Pentagon's Wolfowitz Says Iraq Is No U.S. Quagmire

[Khephra]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A top architect of the Iraq war on Tuesday rejected a suggestion that the United States was stuck in a quagmire but said U.S. troops could be there for years, until Iraqi forces can defend the country on their own.

"We're not stuck," Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz told members of the U.S. House of Representatives Armed Services Committee, where he faced skeptical questions on the feasibility of a smooth handover of power in Iraq on June 30.

Asked by Democratic Rep. Ike Skelton of Missouri when U.S. forces could declare success in Iraq and head home, Wolfowitz replied, "When it becomes an Iraqi fight and the Iraqis are prepared to take on the fight, they're prepared to join their security forces. We are prepared to arm and equip them to do it. I can't tell you how long that's going to take."

"Is it your testimony you think we might be there then a good number of years?" Skelton asked.

"I think it's entirely possible," Wolfowitz said.

more..............

http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=5484468

[Jacobin]

1. Oh Goody!! The Vietnamization Thingy is Back!!!

Are they calling it the Iraqization of Iraq yet????



My my my my, the parallels are simply stunning.

[saigon68]

3. She's No Stranger To Grisly Images

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/05/10/iraq/main616584.shtml

(CBS/AP) A 26-year-old Army reservist charged with taking part in the abuse of Iraqi detainees at Abu Ghrain prison – and with snapping some of the notorious photographs – grew up around gruesome crime-scene pictures, her family says.

Spc. Sabrina Harman of Alexandria, Va., is the daughter of a homicide detective who often brought crime scene photographs home for the family to "profile."

"She's been looking at autopsies and crime-scene pictures since she was a kid," her mother, Robin Harman, told The Washington Post.

[salin]

2. NewsFlash: Wolfowitz's secret mushroom recipe

soon to be released... claims are that they can make even the most despondant person see a rosy scenario, based on no facts, in which all is wonderful in his/her future... trepidation mounts on the eve of the announcement, as fears of mass population side effects when the irrational behavior emerges based on the mushroom induced euphoric delusions.

Some believe that this is Wolfowitz's cynical way of making sure that he can make money after he is booted from office...

{/sarcasm}

[Solly Mack]

4. Well, whose quagmire is it then?

No doubt it's those damn Iraqis fault for not embracing America and making this easier...so it's really their quagmire...of their own doing. Cause America is just there to help...but you can't help people who don't want to be helped...but ya just gotta keep trying cause we aim to liberate ya even if you resist...no matter how long it takes...but just because a significant portion of our resources ($$$$) and military must be geared toward Iraq for countless number of years....don't you call it America's quagmire!

So stop saying that!

ho-hum...

[mike1963]

5. "We're not stuck, we just can't leave..."

:grr:

[Jim Warren]

8. You just know

these fukkers are making this shit up and spinning lies as they go.

[teryang]

6. When hell freezes over...

When will American troops come home from Iraq?

[The Stranger]

7. The Monkey Wolfowitz has become a caricature of himself.

My apologies to monkeys everywhere.

[JI7]

9. wolfowitz seriously doesn't think deaths are a big issue

it's not something i am assuming. but based on things i have read and heard about their positions on foreign policy , the issue of deaths is not a big issue for him. and most likely because he isn't going to be fighting there and he didn't even when it was his generation during vietnam.

[gratuitous]

10. Wolfowitz does header over handlebars

After doing a face plant, springs up and declares, "I meant to do that."

[The_Casual_Observer]

11. When Wolfowitz used to visit Iraq

He would shuffle around in "Friday casual" pleated khakis and blue oxford button downs, like he was headed out for a spin down PCH to do lunch at Market Street. After they tried to assassinate him, he doesn't visit Iraq anymore.

Paul is way over his head. He was given authority to do things and give advice that was completely worthless. I would like to know just exactly what qualifications this person has to be doing any of this.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

16. Easy, he is just doing his job as a member of the

Knights Templar.

[daleo]

12. Wolfie says it's not a quagmire

I agree - it's more of a tar pit, if you give it a little thought.

[struggle4progress]

13. Blah blah blah, Paul. eom

[indepat]

14. Lucky for us that we can believe everything Paul says, in fact, bank

on it.

[Coventina]

15. Well! I feel better now! *whew*

I was starting to worry, but I see that everything is going just as planned.

I'll sleep better tonight!
</sarcasm>

[MisterP]

17. blithering little hobgoblin!

if it's not a quagmire, we can leave!

[dand]

18. Wolfowitz, Pearl, Adleman, Krystal, Blitzer, Safire,

are all doing their jobs, they are forward elements of the Sharon Brigade, working to make the world safer for Israel, right down to the last drop of American blood if necessary.

[yellowcanine]

19. The brain of Wolfie is a quagmire of rationalization, self deception, and

pollyanna meanderings.