Gen.: Without Cooperation, Iraq "Doomed"
Petraeus Takes Control Of American Forces In Iraq, Says Mission Is "Doable"
-
Play CBS Video
Video
Debate Over Terrorist Links
A fierce debate over pre-war intelligence is being waged in Washington. But with the war approaching its fourth year, is the discussion too little, too late? David Martin reports.
-
Video
Pentagon: Faulty Intelligence
A new report on the faulty intelligence that led to the Iraq war concludes that the Pentagon was way off-base when it reported that Saddam Hussein was conspiring with Al Qaeda. David Martin reports.
-
Video
Insurgents Tape Chopper Attack
CBS News RAW: An al Qaeda-linked insurgent Web site released video of what they claim is a U.S. military helicopter being shot down in Iraq. Its authenticity could not be confirmed.
-
-
Photo
General David Petraeus, second from left, is handed a flag by a staff member for Gen. George Casey, second from right, as he takes over as top commander for U.S. troops in Iraq at a ceremony at Al Faw Palace at Camp Victory in Baghdad, Saturday, Feb. 10, 2007. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)
-
Photo
An Iraqi army soldier guards a Sunni mosque in Baghdad's volatile Shiite enclave of Sadr City, Iraq, Saturday, Feb. 10, 2007. Iraqi commanders are urging the Americans to go after Sunni targets as the first focus of the military push to secure Baghdad, displaying a sectarian tilt that is delaying full implementation of the plan to drive gunmen from the streets, U.S. officers say. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)
-
-
Interactive
New Plan For Iraq
Key elements of the plan, excerpts from the president's speech, reaction and more.
-
Photo Essay
Hunting The Insurgency
CBS News' Cami McCormick goes on patrol with U.S. troops in southern Baghdad
-
Interactive
American Heroes
Profiles of U.S. soldiers who've died in Iraq, a look at the war's toll and pictures of mourning.
Gen. David Petraeus took command of the 135,000-strong U.S. force, declaring "we will have to share the burdens and move forward together. If we can do that and if we can help the people of Iraq, the prospects of success are good.
"Failing that, Iraq will be doomed to continued violence and civil strife."
Standing under a crystal chandelier that spanned 30 feet of the ceiling in one of Saddam Hussein's former palaces, Petraeus said the task before him was "exceedingly challenging."
"The stakes are very high. The way ahead will be hard, and there undoubtedly will be many tough days. But as I recently told members of the U.S. Senate, hard is not hopeless."
Petraeus, who has served two previous tours in Iraq, takes over from Gen. George Casey who becomes Army chief of staff.
In a letter to U.S. troops in Iraq, Petraeus said "in the end, Iraqis will decide the outcome of this struggle. Our task is to help them gain the time they need to save their country."
The change in command was part of President Bush's overhaul of Iraq policy that includes deployment, by the end of May, of 21,500 additional American forces in Iraq, most of them in Baghdad.
"Our job in the months ahead ... will be to improve security so that the Iraqi government can resolve the tough issues it faces, and so that the economy and basic services can be improved," Petraeus said. "These tasks are achievable. This mission is doable."
At the ceremony marking the change of command, Petraeus sat alongside Casey and Army Gen. John Abizaid, the outgoing Central Command chief. A U.S. Army band of the 1st Cavalry Division from Fort Hood, Texas, played the U.S. and Iraqi national anthems before the presentation of the flags.
Also in attendance were U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad, Iraqi National Security Adviser Mowaffak al-Rubaie and Iraqi Lt. Gen. Aboud Gambar, commander of Iraqi troops in the Baghdad security operation.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki was absent.
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and his two deputies met Petraeus on Friday and discussed the security plan and "appropriate ways to reach security and stability and annihilate terrorism," a government statement said.
Before the change of command, outgoing Iraq commander Casey said he was confident Iraqis would be ready to take control of their own security by the end of this year, but acknowledged progress was slower in Baghdad than the rest of the country.
