Ex-General: Bush Should Sign Iraq Bill

On Democrats' Radio Time Retired Army Big Says U.S. Squandered Lives

(AP)  President Bush should sign legislation starting the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq on Oct. 1, retired Army Lt. Gen. William Odom said Saturday.

"I hope the president seizes this moment for a basic change in course and signs the bill Congress has sent him," Odom said, delivering the Democrats' weekly radio address.

Odom, an outspoken critic of the war who served as the Army's top intelligence officer and headed the National Security Agency during the Reagan administration, delivered the address at the request of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. He said he has never been a Democrat or a Republican.

The general accused Bush of squandering U.S. lives and helping Iran and al Qaeda when he invaded Iraq.

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Listen: Democrats' radio address
Read: Bush pushes immigration in radio address

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"The challenge we face today is not how to win in Iraq; it is how to recover from a strategic mistake: invading Iraq in the first place," he said. "The president has let (the Iraq war) proceed on automatic pilot, making no corrections in the face of accumulating evidence that his strategy is failing and cannot be rescued. He lets the United States fly further and further into trouble, squandering its influence, money and blood, facilitating the gains of our enemies."

Odom said he doesn't favor congressional involvement in the execution of foreign and military policy, but argued that Bush had been derelict in his responsibilities. This week Congress passed an Iraq war spending bill that would require Bush to begin withdrawing troops from Iraq on Oct. 1.

[kansas1946]

finewoven,
The interesting (and tragic) thing about all of this is that under Saddam people had those things. It was a secular country, Christians could openly worship there as could other faiths, girls and boys received the same education, women worked, wore western dress, and were treated as equal memebers of society. Of course the religious fanatics hated Saddam for this, including Ben Ladin. They want women repressed, people forced to follow one religion, etc., and now, that is exactly what Iraq is getting. Religious fanatics taking over the country. Already there are fewer rights for women than their were. Of course, the elephant in the room is "That is NOT why we went to Iraq." Now the Bush apologists want to make it sound all sweet and Christian. It is pathetic. And you are right about the cost. Incredible.

[finewoven]

Our troops are trying to help Iraq become a democratic government, building schools to help the children go to school freely (boys & girls), helping the women become productive citizens, etc.
Posted by bmsbms29 at 05:37 PM : Apr 30, 2007

And if their culture doesn't want that, so what! We'll cram it down their throats.

I would much prefer that our tax dollars help our democratic government, build our schools, help American men and women become productive citizens. $8.5 billion a month of American tax dollars going to special interests who only use 25% on the effort in Iraq. And who do you think gets the rest? This is nonsense.

[bmsbms29]

I am totally against pulling out on a deadline & I pray that President Bush continues to listen to his conscience about protecting the United States.

And I keep reading from some who think that we are fighting in Iraq to make some people $$. The problem there is that the media (mostly democratic) do not report what our troops are doing there.

Our troops are trying to help Iraq become a democratic government, building schools to help the children go to school freely (boys & girls), helping the women become productive citizens, etc.

There are many troops who are glad they are there to help.

And there are many more who were injured but still wish they could go back to help!

God Bless America! and those who really care about staying American.

[kansas1946]

"Odom, an outspoken critic of the war who served as the Army's top intelligence officer and headed the National Security Agency during the Reagan administration, delivered the address at the request of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. He said he has never been a Democrat or a Republican."
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So now I guess this is another "traitor." It has come to my attention that anyone who does not walk lock-step (more like goose step) with this failed leader is a traitor according to the whacky right. Well, if that is the case, then I am proud to be a traitor, just like Lt. General Odom.

[david1737]

lestb35

You and your neo-con friends no longer have the credibility to Predict the future, or intuit the outcome in the middle east. You should come to grips with the terrible failure that you and yours have caused in the world.

[lestb35]

The General fails to expand on what the USA is to do AFTER the pullout. Come home and wait for Al-queda's influence to grow in Iraq with their sights aimed at us. That doesn't sound like a very good strategy to me.

[j4401]

Bush has been very successful in making lots of money for certain individuals. Why would they pull the plug on that golden goose?

[kstrisha]

Quote:

...The general accused Bush of squandering U.S. lives and helping Iran and al Qaeda when he invaded Iraq.

