Like so many other promises made to the American people about the pace of “progress” being made in Iraq, we once again learn it was just a delay tactic that was as quickly abandoned by the administration as it was conceived. When the President told us two years ago that “steady progress” was being made in training Iraq security forces, we were told was an attempt to buy “just a little more time”, and that “real soon now” we’d be able to start withdrawing our troops as Iraqi’s took over.
And like so many times before, we now come to find out that we were deceived:
Iraq’s army, despite measurable progress, will be unable to take over internal security from U.S. forces in the next 12 to 18 months and “cannot yet meaningfully contribute to denying terrorists safe haven,” according to a report on the Iraqi security forces published today.
The report, prepared by a commission of retired senior U.S. military officers, describes the 25,000-member Iraqi national police force and the Interior Ministry, which controls it, as riddled with sectarianism and corruption. The ministry, it says, is “dysfunctional” and is “a ministry in name only.” The commission recommended that the national police force be disbanded. – Washington Post
Because the last time we disbanded the Iraqi army, that worked out so well. Seriously, are the 22 year old Heritage Foundation interns still running the show over 5 years later?!
When is the last time you heard, “When they stand up, we’ll stand down”? Exactly.
Another gem from the link above, dated November 2005:
A senior defense official has told CNN that a plan to begin withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq early next year has been submitted to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld by Gen. George Casey, the top U.S. commander in Iraq.
I live in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Milwaukee, WI with my wife Jen, our daughter Emerson, and sons Carter and Colton.
Drove by an Iraqi Army checkpoint yesterday. They were all asleep :( T
With friends like these…