Bush Plan Meets With Global Skepticism

(CBS/AP)  Iraq's government welcomed President Bush's new strategy and promised it was committed to making sure it succeeds. But ordinary Iraqis gave it mixed reviews, with many expressing skepticism that an increase in U.S. troops would quell the violence ransacking their country.

A Sunni lawmaker also rejected Bush's plan to send more troops, calling instead for a timetable for them to withdraw and for direct negotiations with insurgents.

"Bush's plan could be the last attempt to fix the chaos created after the invasion of Iraq. Yet, sending more troops will not end the problem, on the contrary, there will be more bloodshed," said Sunni lawmaker Hussein al-Falluji.

"The increase of occupation troops in Iraq is unacceptable and rejected. We are looking forward to the departure of these troops from the country," said Falah Shanshil, a Shiite lawmaker.

CBS News chief foreign correspondent Lara Logan says "Iraqis have been talking about nothing else all day, and most of the people we've spoken to say they do not want more U.S. troops here. They don't believe this is going to help."

Ali Hussein, a Baghdad resident, said: "Iraqis are coherent people and they are not in need of additional troops. The important thing is the departure of the occupation troops. The country will be okay if the troops leave it."

Mr. Bush's plan was met with strong skepticism across the broader Mideast, where many predicted that even with more soldiers, America would fail to break the cycle of violence.

Many saw the surge in troops as a desperate move that will only increase the United States' failures in Iraq — and could deepen the sectarian divides in the war-fractured country, leading to more bloodshed.

There were deep doubts that U.S. troops, or the Shiite-led Iraqi government, would tackle what many in the Sunni-dominated Arab world see as the chief threat to Iraq: Shiite militias, blamed for fueling the cycle of sectarian slayings.

Mustafa al-Ani, a military analyst with the Gulf Research Center in Dubai, said the American military has to take down the Shiite militias — particularly the most feared of them, the Mahdi Army, loyal to cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, an ally of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Otherwise, the U.S. will lose any suppport among Iraq's Sunnis.

The president's announcement won quick support, however, from U.S. allies in the war as a crucial step toward stabilizing the country and battling terrorism.

The leaders of South Korea, Australia and Japan — all longtime supporters of the U.S.-led mission in Iraq — pledged continued political backing and material help to the beleaguered war effort.

"If America retreats in Iraq, then that has enormous consequences for the stability of the Middle East and it will also be an enormous boost to terrorism in our part of the world," Australian Prime Minister John Howard said in Sydney.

Howard, whose country has 1,300 troops in and around Iraq, called Bush's plan to boost the U.S. presence by more than 20,000 troops "very clear, calm and above all, realistic."

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It's not about George Bush, he is a puppet for the corporate powers (rich elite), he's just the face/person they put in power to present their plans to the public. This is controlled by the amounts of money one has to spend on media (mainstream news channels), and the big budget campaign trails, they do control who gets elected. George Bush, or more so the Iraq war is very unpopular now. This is why the last election Bush/Iraq was voted against, now America can believe their democracy works; it's like a placebo. We now face a troop Surge in Iraq, which will facilitate the attacking of Iran, and a broader war in the Middle East. The public is George Bush this, George Bush that; that%u2019s the trick we blame Bush - When the real problem is the whole corporate backed system, this is what we the masses must walk away from.


peace



Something like, Israel attacks Iran, then Iran fires back, walla - America can then justify stepping in.

[arita52]

I think it is time to face that fact that the president is mentally unstable and needs to be removed from office before he blows us, and the entire world into Armagedon! His actions are those of someone suffering from paranoia and dilusions of grandeur. Removing him from office and sending him to rehab would be in our national interest.

[nyckate]

antoniorego - the empty spaces in your post equal lack of thought and ideas. Didn't Hannity and Rush give you enough bushisms and sloganisms today?

To Antonio Rego

If you do some homework, you'll find that corporate America helped fund Hitler and Nazi Germany. They also funded; Saddam the dictator, the Shah of Iran, Pinochet.....this list goes on and on. Osama bin Laden and the Taliban also funded by the US. Americas military then ends up going to war, with most of these very same people who they helped establish as dictators.

War is profitable; this is why America spends 440,000,000,000.00 yearly on military, which is more then the rest of the world combined. This is not to make peace, but to enforce corporate America's economic model on the rest of the world.

It seems a lot of Americans are finally waking up to the country being deeply in debt, with corporate America reaping billions. Most Americans don't seem to see this, problem being you get your news at places like this: the CBS, or Fox or CNN. It will explain why you are so poorly informed about world affairs. You watch the news, only it's lies - not news.
You know, like the WMD lies about Iraq.




