better than the propaganda about the surge. The idea that Pretreus has accomplished anything with the surge is an illusion of security. A face saving maneuveur that can not be sustained just costs more lives and prolongs the day we leave. Shame on Petreus for making Iraq a lab to test his pet theory."
All comments on the president's visit to Iraq are here.
All comments on "weighing" the surge are here.
By Doug Feaver |
September 4, 2007; 9:15 AM ET
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The notion that some of us want defeat in Iraq for political advantage is a sad distortion of reality. Many of us out here honestly care about the lives of our men and women in uniform. If the surge could show any glimmer of hope toward a peaceful end to the mess in Iraq it would be impossible to dispute. Mr. Bush will use the surge as a stalling gimmick and pass this disaster on to the next president. Unfortunately Mr. Bush is a perfect example of what can happen when the will of the people is not served. To all those neocon-artists out there I hope you don't forget that George Bush is the only president in American history to get into the White House by stopping legal votes from being counted. Now tell me - - is that what democracy is about?
Posted by: Van Go | September 5, 2007 12:20 PM
Doesn't the comment by "camere01" sound very much like the speaches heard in Germany in 1939 and 1940? Just replace the word Alqada with the word communists or Jews and it's the same thing Joseph Gerbles screamed at the German people.
This is NOT a war on terror. It's a battle for ownership. A battle for control. A battle to maintain profits for the few.
Posted by: Awake | September 5, 2007 10:37 AM
The only way this surge is going to work is to put bush, cheney, and rice on the front lines.
Posted by: wstrnks | September 5, 2007 9:20 AM
We are NOT winning the war in Afghanistan. The Taliban are coming back.
I don't think it matters if we 'win' in Iraq or not, as winning has not been defined so that we will know WHEN and WHAT we might have won.
If we stay, the Iraqis continue to die. If we leave, the Iraqis will continue to die.
My god! What has this nation won when that is the end result?
Posted by: Sajwert | September 5, 2007 6:31 AM
This fight is not about the fight with Iraq, its about the fight with Alqada in Iraq. We have finally lured the enemy into the open and pounded them into the dirt. The best place to fight Alqada is not in Afghanistan or Pakistan the best area where the US can have terrian that is best suitable for our combat operations is in Iraq. The current surge has been sucessful and now the Iraqies are working with us to remove the Alqada element from the country. I think the surge has been a huge success and it has gone so well that the liberal media can no longer ignore the fact that we are getting traction in this war. I also think that this war will last for decades and that this is not friday night highschool football where you win or loose this war will take decades of commitment from the US and Middle Eastern countries to rid the world of terroist. This war for the US is better defined as sustainment and is still in the early stages.
Posted by: camere01 | September 5, 2007 4:27 AM
It's all about the oil. Don't ever forget it. If Iraq wasn't one of the largest oil reserves in the world, no one would give a damn about any deaths resulting from our withdrawal. Remember that, and look at how hypocritical we've been about plaxces like Darfur. Oil is the 600 pound gorilla that most people won't mention. Petreaus is a stooge, turned into one by Bush, just like Colin Powell and Rice; does anyone in their right mind expect Petreaus to come out for a withdrawal? His career is on the line: look at the generals who have been retired when they tried to tell the truth about Iraq. It's all quite disgusting how easily such people allow our troops and Iraqi civilians to be killed, and no one even thinks about the silent contractors and what has happened to them. Disgusting. And the media usually hasn't a clue.
Posted by: OCPatriot | September 5, 2007 1:15 AM
It's all about the oil. Don't ever forget it. If Iraq wasn't one of the largest oil reserves in the world, no one would give a damn about any deaths resulting from our withdrawal. Remember that, and look at how hypocritical we've been about plaxces like Darfur. Oil is the 600 pound gorilla that most people won't mention. Petreaus is a stooge, turned into one by Bush, just like Colin Powell and Rice; does anyone in their right mind expect Petreaus to come out for a withdrawal? His career is on the line: look at the generals who have been retired when they tried to tell the truth about Iraq. It's all quite disgusting how easily such people allow our troops and Iraqi civilians to be killed, and no one even thinks about the silent contractors and what has happened to them. Disgusting. And the media usually hasn't a clue.
