The Proud, The Few, The New Iraq Army

Three hundred of 700 American-trained troops have quit the new Iraqi army, reports CNN.

The reasons include "unhappiness with terms, conditions and pay and with instructions of commanding officers."

Comments

[anon]

"unhappiness with terms, conditions and pay and with instructions of commanding officers."

i.e. no raping, stealing, beating, gassing, murdering, looting or kicking their own people.

[R. C. Dean]

Technically, I suspect that the correct term is "desertion", not "quit", as in "300 of 700 Iraqis deserted the new Iraqi army."

I understand desertion is an old and respected tradition in the Iraqi military, so this is more of a "dog bites man" story.

[junyo]

And of course all the people saying "See, I told you this was a bad idea, we need to get out..." harasses the administration into a patently bad decision:

"...the Pentagon and the Coalition Provisional Authority were discussing recalling some units of the former Iraqi army."

Yeah, the population's gonna be real happy to see their "liberators" put guns back into the hands of their former oppressors/assailants. We're gonna pull out too quick so Bush can look good and try to win the election and 20 years from now we'll be going back to nuke some nutjob that was drawing a check from the US in '04.

[Ice Cold]

How many US recruits quit before, during, or after bootcamp? 1/3 does not sound unrealistic. This article is painting Iraqi recruits as wimps, but Amercians can be wimps, too. 🙂

[Carl Sagan]

Why are we pulling out so quick? Is this Iraqi Interruptus?

[burghboy]

Now class, altogether, can you say, "ARVN"? Good... now, our next history lesson...

[Ruthless]

We're gonna pull out too quick so Bush can look good and try to win the election and 20 years from now we'll be going back to nuke some nutjob that was drawing a check from the US in '04.
Posted by junyo at December 11, 2003 02:19 PM

Adjust your timing: maximum "sierra" will hit the fan right about election time '04 which is why Gore will be Dean's VP.

[Jean Bart]

Hmm, it sounds like the American army during the Revolution. 🙂

[Kevin Carson]

One of those guys could be president of Iraq thirty years from now. Are any of them working on somebody's congressional campaign? 😉

[Steve in CO]

Ruthless,

Hearing rumors that Hillary could be Dean's VP pick...

Wouldn't THAT be interesting?

Regards,

Steve

[Ruthless]

Hillery as Dean's VP just doesn't make sense to me. For one thing, Slick moving in to the VP's digs? Nah.
Who does that "futures market" predict as VP?

[Warren]

a) DUH

b) Pulling out now is the best option left because; we already fucked ourselves. The longer we stay the more fucked we get.

c) "How many US recruits quit before, during, or after bootcamp? 1/3 does not sound unrealistic." Yes. It's apples and oranges but US military DOR rates are nowhere near that high. (They couldn't afford to be)

d) The current struggle for power over the Democratic Party is between the Clintons and the Gores. Therefore, Al's endorsement ensures no veep offer to Hellery, and likely a Dean/Gore ticket.

[joe]

A few months ago, Dean described his ideal running mate. Somebody who knows Washington and Capitol Hill; somebody to provide geographic balance; and someone who is a minority and/or a woman.

So let's see. Minority woman. From the South. Spent time in Congress.

Oh my God - CYNTHIA MCKINNEY! RUN AWAYYYYYY!!!!!

[burghboy]

A few months ago, Dean described his ideal running mate. Somebody who knows Washington and Capitol Hill; somebody to provide geographic balance; and someone who is a minority and/or a woman.

Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr.: knows Washington, geographic balance, is a minority

Gen. Wesley Clark: knows Washington, geographic balance, has no balls = is a woman

Hillary Clinton: knows Washington too well, no geographic balance (native New Yorker, right?), may be a woman (we need to check with Janet Reno on this one)

[Howard Owens]

I think Dean is going to want to get a Hawkish Dem to counter his pandering-to-angry-left image.

Hillary won't take the job because she wants to be president herself, and she won't risk getting on a losing ticket.

Gore won't do it because he's already been VP and it wouldn't play well when he runs in 2008.

That leaves Joe Biden.

H.

[mike]

Just curious, Joe, but how ugly do you think Hillary is going to be in four years?

I'm guessing that Hillary circa 2008 will be about as homely as Chelsea circa 1992. But without the braces.

And having balls on the battlefield and balls in Washington are two unrelated characteristics. They may even be mutually exclusive. (See: Eisenhower, Grant)

[joe]

What kind of prick says a war hero career soldier who spent months recovering from wounds received on the battlefield has "no balls" because of his politics?

Wesley Clark would stomp your fat ass into hamburger-boy. Then again, so would Hillary Clinton.

[Douglas Fletcher]

I don't know what's going on in the Iraqi 'army,' but I do remember from my days with the US Navy that what kept me in mostly was the fact that I'd signed a binding contract with them that said I couldn't quit under any circumstances. And as I fulfilled that contract, there were many circumstances under which I would have quit.

Sounds like the Iraqi army needs a new contracts lawyer, maybe.

[Douglas Fletcher]

If Hillary Clinton is going to be stomping anybody it'll going to be with her own huge ass.

Just curious, Joe, but how ugly do you think Hillary is going to be in four years? Do you think it will be a campaign liability?

[Kane Ian]

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