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Readers React

April 13, 2007

Editor’s Note: Readers comment on the Iraq "surge," George W. Bush's "war czar" idea, protests against Bush and honoring U.S. victims at Malmedy in World War II:

Re: “‘Surging’ Toward Failure in Iraq”
Good points! A key aspect of the counterinsurgency strategy of the new general in town is explained in the doctrine he recently developed and the Army published. It requires a security force to population ratio of 20:1000. His Baghdad operation is doomed to failure if those numbers are right because the city itself would require 120,000 well trained, military and other security forces. That ratio is a well documented principle and sometimes more forces may be required. In fact, in Algeria the French had a much higher ratio about 40:1000, including more than 170,000 colons and Muslim Algerian volunteers, who knew the country, culture, and language, as did the Brits in Northern Ireland where the ratio was, if I recall correctly, about 27:1000. The French lost the conflict in the former, and the civil war in the latter was settled, if you can call it settled, by political means.
Keep up the good work!
Jerry Lechliter
Colonel, U.S. Army (Ret.)

Re: “‘Surge’ Architect Rejects ‘War Czar’ Job”
A czar to take charge of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan! The proposal was hard to believe until the White House confirmed that the search is on, and that the catalyst is the departure from the National Security Council staffer Meghan O’Sullivan—one of the young folks sent to do an adult job for Paul Bremer and the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq. Wow! So Meghan O’Sullivan held the White House portfolio-without-clout to manage US policy on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan!

The details provided by the White House spokesman speak volumes about the feckless performance of Condoleezza Rice and Stephan Hadley in the key role of national security adviser. THAT’S the job that is structured to oversee and coordinate departments like Defense and State and make sure that White House policy is developed and implemented in an orderly, effective way. THAT’S the job that Vice President Dick Cheney and his own coterie of national security advisers has usurped. Let’s not blame it on poor Meghan.

The czar proposal certainly bears the earmarks of the neo-conservative American Enterprise Institute, and its recent star Frederick W. Kagan, author of the current “surge” in US troops in Iraq, which will bring nothing but additional death and destruction—and delay in extricating our troops from the quagmire.

It is another case of the Cheney-Bush administration attempting to create its own reality, with help from those who still refuse to face the real reality, if I can put it that way.

When things go awry, restructure, reorganize, super-impose a new level of “tasking authority.”

It isn’t the structure; it’s not the management; IT’S THE POLICY, STUPID.

The White House is desperately searching for someone to tinker with the structure, when it should be reassessing US policies related to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Both wars are UNWINNABLE. The generals, active and retired, know that better than anyone else. Small wonder none will sign up for a job they know to be impossible, they know to be orchestrated and run by a vice president with no experience of war.

A suggestion: Chances are better than even that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales will be looking for a new job in another week or two. He has shown himself ever ready and eager to implement the instructions of the czar behind the czar, Vice President Dick Cheney. Given the impossible task, Gonzales would be as good as any to take it on.

What is wrong with America? Cannot we learn from the Ukrainians who protested days and nights until they got justice?
We can march in DC, we can protest, but once or twice/year is not going to lead us anywhere. Don't we put criminal in Jail? Bush call think he is Almighty, but the reality is that he is not. We need a revolution (without blood), we need to protest - every city in the U.S on the same day on a continual basis. Bush has repeated lies over lies until the majority believed those lies were nothing but the truth. Lets learn from this and over and over let us stand against this imperial regime and demand accountability.
I am mad as hell for the cowardice of the Democrats but I mad as hell at the attitude of defeat of all who think that we cannot stand up against this government. No need for a party to demand justice and to drag Bush in front of a criminal court. We have all the proofs we need. He lied to congress, he lied to the American people, he lied to the world and keeps on lying. How many shall die for his lies? WAKE-UP AMERICA!

Given the mention of the Malmedy Massacre on your website, I think that you should know about the following news:

On 17th December 2007 at the Baugnez crossroads near Malmedy a new museum is to be opened in the presence of an american survivor of the massacre and other American veterans who were captured by the same German unit but survived captivity.

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