Posted by: OCPatriot | September 5, 2007 1:11 AM
All the Dems have to do is sit back and watch Bush destroy what's left of the Republican party. In 15 months it'll be done and we can see how long it takes Dems to self-destruct.
Posted by: nonstopjoe | September 5, 2007 12:16 AM
What war? There is no war in Iraq! There's a occupation by force and Iraqi people who don't like it. What we're doing in Iraq is no different than a schoolyard bully beating up a little kid and taking his lunch money.If the Iraqis have something we want, then we pay for it, get it somewhere else, or stop using it. We don't
murder them, ruin they're country, and then just take it.
Posted by: Awake | September 4, 2007 11:34 PM
It would be great if stopping a war was as easy as closing the door. Unfortunately its not and for those who seem to think it is have never served in any military campaigns. It all sounds so simple but without no clear strategy on what happens to stop the blood letting where does it end. This is not a two bit country in the middle of nowhere but right in the middle of where the world gets its oil. Unfortunately with our desire to drive big cars and suvs our interest lies here and will lie here until we get that issue resolved.
Posted by: Mark Lehigh | September 4, 2007 11:08 PM
Forget surge -- how about purge? Gonzales is gone, Rove is gone, we are on a roll. Let's keep it up until Cheney and Bush are gone and we change direction in Iraq instead of staying the course and then some.
Posted by: Sara B. | September 4, 2007 7:45 PM
Doug,
Please keep this site open. It's great to find a site where ordinary, working people can voice their concerns. Unfortunately, it's also open to people like Rat-the, who can't keep to the topic, and just want to rave. Guess we'll just have to grin and bear it.
Posted by: Awake | September 4, 2007 3:40 PM
nychap44...you talk as though this is all just a game. Lives are being lost and billions are being wasted because Bush is losing this war and spinning the lies about it. It's costing you as must as it's costing the "left." He's discrediting himself, his party and his supporters. If the best you can do is be a partisan true believer, do yourself a favor and shut up.
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Opinions are like "YOU", Everybody's got one.
To Parrot the mindless unsubstatiated Parrot Squawk like it has meaning to anyone or anythink is a bad joke.
I am surprised you did not praise AGAME-Oops, I meant Afraid of ME!
News for you-I find your column to be the worst I have ever seen-Anywhere!
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Posted by: RAT-the | September 4, 2007 2:56 PM
Bush governs by photo-ops. From the time Bush came into office, everything has been massaged - everything: 911, Katrina, Iraq, Abu Graib, rendition, war on terror, Mission Accomplished, surge. No actual substantial strategy or plan, just some "winging it". Look is a classic example. It is a mess, a fiasco.
Posted by: M. Stratas | September 4, 2007 2:47 PM
I'm more interested in why interns are being given briefings of Top Secret material when they're not cleared to Top Secret clearance ... that costs a lot more than $20,000 to process.
Or is any hand-picked person now "cleared" to know Top Secret?
Just wondering ... maybe the rules have changed since I was an Acting Security Officer for a region with a Secret clearance of my own.
Posted by: Will in Seattle | September 4, 2007 2:43 PM
What, exactly, is the point of dot.comments - is it the WaPo's passive aggressive way of letting its readers know how dismissive it is of the vast majority's anti-Bush/anti-war stance?
Posted by: ccatmoon | September 4, 2007 1:36 PM
"Awake"... you are exactly correct. Bush will play this hand until he's run out on a rail or completes his term in office. Never has our country been raped more profusely than by the Bush Administration.
Posted by: Looken | September 4, 2007 12:26 PM
Looks to me like he's there for two reasons. First, to make sure that the upcoming report card from his general says what his bosses want it to say. And second,
to assure the corporate CEOs in Iraq,(the people he works for), that the tax payers money will keep coming.
Whatever else happens in Iraq, the billions of dollars of your money will just keep on flowing right into the hands of American corporate CEOs. No receipts. No accountability. Those tax dollars will buy huge profits for the US companies in Iraq. What will it buy you? What did you get for the trillion dollars of your money congress already sent to Iraq? What will you get for the next trillion?
Posted by: Awake | September 4, 2007 10:57 AM
Is Iraq not a sovereign country? How can President Bush visit Iraq without invitation from a meeting with the Iraq Head of State? He clearly is Commander in Chief of occupying army.
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The comments to this entry are closed.
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