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Friedman: Surge Is Failing

By Big Tent Democrat, Section War In Iraq
Posted on Sun Jul 01, 2007 at 01:15:00 AM EST
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Tom Friedman writes:

It’s too early to pronounce the U.S. military’s surge in Iraq a failure. It’s not too early to say, though, that there’s no sign that it’s succeeding — that it’s making Iraqi politics or security better in any appreciable, self-sustaining way. At best, the surge is keeping Iraq from descending into full-scale civil war. At best we are dog paddling in the Tigris. Which means at least we should start to think about what happens if we have to get out of the water.

If, Mr. Friedman Unit? But he at least accepts it is time to leave:

The first choice for many Shiites is a pro-Iranian, Shiite-dominated religious Iraq, where Sunnis have little say and little power. . . . In short, our first-choice soldiers are dying for Iraqis’ second choice. That is wrong, terribly wrong. It has to stop.

That is progress of a sort from Friedman. He blathers on about Kurdistan and other silliness but the important point is this: Tom Friedman says it is time to get out.

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    Friedman: Surge Is Failing | 19 comments (19 topical)

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    I stopped reading the column (5.00 / 2) (#1)
    by andgarden on Sun Jul 01, 2007 at 12:02:01 AM EST
    after the first sentence. That's further than I usually get with most Friedman froth anyway.

    Figured it out, has he? (5.00 / 3) (#2)
    by Molly Bloom on Sun Jul 01, 2007 at 12:26:20 AM EST
    (I stopped reading Friedman years ago)



    Parent

    Friedman been off the planet for awhile? (5.00 / 3) (#3)
    by Edger on Sun Jul 01, 2007 at 12:37:39 AM EST
    The "surge" is only failing depending on who you ask.

    On April 08, 2007:

    [Iraqi cleric] Muqtada al-Sadr urged the Iraqi army and police to stop cooperating with the United States and told his guerrilla fighters to concentrate on pushing American forces out of the country, according to a statement issued Sunday. The statement, stamped with al-Sadr's official seal, was distributed in the Shiite holy city of Najaf on Sunday -- a day before a large demonstration there, called for by al-Sadr, to mark the fourth anniversary of the fall of Baghdad. "You, the Iraqi army and police forces, don't walk alongside the occupiers, because they are your archenemy," the statement said.
    Up till April this year al-Sadr had been telling his people to restrain from open battle with US Troops.

    On Sunday June 03 the NYT reported that:

    Three months after the start of the Baghdad security plan that has added thousands of American and Iraqi troops to the capital, they control fewer than one-third of the city's neighborhoods, far short of the initial goal for the operation, according to some commanders and an internal military assessment.
    On Monday June 04 The Herald reported that:
    The toll from the booby-trap devices rose from 35% of all American fatalities in January to 80% last month, despite an outlay of more than £2.5bn on countermeasures since 2003.
    ...
    A total of 127 died in May, the third worst total for US forces since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The previous most lethal months were April and November, 2004, when 135 and 137 soldiers died in large-scale offensives in Falluja.
    On Friday June 29 AP reported that:
    Baghdad - A huge bomb explosion followed by a hail of gunfire and grenades killed five U.S. soldiers, the military said Friday. The attack climaxed the deadliest three-month period for the Americans since the war began.

    The toll for the past three months - 329 - made it the deadliest quarter for U.S. troops in Iraq since the March 2003 invasion. That surpasses the 316 soldiers killed during November 2004 to January 2005.

    Iraqis will never quit. Iraqis want exactly what most Americans want... they want their own country - without a foreign occupying army. They don't want 'help' from US Troops - they want them gone, or dead.

    They also want the Iraq puppet government gone, or dead:

    "More than half the MPs, ministers and senior officials are on vacation, sick leave or on official assignment abroad (at any given time)," a government official told IPS on condition of anonymity. "It is common practice now that they spend more time abroad than in their offices. The main reason is their fear of being targeted inside the country "... Over the past year, an increasing number of Iraqis have begun to see the Iraqi government as no more than pawns of the United States...
    It's all over but the denial.
    Full scale civil war... (5.00 / 2) (#4)
    by Dadler on Sun Jul 01, 2007 at 02:51:20 AM EST
    ...Is what we are in the middle of.  When we are no longer in the middle of it, then its scale will shrink.  Because our fat butts won't be breaking the scales of Iraqi society.  

    Come On, Tom, (5.00 / 1) (#9)
    by virginia cynic on Sun Jul 01, 2007 at 12:10:39 PM EST
    Can't we please, please, stay for just another 6 months? Reconsider, I beg you. I am sure that things will get better. After all, don't good things come to those who wait?

    Could we have some truth in packaging?? (1.00 / 2) (#5)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sun Jul 01, 2007 at 10:47:25 AM EST
    Post's Title:


    Friedman: Surge Is Failing

    What Friedman wrote.

