Washington turning to Vietnam exit strategy in Iraq

[NNN0LHI]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20031107/pl_afp/us_iraq_wars&cid=1521&ncid=1480

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Moving to pull US troops from Iraq amid intensifying attacks, replacing them with a hurriedly trained Iraqi force, Washington is accused of seeking an exit strategy similar to the Vietnam war.

The move to "Iraqify" military and police forces is reminiscent of the option taken by Washington over the so-called Vietnamization that came before south Vietnam collapsed before northern forces in 1975, observers and politicians say.

Former president Richard Nixon chose to "Vietnamify" -- progressively putting heavier military responsibility on the south Vietnamese so as to disengage the United States, which lost 58,000 soldiers in the tortuous war.

Though the Iraqi conflict is quite different and US casualties nowhere near the levels een in Vietnam, the analogy is being seen increasingly, after Washington said it may cut US troops from 132,000 to 105,000 by next spring.

more

[Sal316]

1. Declare victory and run like hell?

I swear none of these PNAC jabronis have EVER read a history book.

We leave an "Iraqi Army" in place, cut and run and it will be even more like Vietnam than it already is. "Democracy" won't come to pass as Iraq will become what it wants to be... an Islamic state (DUH!).

I really don't know what the answer to this quagmire is except that it needs to be an international effort. But... considering 'you broke it...you bought it".... that may not happen until we kick this monkey out of the WH next year.

[grasswire]

13. propaganda

Pure propaganda to take the pressure off for now.

How do we know?

Retreat does not fit with the goals of PNAC. That's how we know it isn't really the plan. PNAC requires the US to control Iraq as the toehold.

[Beetwasher]

2. Cut and Run Or Propoganda?

One of two things are going to happen before the election next year.

Either they are going to cut and run from Iraq OR they are going to depend upon massive propoganda to make it seem like they are reducing troops.

Cut and Run Option

In this option they essentially slap together a rag-tag, untrustworthy Iraqi security force, throw together a constitution and have a sham election, declare mission accomplished and pull out, leaving the country in shambles. In this scenario they will possibly leave some troops in the country behind the walls of heavily fortified Halliburton built military fortresses. These troops and bases will be used for further imperialist ventures and possibly protect some oil fields and refineries. Although they may decide to give up on Iraq's oil for the moment and just use the bases as staging grounds to launch more invasions in the region.

Propoganda Option

The troops will stay but they will depend on fudging and making up numbers and confusing the public through tricks involving troop rotations and deployments. They will claim that they are cutting down the number of troops deployed, when in fact they are not. They will depend on propoganda to make it seem like the troops will be home any moment now. This is another version of what they intend to do w/ the economy "Prosperity is right around the corner!" "All the troops will be home any day now!"

[Cocoa]

4. they did that with this war too

After "major operations were over", Karl Rove gave a speech on a Sunday where he said he wanted the media to stop covering the war so much, then by Wednesday the cable news abrubptly switched off their war graphics to scenes of troops coming home.

It was odd, for quite a while they showed ship after ship come in and all these emotional reunions, but in fact the troop levels were not changing.

[Beetwasher]

6. Just Read This Story In The Chicago Sun Times Too

Out of Iraq before the election
http://www.suntimes.com/output/greeley/cst-edt-greel07.html

It's going to happen. I'm almost sure of it now...Bastards!

[madrchsod]

3. does this mean we get

to see us personal being taken off the roof of thr us compound in bagdad? or watching the dumping off copters into the sea? watching the retreat of us forces down the roads of iraq? oh i forgot ,we`ll never see that because the whitehouse has cut off the balls of cbs,nbc,and abc.i remember watching the fall of veitnam on cbs but we won`t see anything like that again.

[htuttle]

5. Fire up the chopper...

[nolabels]

11. Mechanical failure or hostile fire?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3249493.stm
Last Updated: Friday, 7 November, 2003, 15:13 GMT


Six die in US helicopter crash


US helicopters have been searching the area
A US Black Hawk helicopter has crashed outside a US military base near Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit, killing all six soldiers on board.
The American army is investigating whether the chopper was attacked or suffered mechanical problems.

US troops have secured the crash scene near the Tigris River in northern Iraq.

Last weekend, a Chinook helicopter was shot down, killing 16 soldiers in the biggest single strike on US forces since they invaded Iraq.


The Black Hawk went down on a riverbank along the Tigris River about a kilometre from the US base in Saddam Hussein's former palace in Tikrit.

"We don't know if it was a mechanical failure or hostile fire," said US Major Josslyn Aberle.

(snip)

[9215]

7. If the Iraqification process

if successful, which I don't have any confidence in, then Bush and cronies will be able to continue to sack the countries resources.

If Iraq goes down so does the BFEE in my opinion. Their militaristic approach to foreign policy will be bankrupt, PNAC will be given a mortal blow; then there will be people in power who can find out who the REAL terrorists are.

From "The Man Who Knew":

The main obstacles to investigating Islamic terrorism were U.S. corporate oil interests and the role played by Saudi Arabia in it. - Agent John P. O’Neill - late July 2001, he died in the WTC attack

Tears well up when I think about how prescient and dedicated this guy was. His death is still damn suspicious. He is the kind of person that makes America strong.

May he rest in peace.

[Barrett808]

9. It will not be successful -- it's just the prologue to the civil war

Ba'ath v. Shia. The US will ultimately support the Ba'ath and will install a Saddam clone sometime in the next decade.

[guernica]

8. anyone want to run a pool?

pick a number of months it takes after "Iraqification" takes hold until someone bumps off the puppet government we leave behind? My money is on Muqtada al-Sadr and I give it six tops.

[newyawker99]

16. Hi guernica!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[newyorican]

10. I fear the blowback...

this misadventure will visit on my children, or their children.

[damnraddem]

12. I'll look for the helicopters hastily taking off from ...

the roof of the American Embassy, with Chalabi clinging perilously to an external strut.

[kentuck]

14. So the Saudis will be sufficiently scared to let our troops back in...?

their country? And we get the hell out of Iraq? And the Saudis are very scared of the direction things are going in their country. They may want the Americans back in...

[Ernesto]

15. Most who served in Vietnam

can tell you about the "crack ARVN troops" (ARVN= Army of the Repuplic of Vietnam). Its seems the only logical use of the term "crack" met that ARVN's turned & ran @ the 1st "crack" of enemy gun fire...... I never met a Marine that trusted an ARVN....... So much for Vietnamization and/or Iraqization....