"The challenge we face today is not how to win in Iraq; it is how to recover from a strategic mistake: invading Iraq in the first place," he said. "The president has let (the Iraq war) proceed on automatic pilot, making no corrections in the face of accumulating evidence that his strategy is failing and cannot be rescued. He lets the United States fly further and further into trouble, squandering its influence, money and blood, facilitating the gains of our enemies."

Odom said he doesn't favor congressional involvement in the execution of foreign and military policy, but argued that Bush had been derelict in his responsibilities...

=========

Bush is the biggest enabler of Iran and al Qaeda.

[j4401]

The only way we are going to get out of Iraq is when the news media starts reporting the real reasons we are there. It is all about supplementing certain special individuals incomes not about promoting democracy.

[pstubs]

Has it occurred to anyone that we are being "led" by someone who is mentally ill, and whose buddies aren't willing to admit that the emperor has no clothes? Has the man appointed ANYONE who can pass an ethics investigation? It's just flat-assed depressing!

[emhawks]

bluestardad: THANKS FOR THE INFO! I WILL DEFINITELY SEND ALL OF THEM AN EMAIL EXPRESSING MY OUTRAGE OVER THIS USELESS, BLOODY WAR & THAT I WANT TO SEE THE 911 INVESTIGATION REOPENED.

IMPEACH BUSH & CHENEY.


9/11 WAS AN INSIDE JOB!

[agnim]

"If President Bush signs any legislation requiring a troop pullout of IRAQ we can label the exit of our troops as operation Darfur 2.
Posted by payasyougo at 10:16 PM : Apr 29, 2007"

Ha ha ha!

With over a millions humans murdered, maimed and mangled in Iraq, IRAQ IS ALREADY WORSE THAN DARFUR!

People like you and your entire family should be sent to Iraq as sacrificial lambs, surrendering lives and limbs to the maniac muslims.

Maniac muslims have been slaughtering each other for 1400 years. All we are doing is being live bait for the insane islamists to chew on. And boy do those maniac muslims relish American blood of infidels! LOL

Go to Iraq, fool, take your whole family with you, and let some good Americans return home to their families.

[payasyougo]

If President Bush signs any legislation requiring a troop pullout of IRAQ we can label the exit of our troops as operation Darfur 2.

[bluestardad]

The American Enterprise Institute came up with this Surge Plan Not American Generals! Bush fired them cause they did not want to surge troops!

Contact Information Reuel Marc Gerecht

American Enterprise Institute
1150 Seventeenth Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20036
Assistant: 202-862-5926
Fax: [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]


Why not send this chickenhawk an email? Tell him how impressed we all are by his "analysis".

This is a guy who worships Kristol, Perle, Wolfowitz, et al. the neocons who contributed to this Bushit War.

Here are Senators from Military states that support Everything Bush has done to keep our troops in this Civil War in Iraq! 101st Airborne in Kentucky and 82nd Airborne In North Carolina! Write them let them know they work for America not Israeli Government!

McConnell, Mitch- (R - KY)
Class II
361-A RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
[phone]
Web Form: mcconnell.senate.gov/contact_form.cfm

Dole, Elizabeth- (R - NC)
Class II
555 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
[phone]
Web Form: dole.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactInformation.C...



Graham, Lindsey- (R - SC)
Class II
290 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
[phone]
Web Form: lgraham.senate.gov/index.cfm?mode=contact



It is time the truth be told about Americas involvement in the Middle East! We have been in that region for the last 50 years making sure no one stamped out Israel!

[homespunlady]

90 cents a gallon indeed. Haven't seen that price since Clinton was in office.
He should have said 5 dollars or more a gallon. We're already being told that since refineries after RECORD PROFITS CAN'T produce enough we're looking at AT LEAST $4 per gallon within a month or 2!!!!
Can we "JUST SAY NO" TO WAR PROFITEERING????

[mortonredner]

We get so hung up on the immediate events of the Iraq war and the endless political debate that we lose sight of the underlying reason we went to war in the first place.