"It's no secret that sectarian violence ... has changed the dynamics of what Iraqis must face here on the ground. But when Iraqis want something to happen, it happens," he told reporters.
Casey said failure in Iraq would be tied to the people's inability to put the past behind them.
"We liberated them from 35 years of tyranny but we can't liberate them from the fears and the prejudices that grew in those 35 years," he said. "I think they'll get past it, but if they don't, it'll be difficult."
Casey said he felt "a little numb" about leaving Iraq after 2½ years.
"But I go away with great feeling of pride because we've laid the foundation for Iraq's ultimate success.
"Everything's not as I would have expected it to be or wanted it to be on my way out, but that's kind of the way things are," the departing general said.
Casey said he was still too close to the situation to evaluate his tenure but said he had a sense of where criticism could arise.
"The main point people will debate is whether I relied too much on Iraqi forces to carry the security load and too little on coalition forces," he said. "But I'm certainly not ready to say that's a mistake. I'll let history judge that."
In Other Developments:
soldiers were searching for a weapons cache and clearing a building
in Diyala province, where U.S. and Iraqi forces have been battling
Sunni insurgents and Shiite militias for months around the city of
Baqouba. The soldiers' identities were not released pending notification
of relatives. The deaths raised to 36 the number of American troop deaths so
far this month. At least 3,120 members have died since the Iraq war started in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.
into one house and killing a man, his wife and their 23-year-old daughter in Musayyib, 40 miles south of Baghdad. The gunmen then attacked a second house, wounding a husband and wife, according to police. The ambush came a day after gunmen dressed in Iraqi army uniforms swept into a nearby Shiite village, kidnapping 13 civilians and killing at least 11 of them.
© MMVII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Video and Galleries from Iraq After Saddam
- Latest in Iraq After Saddam
- Bombs Claim 50 in Iraq
- Biden Meets with Key U.S. Leaders in Iraq
- Senate Investigates Blackwater Subsidiary



- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
...
- 6
- next
See all 275 CommentsThis is the fundamental truth that the neocons ignored. These tribesmen have been fighting one another for fifteen hundred years. There is no 'National identy' in Iraq, only tribal. The different factions don't rely on borders. They are, each of them, spread throughout several countries. It is to be expected that tribesmen in Iran, Syria and other neighboring lands would want to fight alongside their 'brothers'. Our armed forces are beating a dead horse here, we cannot win this. What we can do, and appear to be in the process of doing, is expand this thing throughout the middle east. We need to get out of there as quickly as possible and let them fight this out. Our presence there is inflamatory.
What else can he say -- he wants the job.
General you need to deliever THIS message to Sir Lies-A-Lot and those that HE leads!! When you MAJOR support in a Nation still to this day blame their neighbors and fellow citizens for the failures that Sir Lies-A-Lot and he alone is responsible for, that shows a long held and bitter prejudice against those who have CONSISTENTLY stood for freedom and the rights of ALL people. Sieg Heil!!
If I were a terrorist I would be pleased with the nightly news coming from CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN....... wouldn't you??????
Posted by perception5
Let's see, who did you leave out? tick-tock, tick-tock
OH YEAH!!! FAUX NEWS!!
If I were a terrorist I would be pleased with the nightly news coming from CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN....... wouldn't you??????
Posted by perception5 at 07:07 AM : Feb 10, 2007
Well now lets see, IF this "wolfpack" had not been screaming their heads off, we'd still be hearing "Stay the Course" wouldn't we? You pathetic LOSERS aren't happy with just getting a good Whoopin... NO! You want to take the entire nation down because YOU hate "liberal's". LOL What part of WE the People do you NOT understand? LOL I guess it's okay to try and "Give" other people a Government "By the People"... you just do not want to "Give" that Government to your Neighbor huh? LMAO The "enemy" is in ANOTHER Country and this WAR is a LIE started by and Incompetent LOSER. Now IF you'd have been listening to REAL news from your neighbors and fellow citizens you'd know that wouldn't you? Sieg Heil!!
Precisely why this boondoggle was doomed from the start and why no amount of money or warriors will change anything, plain and simple.
