Privates see the folly of a timetable withdrawal
Tman sends us a link from the LA Times in which even Army privates can see the folly of a time table withdrawal from Iraq;
Logan Trainum, Hickman’s best friend, said David told him troops felt compromised by President Obama’s announcement in October that U.S. troops in Iraq would be home by Christmas.
“David was frustrated — he said all the guys were frustrated,” Trainum said. “They felt like people were going to make one last try to get them before they left.”
If [Gold Star Mom] Veronica Hickman could meet Obama, she said, “I’d tell him: ‘You shouldn’t have broadcast that everybody would be out by the end of the year. It made them targets. You should have slyly got them out.’ ”
But everyone is in such a big rush for the exits, there’s no time to consider the cost that the troops have to pay for politicians’ campaigning ploys. And the LA Times doesn’t have to act like they had no part in the whole scheme to get troops killed.
Category: Barack Obama/Joe Biden, Military issues
What Ms. Hickman doesn’t understand is that there was no political gain to quietly draw down troop levels in Iraq…if Teleprompter Jebus couldn’t take credit for it, he’s not interested in considering it (*cough-Seal Team 6-cough*). This is the shit that generally pisses me off with politicians; the military is little more than an instrument for enacting their agenda. If they want to appear strong and decisive, they lob a few cruise missiles into an aspirin factory. If they want to appeal to the humanitarians, in the name of “peacekeeping”, they send troops into some turd-world shithole with fucked up ROE and let them get slaughtered by local thugs. While this attitude isn’t limited to only the left, it does seem to dominate their thinking. It’s almost as if they look at the troops and say, “Oh well, you signed up for this junior…too bad.”
Is there some point to arguing against a timetable that I’m not seeing? Does somebody think that we can quietly retrograde out of theater without the assorted circus of bad guys knowing? Do they think that the same circus will believe that we will remain in place in perpetuity?
If it wasn’t so deadly serious, I’d be laughing my ass off at how a president whose supposed “strength” at foreign policy just got owned by a private.
Is there some point to arguing against a timetable that I’m not seeing?
I think the point is obvious…the fact you’re not seeing it is a mystery, and I mean that with all due respect. With lives on the line, I would think that it would be incumbent on those in power to minimize any and all unnecessary exposure, especially when it comes to anything strategic. Is anyone naive enough to think that the enemy isn’t going to notice a couple thousand less boots on the ground…as if they were all suddenly whisked away in the dead of night? Of course not. But what is served by formally announcing that exact circumstance unless it’s motivated by something other than sound tactical guidance. It was a political move and nothing more which is what makes it a betrayal of those who are shouldering the effort.
@3 – “If it wasn’t so deadly serious, I’d be laughing my ass off at how a president whose supposed “strength” at foreign policy just got owned by a private.”
That would be “two” Presidents. The current one and the one who orchestrated the timeline.
@4 – Whether or not an announcement such as a timeline is political or not can certainly be debatable. The SOFA details and timeline were released at least as far back as 2008. The bottom line is that artificial timeline are not nearly as important to Middle Eastern indigenous populations as they seem to be to western populations.
I’m not sure if your main point is the announcement of a timeline, or a timeline in and of itself.
The former. It’s understood that a timeline exists, either planned or derived…telling the goat fuckers what it is makes no sense unless there was something to be gained politically.
@6 – Fair enough. I could go either way of the announcement part, as I haven’t seen a reaction amongst Iraqi insurgents that was a direct reflection on the timeline being announced…..but that’s not to say it isn’t a valid concern.
From Iraq to Uganda.
I guess what pisses me off about all this is that had it been a PVT who had posted to FB “Guess what guys, Ill be home for Xmas!” he or she would have been busted for violating OPSEC but since it was the politicos and media its ok.
#@ ARoberts..
Kind of like when POTUS and VPOTUS out covert programs at pressers?
Most of us over here give the New Iraqi Government about 6 months, before its toppled.
@12, no it isn’t. What you failing to understand is that #6 is referring to terrorists, not all people of Middle Eastern decent. There is a difference.
I guess that Justin doesn’t know what sarcasm is? I’d bet that he would have gotten really butthurt in Nam or Korea.