Not only was the intelligence leading up to the war phoney, but Bush, Cheney, Wolfowitz, Rumsfield, Rice and that whole crew knew it was concocted. That leaves only one inevitable conclusion that most of us suspected all along: We decided to "rescue" Iraq so we could get our hands on Iraqi oil. This is what we keep forgetting.

On a cross-country commercial flight last year, I happened to sit next to an Army sergeant who was on his way home. He told me that one morning his lieutenant stood up on one their tanks and said, "OK men. As we head out into battle today, let's not forget why the American people have sent us here: 90 CENTS A GALLON!!!"

It's not Bush's fault that our efforts in Iraq have gone nowhere. It's because the Iraqi people are just not ready for democracy. You can't lead a horse to water. We can't shove democracy down their throats.

We did our best. I suspect even Bush and his cronies know this. The real reason they want us to stay now is for the oil. But of course they can't say that out loud. They could never say that even from Day One. It's time now to bow out gracefully and prepare ourselves for the imminent worldwide war against Al Qaeda.

[scsurfer]

Something I haven't seen much is the idea that the neo-cons had the plan to invade set in their heads since the end of the last Iraq war (unfinished biz and all that) and they aren't done and won't leave until we run out of money and volunteer soldiers or kick the idiots out of office. It really has not one dang thing to do with 9/11. Or invading terrorists. That was a convenient excuse.
As far as they are concerned they are involved it WWIII, or is it IV? And it ain't over until we have the whole "arc of instability" under their so omnisceint control. They are so caught up in thier ideological fervor that they haven't even noticed their own incompetence and failure. Or the fact that it is simply impossible to do in the Middle East. Nobody has ever made the Middle Eastern people all go in the same direction at the same time for more then probably six months. Although we may accomplish that if we keep messing with them long enough. Nothing like hatred of an outsider to unite people.
If you don't like that idea, change things.

[repentance1]

This is getting scary. Would our Congress consider impeaching President Bush if he doesn't change course? Also, does this remind us of the Vietnam War (which we honestly lost) in which there really wasn't any other way out, but to leave. And once we leave, would history repeat itself as different religious groups start fighting each other for either power, beliefs,or land? This in turn, might lead the splitting of Iraq into different segments for each religious group. Afterwards, there might be more fighting until another country comes in, and the cycle would continue. What country might that be? Food for thought!

[norcalruss]

It must be like water torture for the CHIMP and CHICKEN HAWK. Another nick or cut on a nearly daily basis. General Petraeus took off the rose-colored glasses worn by Bush when he accessed the situation in Iraq. George Tenet revealed that he warned Bush that anarchy would follow his foolish invasion into Iraq. Congress gave him a slap in the face with a vote of no confidence. Another General telling him that it was a MISTAKE to invade Iraq. 100 US GIs killed this month so far. And on Tuesday, the fourth anniversary of the CHIMPS infamous swagger aboard the aircraft carrier to claim, MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!! Yes mission accomplished indeed.
Oh, I forgot one more cut that will most likely happen in the next week or two. The low-life dirt-bag who was the chief architect of this colossal stupidity in Iraq, Paul Wolfowitz, will most likely be gone from the World Bank. Good riddance to bad rubbish. If this is so, that makes two down, Ronald Dumsfeld being the other, and four more to go. If we can say bon voyage to at least two or three of the following, Gonzo, Rove, CHICKEN HAWK, and CHIMP, we can move from neo-fascism back to democracy.

[hyytekk]

Are some of yo posters smoking mushrooms? We were attacked by Al Kaida and Ben Ladin. So we invaded a country that had NOTHING to do with 9/11. In the process we isolated our allies, made even moderates in the arab world hate us and recruited thousands of new terrorists out for revenge when we kill their mothers and children who are innocent bystanders. Conditions are now worse then when Sadaam was in power and Iraq's weakness makes Iran the 800 pound gorilla in the region, destabilizing any balance of power. And when was the last time Bush even mentioned Ben Ladin? Our real enemy. We might as well invade Canada and then say well we're there so we must "stay the course". It is sheer insanity and even the military is saying the same thing. If you want to stay the course and "kick some arab butt" John Wayne, Texas style, why don't you pack a bag and fly over to volunteer. It's very easy to be cocky when you're sitting at home with your 50" plasma TV watching Rambo movies.