Do a search on the Internet for some different journalists. If your not reading both sides of the story, how do you know you are right, and the majority of the people in the world wrong?

Try:

Robert Parry, Jonathan Cook, Chris Floyd, Robert Fisk, Noam Chomsky

Or the GNN news network



Remember, Hitler had people who followed and supported him right to the end.

hope thats not you, and so should you

peace

[kokopelli872]

antoniorego-

There is no need to tell us that again we read the first time. The CAPS LOCK really helps us get your message, just as well as reposting over and over again. However, I was just wondering if you happened to live in the mid-west, along the Bible Bell, where there is nothing to do but sit in front of your TV's and digest the propaganda that was fed to the American people to help get our Self Proclaimed Commander in Chief in office. I can understand support for a President that didn't scam his way into the white house, and proceed to launch an illegal war. I'm really glad you support Bush Administration versus the World Campaign. I however can not stand behind somebody attempting to destroy the world single handedly. All I can say is I'm glad that 70% of Americans don't think like you and see through his wall of Bravo Sierra.

[gdmoore2]

I support my country wholeheartedly,... but not President Bush. The Bush presidency has been a disaster. This is Vietnam all over again.

He and his administration lied to us about Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq. Instead, Bush used the excuse of Al Qaeda to pursue a family vendetta against Saddam Hussein. Bush cut and ran from Afghanistan, straight into a war of attrition in Iraq. He failed to listen to the best military advice, failed to deploy sufficient troops, failed to listen to military on the ground in Iraq, and failed to deploy adequate supplies of quality to the troops. He failed to use diplomacy to build a strong alliance. All that Bush is doing right now is attempting to delay the inevitable, so that Iraq becomes a noose around the next president's neck.

Iraq aside, Bush's domestic polices in the U.S. have also been a disaster. No healthcare insurance, inadequate funding for schools, poor response to Hurrican Katrina victims, no effective immigration controls or policy, and massive loss of manufacturing jobs, without adjustment of trade policies.

Theh U.S. will be years trying to recover from Bush, the worst president in U.S. history.

[cruzn66]

And if a destabilized Iraq is such a threat.....where the hell is the Saudis in this mess? oh, yeah...out spending the large sums of American dollars made on the increased price of oil brought about by the "fear" of a destabilized Middle East!!! Explain why we don't hear more from the Saudis in attempting to gain access to their sunni brethren in Iraq and trying to bring about peaceful negotiations. The Iraqi sunnis are getting financing from someone....yet again, alot of silence from Saudi Arabia! and again...where were most of the 9/11 terrorists from??? oh, yeah, Saudi Arabia!!!

[cruzn66]

What a surprise! The only people in Iraq who want more troops there are the people holed up in the "Green Zone". Guess it's getting tough to take that Sunday drive to the park....... Yet the average Iraqi scrambling to survive the power outages, lack of fuel and drinking water, and fearing every moment that they are on the streets really don't want us there. Maybe they know something we refuse to acknowledge.....our being there is only making matters worse by providing a common enemy for all of the insurgent groups to rally against and use as an excuse to continue their reign of terror. We just make it easier for the people who have attained power in this sham of a government. They do not need to be held accountable by their own people as long as the Americans are their to protect them and take the responsibility for bringing about order. All that has been accomplished is the ongoing destruction of neighborhoods where families once tried to survive and now must hide for their very lives or flee. And further gun battles in those very same streets are not going to encourage families to return to what's left of their homes, given that this same tactic has been attempted time and time again. Iraqis forces will never truly step up as long as the U.S. military is just a call away.

[nyckate]

exusmcsgt - I see your point - they can't admit that Bush's failures are his own fault - they still look to find someone/anyone to blame - trying desperately to forget that the GOP has been in charge of Congress and Senate for 12 years and Bush of the presidency for 6 years now -- there's nobody else to blame but them.

This evening on news was a soldier who lost his meg in Ira (IED) and the government still hasn't processed his papers for 8 months now - he may even lose his house now cause they've delayed so long - the backlog of claims is apparently 400,000. They stand on the battle lines and yet Bush can't get his government to get their papers through when they come home in bits and pieces? Problem is to Bush and the likes of liebman18 these guys are no longer of use so they don't care about them now.

[drinuk]

Lieberman, I've told you before....you are a Prat! We will get you "chosen" people out of the country you stole, so that we can have peace in the Middle East