PROGRESS in IRAQ...

[! B L U E WAR R I O R..!]

U.S. Leaders Recap Iraq's Progress in Years Since Saddam Hussein
No civil war in Iraq despite terrorists' desperate efforts, Cheney says



By Ralph Dannheisser and Peggy B. Hu
Washington File Staff Writers



Washington -- Iraq has not fallen into civil war even though terrorists are doing their desperate best to foment one to thwart the nation's democratic development, Vice President Cheney says.

The vice president, interviewed on CBS's Face the Nation March 19 on the third anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion that toppled dictator Saddam Hussein from power, quoted the terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, leader of al-Qaida in Iraq, as having said two years ago that if Iraqis succeeded in achieving a democratic government, "he'd have to pack up his bags and go elsewhere.

"So what we've seen is a serious effort by them to foment civil war, but I don't think they've been successful," Cheney said, adding that he believes the insurgents have "reached a stage of desperation."

The vice president also said that the administration's "aggressive, forward-leaning strategy" of taking the fight to terrorists "wherever we find them" has been instrumental in preventing any further attacks on U.S. soil since the September 11, 2001, assaults on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

In a separate statement issued the same day, President Bush said that the coalition is "implementing a strategy that will lead to a victory in Iraq.  And a victory in Iraq will make this country more secure, and will help lay the foundation of peace for generations to come." (See the full text of Bush's statement on the White House Web site.)

CIVIL WAR NEITHER IMMINENT NOR EVITABLE, GENERAL SAYS

Army General George Casey, the commander of multinational forces in Iraq, said in separate talk show appearances March 19 that civil war in Iraq is neither imminent nor inevitable.

Although there have been instances of sectarian violence, Casey said on Fox News Sunday, that violence is "primarily focused in the center of the country around Baghdad." He added that in 15 of Iraq's 18 provinces "there are six or less incidents of violence a day," and not all of that violence is sectarian.

"I believe that as the leadership of this country comes forward, forms a government of national unity and that begins to move forward, I believe you'll gradually see these tensions ebb," he said.

Casey acknowledged on NBC's Meet the Press that "[t]he situation here is fragile, and I suspect it will remain fragile here until we get ... a government of national unity formed."

Iraq’s leaders now are trying to form a government capable of representing the full range of the country’s ethnic and sectarian groups, he said, adding “that's something they haven't had to do before."

CHENEY SAYS ADMINISTRATION’S ASSESSMENT OF IRAQ “BASICALLY ACCURATE”

Cheney said he does not believe that a string of optimistic administration statements about progress in Iraq -- including his own comments at the war's outset that U.S. troops would be greeted as liberators and, 10 months ago, that the insurgency was in its last throes -- have contributed to skepticism by the U.S. public about continued involvement there.

The optimistic statements have been "basically accurate, and reflect reality," he said, adding that public skepticism has been fueled by a focus by the news media on violent incidents, rather than on evidence of progress.

"There is a constant sort of perception, if you will, that's created because what's newsworthy is the car bomb in Baghdad.  It's not all the work that went on that day in 15 other provinces in terms of making progress towards rebuilding Iraq," Cheney said.

In reality, he said, Iraqi’s have met all established political deadlines and progress is being made daily on security, including significant improvement in the readiness of Iraqi troops.

The vice president said violence continues "because our adversaries understand what's at stake here, because they know that if we're successful in establishing a democratic government in Iraq, that that's going to put enormous pressure in that part of the world on all of those other regimes and governments."

IRAQI FORCES MAKING STEADY PROGRESS TOWARD SELF-SUFFICIENCY

Casey echoed Cheney's remarks, saying on CNN's Late Edition that "the terrorists and the foreign fighters and the insurgents are attempting, yet again, to [derail] this political process they have failed to stop in the January '05 elections, in the October referendum and in the December '05 elections."

As the number of experienced Iraqi security forces increases, the United States will gradually reduce its troop presence, Casey said.

When Iraqi and coalition forces work together, he told NBC's Meet the Press, the Iraqis "are in the lead still with our transition teams and still with some enabling support from us -- medical evacuation, some logistical support for a period of time, intelligence, indirect fire support.” Iraqi forces are not yet able to conduct counterinsurgency operations independently, he said.

Casey said he believes coalition forces will succeed in Iraq and that Iraq "will emerge as a safe country here in the region that will deny itself as a base for terrorism. … I believe the region will be safer, and I believe the United States of America will be safer when we succeed here."

For more information on U.S. policies, see Iraq Update and Response to Terrorism.

A transcript of Cheney's interview on CBS is available on the White House Web site; a transcript of Casey's interview on CNN is available on the CNN Web site.
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[! B L U E WAR R I O R..!]

good morning crybabies, whiners and no-solution critics...

how many attacks on us soil have we had since bush said, "we are gonna go get those guys."

no al quedah attacks on usa soil? 

right?

right??


yeah...that's what aye thought.

[aerynn]

Yup, things are going well when people come back with the "look at how much worse it could be!" metric for measuring progress

[Gert B. Frobe]

Perhaps a bit more relevant is....Have we captured Bin Laden since Bush said "we are gonna go get those guys"?

[Julie Fern]

and when terrorists do strike here next, what will you say?  no doubt it be how much we have to pull together and other such cokehead president nonsense.

right?

right?

putz.

[! B L U E WAR R I O R..!]

Yup, things are going well when people come back with the "look at how much worse it could be!" metric for measuring progress

no...look how it is...not could be.

[! B L U E WAR R I O R..!]

Perhaps a bit more relevant is....Have we captured Bin Laden since Bush said "we are gonna go get those guys"?

"the organization" has been engaged and disrupted...bin laden is a  wanted man...perhaps dead...many of "those guys" have been engaged and disrupted...

intelligence handling is a must.

capture? for what? a trial?  better think again...

if he is not dead already...upon capture suicide or assasination are more in the cards.

[! B L U E WAR R I O R..!]

when?  when?

why are you asking when?

there have been no terrorist strikes on american soil...many "global guerrillas" are indeed going to iraq to fight rather than the usa...that IS a fact.

since bush stood tough and made engaging the "global guerrillas" priority one...he has been successful...

just face the facts...

not one...not one hair of one american has been harmed by a "global crescenting guerrilla" in america...

just face it that you are wrong...


the enigmatic "w" has turned your brain into one big blusterfuch...
because you have no evidence to what you suppose.

when...and aye do mean when you bang your head next time and it bleeds...think of me...   that is your warped logic karmatically sent back to you, crybaby.

[! B L U E WAR R I O R..!]

busterfuched by the enigmatic vowel, "w."

[! B L U E WAR R I O R..!]

 

gotcha...

hey go look in the overnight posters club...somebody farted in your general direction...