Gen Batiste:"I'm Outraged That Elected Officials Of My Party Don't Comprehend Need For Redeployment"

Gen. Batiste: ‘I’m Outraged That Elected Officials Of My Own Party Do Not Comprehend’ The Need For Redeployment

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As a conservative, I am all for a strong military and setting the conditions for success. America goes to war to win. I am not anti-war and am committed to winning the struggle against world-wide Islamic extremism. But, I am outraged that elected officials of my own party do not comprehend the predicament we are in with a strategy in the Middle East that lacks focus and is all but relying on the military to solve the diplomatic, political, and economic Rubik’s Cube that defines Iraq. Our dysfunctional interagency process in Washington DC lacks leadership and direction. Many conservatives in Congress have allowed the charade to go on for too long.

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Our military and our treasury are not unlimited resources. The war in Iraq is breaking our fine Army and Marine Corps, and we are perilously close to doing damage that will take more than a decade to fix. Our brigades and divisions in Iraq today are at near full strength because the rest of the force has been gutted. We cannot place America in a position of weakness as it just begins its long war against world-wide Islamic extremism. The Republican administration is bleeding our national treasure in blood and dollars with little to show for it.

The high price we are paying might be worth it if Iraq’s many factions were making meaningful progress to achieve political reconciliation. But, after more than four years, Iraqis are no closer to settling their differences and the sitting Shia government is ineffective. With insufficient coalition and Iraqi security forces on the ground, the myth of Sisyphus is playing out over and over again. The Iraqi Parliament goes on vacation instead of working, and every few months, it seems, another Iraqi political faction walks out of the process. To me, continuing to expend money and American lives on a nation that shows little drive to solve its own problems is the foreign policy equivalent of a welfare queen.

The only way to stabilize Iraq and allow our military to rearm and refit for the long fight ahead is to begin a responsible and deliberate redeployment from Iraq and replace the troops with far less expensive and much more effective resources–those of diplomacy and the critical work of political reconciliation and economic recovery. In other words, when it comes to Iraq, it’s time for conservatives to once again be conservative.

more at:
http://thinkprogress.org/2007/08/22/batiste-conservatives/

And to think, the man gave up a promotion and a larger pension because he could not stand to work for the hero of christian conservative republicans.

They should be GREATFUL we bombed the shit out of them and ruined their infrastructure and took their oil. What the hell is wrong with them? :eyes:

Oops. K&R!!! :thumbsup: :D

I hope every conservative reads this. He has the credibility, knowledge, and experience to speak to the right wing, and given that many conservatives are already starting to waver on the war, it's wonderful that Batiste wrote this.

Not only that, Batiste showed he's a true American by sending it to ThinkProgress. At least he doesn't believe that anti-war people are anti-American stooges of Al Qaeda who hate our troops.

not Conservatives. In fact, they are not. They are Neo-Fascists.

that is a good talking point. Thank you Gen. Batiste.

I feel like sending this link to all my Rethug relatives that don't know what they are talking about. Thank goodness my immediate family are all Dems or we'd be having some nasty dinner conversations and TV time wold be hell. Anyway, three cheers for General Batiste! I love that man. :loveya: