SwiftVets.com

[Me#1You#10]

Dear Vets for Freedom supporter:

The following op-ed appears in today's Wall Street Journal, and I wanted to make sure you were one of the first to see it. The op-ed argues that the counter-insurgency strategy being implemented by General Petraeus in Baghdad today should be judged on its merits, not according to domestic political timelines. I hope you enjoy the article.


Pete Hegseth
Executive Director, Vets for Freedom

___________________________________________________

Give the 'Surge' a Chance

By Pete Hegseth
The Wall Street Journal
Monday, July 9, 2007

This week, Democrats on Capitol Hill are expected to present several different bills meant to undermine the war in Iraq. I fear that it will be difficult for Americans to discern the facts, as members on the Hill (including some Republicans) will revisit past failures and lament unfortunate losses rather than undertake a serious critique of the new counterinsurgency strategy.

Why? Because for some members of Congress, there is a growing fear that Gen. David Petraeus just might have a winning strategy in Iraq.

Despite four years of failed policy, the strategy we have in Iraq today is sound, both in principle and in practice, as my combat tour in Iraq confirmed. Gen. Petraeus is bringing safety and stability to Baghdad and Anbar Province, putting insurgents on the run. Now it's a question of whether House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and wobbly Republicans will give him the time and resources he needs.

So, before the debate reconvenes, I thought a brief refutation of the top four Iraq falsehoods would be instructive:


Falsehood No. 1: The "surge" is already a failure.

Fact: The surge is just beginning. All of the brigades Gen. Petraeus requested have only been in place since mid-June and already there are promising indicators. Since January, sectarian murders are substantially down, arms caches are being found at three times the rate of last year and young Sunnis and Shiites are joining the Iraqi security forces in record numbers.


Falsehood No. 2: Gen. Petraeus believes the military has done all it can do in Iraq.

Fact: Sen. Reid often quotes Gen. Petraeus to support his position that the war is "lost." But a fair survey of Gen. Petraeus's remarks confirms that he believes the U.S. military must set the conditions for political progress. The ultimate solution to Iraq's problem is political reconciliation, which can only come with the improvements in security the surge is designed to achieve.


Falsehood No. 3: The U.S. is playing insurgent "whack-a-mole" throughout Iraq.

Fact: Gen. Petraeus's mission is called the Baghdad Security Plan for a reason: Its limited aim is to pacify Iraq's capital and center of gravity, thereby shifting the country's balance of power. The strategy is for U.S. and Iraqi forces to clear multiple insurgent safe havens in and around Baghdad at once to prevent insurgents from relocating, then to maintain security by remaining within the communities and building trust with the locals who were being intimidated by Sunni insurgents and Shiite militiamen.


Falsehood No. 4: U.S. troops are not fighting an enemy in Iraq, just policing a "civil war."

Fact: America's enemies are invested in our defeat in Iraq. Al Qaeda leaders like Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri say they want to "expel the Americans from Iraq" and establish a "caliphate" to "extend the jihad to the secular countries neighboring Iraq." These killers are intent on spreading their violent ideology, and believe stoking sectarian violence is the best way to achieve their goals. Al Qaeda may only make up 10% of the insurgency in Iraq, but what they lack in numbers, they make up for in lethality. Gen. Petraeus has said that "80 to 90% of suicide bombers are foreign fighters," and by neutralizing them, we could stomp out the low-level civil war.

In light of these facts, our country faces an important decision: listen to David Petraeus and the generals in Iraq, who believe we finally have a winning strategy that will take time to execute, or bow to the political demands of Republicans and Democrats in Congress who are more interested in avoiding defeat in their home districts than defeating al Qaeda & Co. in Iraq.

Gen. Petraeus promised a candid report in September. Until then, for the same senators who unanimously confirmed him and his counterinsurgency strategy in January to undercut his efforts is extremely irresponsible, and exposes how quickly war-time leadership can transform into election-season pandering.

Mr. Hegseth, a first lieutenant in the Army National Guard and executive director of VetsforFreedom.org, served in Iraq with the 101st Airborne Division from September 2005 to July 2006.

Vets For Freedom

[greasepaint]

whatever happened to the idea of ...

that security forces would enter areas that
have been swept, and stay.
?


if you don't give confidence to the locals,
confidence that the bad guys won't come back,
they won't cooperate.

[Me#1You#10]

[LewWaters]

[greasepaint]

facts needed.
'surge', areas swept by the military,
are backfilled with police, or not.

what bothers me is that 'surge' might be
military code language for ...

Search and Destroy...S 'n D doesn't work real
good, but its the only option you got
when you don't have enuf police but you have to hurry up.

[Navy_Navy_Navy]

Whoa, whoa, whoa - before you change the subject, how about addressing Lew's point that your statements are inconsistent and conflict with one another?

This could be at the root of your discontent - the fact that you haven't even decided for yourself what you actually believe in.

After you address his point, then we can stray off into detours.
_________________
~ Echo Juliet ~
Altering course to starboard - On Fire, Keep Clear
Navy woman, Navy wife, Navy mother

[Navy wife]

Hey Greasepaint,
This is what happens when the population begin to trust you!! Proves the SURGE is starting to work!

[greasepaint]

Lew, let me restate my position.

a strategy of, clear and hold. If you clear and
leave, the bad guys come back and kill the
locals the cooperated with the MNF.

as far as uncontrolled areas, let the rival gangs
fight it out. make them pay for everything.

do everthing possible, to minimize
unnecessary routine patrolling
and offensive action in general.

[dusty]

There is a saying, "The best defense is a good offense."

Have you ever heard that greasepaint? It's a saying because it's true.
Seems you would like to give the bad guys carte blanche to plan, deploy and organize. A sure recipe for disaster and just the kind of policy we are changing from with this 'surge'. The surge is not just putting additional troops on the ground but a well thought out plan of battle by one of the most respected men in the military.
And you are second guessing him on the basis of what experience pray tell.

Dusty
_________________
Left and Wrong are the opposite of Right!

[LewWaters]

Sounds to me like greasepaint advocates settling in as things are currently and not advancing any further in freeing Iraq from the onslaught of terrorists.

If "clear and hold" is preferable, why not in so called "unsecured areas" as well?

Fighting a "defensive action" only ends up sacrificing too many of our people, and Iraqis, needlessly.

Imagine if we had the same tactical objective on D-Day for Normandy. Would we still be trying to hold the beach?

How would your strategy embolden confidence in locals in these so called unsecured areas? Don't we need them with us as well?
_________________
Clark County Conservative

[greasepaint]

in the last day or two,
Iraqi P.M. Maliki has said words to the effect that,
the US is no longer needed.
I suggest we take up Maliki's offer.

at least as far as removing most ground forces,
I would maintain, Air Force, Navy, and continue
training, helicopters, logistics, etc.

the benefit would be, the US GI is no longer
in the crosshairs.

the terrorists' biggest recruiting tool
is eliminated

Let the Iraqis pacify more areas, as that
becomes possible

[Me#1You#10]

[Navy wife]

Way to go, Me#1!! You have said it all!! I loved Gen. Conway's remarks and hope Greasepaint will go to that thread and read it in it's entirety.

[Navy_Navy_Navy]