The Sunnis and Shias both feel that they are the owners of the truth, as far as Islam is concerned, and convincing them to think otherwise is an impossibility.
There's about as much of a chance of that happeneing as there is that singingrick will convert to Islam......
Posted by perception5
So what you want is a daily, rosy report of lies telling America how well this disaster is going, is that it?
Kind of a "don't confuse us with the facts" approach?
I like the new handle
Posted by skyk at 07:25 AM : Feb 10, 2007
What I find to be a constant in those that support Bush is the hatred they themselves demonstrate. They seethe about Muslims. They hurl insults at news organizations for reporting the truth. They disrespect posters who express a differing viewpoint.
They apparently feel that hatred can be defeated with more hatred. Pity......
Posted by dallison7 at 07:41 AM : Feb 10, 2007
Thanks you, sir...and good morning.
Putin Blasts U.S. for Its Use of Force
Saturday February 10, 2007 10:16 AM
MUNICH, Germany (AP) - Russian President Vladimir Putin blasted the United States Saturday for the ``almost uncontained'' use of force in the world, and for encouraging other countries to acquire nuclear weapons.
Putin told a forum of the world's top security officials that ``we are witnessing an almost uncontained hyper use of force in international relations'' and that ``one state, the United States, has overstepped its national borders in every way.
``This is very dangerous, nobody feels secure anymore because nobody can hide behind international law,'' Putin told the gathering.
---------------------
We should all feel proud that we are now viewed as warmongerers around the world..........
Posted by dallison7 at 07:43 AM : Feb 10, 2007
Slightly overcast, 70 degrees..NO HUMIDITY! Eat your heart out.
Support Needed For States Hosting Displaced Iraqis
Saturday, 10 February 2007, 11:24 am
Press Release: United Nations
International Support Needed For States Hosting Displaced Iraqis, UN Official Says
New York, Feb 8 2007 6:00PM
The chief of the United Nations refugee agency called for increased international support for States such as Jordan and Syria which have made a %u201Chuge sacrifice%u201D by hosting hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing war-torn Iraq.
%u201CA limited number of countries are paying a very heavy price for the protection of these people in distress,%u201D UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Antsnio Guterres told the press yesterday in Jordan%u2019s capital Amman on the third leg of a weeklong trip to the Gulf region.
Posted by formrusmcsgt
It'll top out sunny and 80 here, but the humidity is another thing though. Later I think I'll swim out to the garage and get my Harley out.
Posted by dallison7 at 06:59 AM : Feb 10, 2007
Well said. On one side in this War of ignorance that's been going on now for nearly 2000 years you have the Tribe of Saddam, who we allowed to be lynched like the Klan used to do in Mississippi and on the other we have the Shiite who are aided by Iran. Now would one of you fascist please tell me WHICH side we're on again? LOL
Posted by formrusmcsgt
If you talked to Europeans four or five years ago, they presented a sort of 'tongue-in-cheek' attitude about the US. Now is is more of an angry disgust.
Posted by dallison7 at 07:49 AM : Feb 10, 2007
You mean across the moat or in your own persperation? ;-)
Posted by skyk at 07:53 AM : Feb 10, 2007
And on the other side, an ignorance that's been going on for 4 years with no end in sight....
Posted by formrusmcsgt
through the atmosphere
Posted by dallison7 at 07:53 AM : Feb 10, 2007
Correct. But most distinguish between the American people and Bush himself. Bush is despised while Americans are still, in general, viewed in favorable terms.
Gee...I wonder why that is, eh?
Posted by dallison7 at 07:56 AM : Feb 10, 2007
I can relate...I lived in Houston for 22 years.
A foundation of mud laid in quicksand.
Posted by bluestardad
Have any of you speculated where that missing $12 BILLION went? I think it might be enough to prop up a private military and buy a ranch in Paraguay.
Posted by dallison7 at 08:00 AM : Feb 10, 2007
I just about die laughing when I hear Bush refer to "fiscal responsibility".