    It's too early to pronounce the U.S. military's surge in Iraq a failure
    Truth in commenting (5.00 / 1) (#7)
    by Big Tent Democrat on Sun Jul 01, 2007 at 11:03:37 AM EST
    Before something is a failure, it goes through process of failing.

    Because something is failing does not always mean it will be a failure.

    Friedman says the surge is failing, but that it is not yet a failure.

    Jim, are you really so limited in your knowledge of English that you do not understand this?

    Parent

    BTD (1.00 / 2) (#10)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sun Jul 01, 2007 at 12:22:59 PM EST
    Nope.

    My point was that Friedman did not say the surge had  failed.

    He said it was too early to call it a failure.

    You said he said it had.

    I see a huge difference in the two statements, but thanks for the parsing example.

    Just pointing out how you will sieze any shred of a comment by a mainline columnist to try and prove that the US is losing in Iraq.

    I never see you post anything else.

    Question. Do you believe that we are in engaged in a cultural war being driven by radical group of Moslems who engage in acts of terrorism to further their goals and ambitions?

    And if you do, what would be your strategy to confront them??

    BTW - Don't tell me you wouldn't have invaded Iraq. We know that. Start from 7/1/07. We're in Iraq and Iran is building a nucelar weapon. Hamas has split Palestine.

    That should be an interesting post.

    Parent

    Failing is NOT Failed (5.00 / 1) (#13)
    by Big Tent Democrat on Sun Jul 01, 2007 at 01:09:42 PM EST
    You accuse me of dishonesty by being dishonest.

    I do resent this subthread Jim.

    I no longer attribute it to your limitations.

    Take a 1.

    Parent

    BTD (1.00 / 1) (#15)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sun Jul 01, 2007 at 02:09:41 PM EST
    Sensitive?? Perhaps you can understand how some people feel when you use the "fool" word on them.

    And I again note I do not care what your oponions are, just as you do not care what mine are.

    So give up on being insulted and let's have an adult position.

    Parent

    BTD (1.00 / 1) (#16)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sun Jul 01, 2007 at 02:15:02 PM EST
    BTW - I do not see you as dishonest, but as biased.

    There is a huge difference.

    Parent

    BTD Biased?? (5.00 / 2) (#18)
    by squeaky on Sun Jul 01, 2007 at 02:25:13 PM EST
    What a silly thing to say. Welcome to TalkLeft, the on-line source for liberal coverage of crime-related political and injustice news.to the left. Did you think you were watching the news or something where bias is a negative?  
    biased
         adj 1: favoring one person or side over another; "a biased account
                of the trial"; "a decision that was partial to the
                defendant" [syn: colored, coloured, one-sided, slanted]
         2: excessively devoted to one faction [syn: one-sided]


    Parent
    squeaky (1.00 / 1) (#20)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sun Jul 01, 2007 at 02:51:52 PM EST
    Do you find stating the obvious silly??

    Thanks for the smear.

    Parent

    IOW (none / 0) (#12)
    by Edger on Sun Jul 01, 2007 at 12:33:00 PM EST
    You'd like him to completely ignore the history, the past 4 years since the Iraq invasion.

    That would be convenient for you, wouldn't it.

    Parent

    edger (1.00 / 1) (#14)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sun Jul 01, 2007 at 02:06:34 PM EST
    Why don't you read my question?

    It clearly says:

    "Do you believe...?

    and

    "What do we do now??"

    Or do you live only in the past??

    Parent

    DA (1.00 / 1) (#11)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sun Jul 01, 2007 at 12:26:44 PM EST
    Doesn't change anything I wrote.

    DA (none / 0) (#22)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sun Jul 01, 2007 at 03:39:06 PM EST
    as some of us engage in responsible speculation on the Internet today

    LOL

    Parent

    It may actually be a roaring success (none / 0) (#8)
    by Edger on Sun Jul 01, 2007 at 11:11:42 AM EST
    from the POV of Bush and Cheney and their supporters.

    In the bizarro logic used to continue the debacle in Iraq arming the people you've been killing for years and invaded the place to oust from power makes perfect sense.

    It gives them the weaponry needed to kill American soldiers in Iraq, thus proving beyond all doubt that the place is riddled with terrorists and justifying sending more American troops in...

    In other countries it's called treason, and war crimes.

    Iraq (none / 0) (#19)
    by rmirman on Sun Jul 01, 2007 at 02:43:55 PM EST
    So what do we do? Get out? How? How can we force Bush to get out? The discussion is too long to be posted here. See my political blog

    Science blog
    impunv.wordpress.com
    or
    impunv.blogspot.com

    Political blog
    randomabsurdities.wordpress.com

    Friedman: Surge Is Failing | 19 comments (19 topical)

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