Hagel: "There is no Military Solution"

A strong Republican speaks up about the truth in Iraq, on the heels of his latest visit. I received an email from Hagel's people today- It refers to an editorial at the Washington Post, but the Post's search engine sucks completely. I can't find the full article there, but it's posted in its entirety here (Chuck Hagel for president blogspot)

EXCERPTS OF NOTE:
"We are still risking the lives of our troops without giving them a realistic policy worthy of their sacrifices. To me, as a Vietnam veteran, that feels terribly familiar.If success were simply a matter of the determination and ability of U.S. troops and civil servants, we would have already created a secure and stable Iraq. But unfortunately, the reality is that after more than four years, America remains the country's occupying power."

Reality- Embrace it, we beg of you.

"If the good news is mixed, the bad news is downright troubling. Within the past two weeks, hundreds of Iraqis were slaughtered in Baghdad, the Iraqi Parliament's cafeteria was hit by a suicide bomber, and a historic Baghdad bridge over the Tigris River was destroyed. Ominously, these increased acts of violence occurred in the area where the United States and Iraq have deployed 80,000 security forces.
So what do we do?

We must start by understanding what's really happening in Iraq. According to the National Intelligence Estimate released in February, the conflict has become a "self-sustaining inter-sectarian struggle between Shia and Sunnis" and also includes "extensive Shia-on-Shia violence." This means that Iraq is being consumed by sectarian warfare, much of it driven by Shiite or Sunni militias -- not al-Qaeda terrorists. Yes, there are admirers of Osama bin Laden in the country, including a full-blown al-Qaeda branch. But terrorists are not the core problem; Sunni-Shiite violence is. The Bush administration's rhetoric has not been nearly clear enough on this key point."

"American occupation cannot stop a civil war in Iraq. Our military, superb as it is, can only do so much. The only lasting answer to Iraq's anguish will come from a political resolution. There will be no military solution in Iraq."

This, only 3 years after the Democrats and Liberals figured this much out.

"Second, we must do all we can to encourage a comprehensive regional security framework, which includes engaging Syria and Iran. The regional security conference next month in Egypt is an opportunity we must not miss. We cannot solve the problems in Iraq by ourselves. We will have to work more closely with our Middle East allies than ever before, and that means addressing the nearly universal perception in the Middle East that we are imposing our will on the region for our own purposes."

Holy SHIT! Did that just come out of a Republican's mouth?

"I came home from my fifth trip to Iraq with one enduring impression. The Iraqi government must make the tough choices now to produce political reconciliation. If there is no such reconciliation in Iraq, there will be no progress -- no matter how many American lives we lose and how much American money we give. We will have squandered our resources and efforts, undermined our interests in the Middle East and, however unintentionally, produced a more dangerous world."

It's about god-damned time that a politician returns from Iraq with some true perspective and not a mouthful of platitudes and rhetoric. Sen. Chuck Hagel talks a good talk but he simply caves in to typical Republican cowardice when it comes to standing up against this administration. Votes Speak Louder Than Words, Sen. Hagel. It's time for the rubberstampers to ACT on their words. It's time to show us there is a Republican with some form of conviction to be found.

Lead the way, Sen.Hagel- Get our troops out of Iraq. As a Vietnam vet, you fully comprehend the truth of this situation.

But the truth of the matter is, that until the Republicans realize that Bush's path in Iraq is basically the same as Custer's charge into the Little Big Horn, they will continue to talk out of both sides of their mouth. When they lose big in 2008, again, they will come to fully comprehend how bad Bush has wrecked the Republican party. The problem is- Our troops are dying today. I don't want to wait until some power mad politician figures out he will lose his job if he doesn't reverse thrust on Iraq.

Yes, any fool can see that a date for withdrawal is a big mistake. Which is why we don't issue some date. We start re-deploying now, quietly and efficiently, under the smoke screen that the surge is over. Consolidate our forces into the larger bases and get them out. Don't give the Iraqis a date.

We have done enough in Iraq. We should have left after we deposed Saddam and been done with it, but any fool can now see that it is, and ALWAYS HAS BEEN about the oil. It's going to be impossible for ExxonMobil to drill oil in Iraq while the general population is trying to kill them.

Such a fucking waste- brought to you by Corporate sponsored Goverment under "Free Market Capitalism fixes everything by itself" wisdom.

In 2010, we will see even more clearly, as a nation that the NeoCon/Big Govt-controlled by corporations/Expansionist Oil Empire experiment was as flawed as Stalin's corrupt brand of communist/Dictatorial rule.