Considering that structure that Brenner oversaw and the billions that flew away, coupled with the fact that the Iraqi oil system doesn't even have metering systems allowing billions to be pumped into individuals pockets, plus the scandalous grand larceny money that Halliburton has pumped into it's coffers, Bush demonstrates that he hasn't the foggiest idea what "fiscal responsibility" means.
No clue whatsoever.....
Well, you will be jealous then -- Ohio is still in a deep freeze -- sunny today, high 15-20.
Email change as well or is it still the same?
Posted by migrainegram at 08:05 AM : Feb 10, 2007
Still the same, bro..and I am envious.
You can unplug the freezer and lift the lid if it's in the garage, eh?
Dream, dream, dream......why can't we flip the calendar over to January 20, 2009?
After that date, no matter what, a new direction will be taken by the United States of America.
Posted by panhandlpete at 08:20 AM : Feb 10, 2007
And the world and America itself will breathe a sigh of relief.
the americans are defeated,and it's the time for withdrawal with great shame,the greatest in history.
the only way for america to survive is to be honest and to stop supporting Israel in killing the innocent people in Palastine.
otherwise no way out and you'll continue receiving the american burnt bodies.!!
I will not argue that the U.S. policy in regards to Israel is the root of our problems with the Arab world.
Posted by panhandlpete
How much more desturction are we going to see from the Bush administration in the meanwhile?
Posted by dallison7 at 08:27 AM : Feb 10, 2007
Less than what we'd have seen had the Repubs not been stomped in November, that's for sure.
Posted by formrusmcsgt
Yeah, the article about faulty intelligence does make you feel a little better. Maybe we are going to have some degree of oversight now.
from USA: new chief,new strategy,all is nonesense
the FASCIST NAZI ISLAMIC MUSLIMS are defeated,and it's the time for withdrawal with great shame,the greatest in history.
the only way for FASCIST NAZI ISLAM to survive is to be honest and to stop supporting FASCIST NAZI ISLAM MUSLIMS in killing the innocent people in WORLD.
otherwise no way out and you'll continue receiving the FASCIST NAZI ISLAMIC MUSLIM burnt bodies.!!
islam is a violation of international law
islam practices slavery on non muslims
islam practices aparthied on non muslims
islam practices rape on non muslims
islam practices genocide on non muslims
all are violations of international law and are crimes against humanity
Islam is a violation of which international law?
Posted by lars008
MAUDE!!! THE KIDS ARE UP!!
You are always ranting about Islam being a violation of international law. Which international law make practicing Islam a crime? If you can't cite one, shut the **** up already.
Posted by dallison7 at 09:01 AM : Feb 10, 2007
Had your coffee, I see. LMAO.
islam is a violation of international law
islam practices slavery on non muslims
islam practices aparthied on non muslims
islam practices rape on non muslims
islam practices genocide on non muslims
all are violations of international law and are crimes against humanity
Cite one.
islam is a violation of international law
Posted by lars008 at 09:04 AM : Feb 10, 2007
What? Because YOU say so?
Cite one law that makes practicing Islam a crime. Just one.
You and I both know there is no such law and that, as usual, you are just talking out your a$$.
You just aren't man enough to admit it. You get caught on your BS and you run and hide rather than manning up and admit it.
http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=international+law slavery&fr=yfp-t-501&toggle=1&cop=mss&ei=UTF-8
http://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=A0oGkjW.0c1FSZwAUpxXNyoA?p=international law aparthied&ei=UTF-8&fr=yfp-t-501&x=wrt
http://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=A0oGklP70c1FwUUBayNXNyoA?p=international law rape&ei=UTF-8&fr=yfp-t-501&x=wrt
http://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=A0oGkmJk0s1FicgARBxXNyoA?p=international law genocide&ei=UTF-8&fr=yfp-t-501&x=wrt
Posted by lars008 at 09:13 AM : Feb 10, 2007
None of these cite a law maiking the practice of Islam a crime. Where's the law?
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
...
- 6
- next
See all 275 Comments