Comments on: Riding The Surge Like He Stole It http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2008/08/18/riding-the-surge-like-he-stole-it/ Thu, 26 Nov 2009 16:42:01 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: Kuni http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2008/08/18/riding-the-surge-like-he-stole-it/comment-page-1/#comment-1992 Kuni Tue, 19 Aug 2008 13:40:34 +0000 http://thinkprogress.org/wonkroom/2008/08/18/riding-the-surge-like-he-stole-it/#comment-1992 About that Surge. We can thank Obama and the Democrats for the Anbar Awakening <em><strong>In fact, it was the prospect of an early U.S. withdrawal, not the surge, that prompted the Sunni insurgents to change sides, according to the American officers who worked with their leaders.</strong> A fascinating article in the current issue of Foreign Affairs by Georgetown professor Colin Kahl and retired Gen. William Odom quotes <strong>Marine Maj. Gen. John Allen, who ran the tribal engagement operations in Anbar during 2007, saying that the Democratic sweep in the 2006 midterm elections and the increasing demand for withdrawal by the American public "did not go unnoticed" among the province's Sunni sheiks. "They talked about it all the time."</strong> Allen also told Kahl that the Marines exploited those concerns by telling the sheiks: "We are leaving ... We don't know when we are leaving, but we don't have much time, so you [the Anbaris] better get after this." Kahl and Odom write that "the risk that U.S. forces would leave pushed the Sunnis to cut a deal to protect their interests while they still could." They also quote Maj. Niel Smith, the operations officer at the U.S. Army and Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Center, and Col. Sean MacFarland, commander of U.S. forces in Ramadi during that crucial period, who wrote a long article on the Anbar awakening in the journal Military Review. "A growing concern that the U.S. would leave Iraq and leave the Sunnis defenseless against Al-Qaeda and Iranian-supported militias," they recalled, "made these younger [tribal] leaders [who led the awakening] open to our overtures."</em> About that Surge.

We can thank Obama and the Democrats for the Anbar Awakening

In fact, it was the prospect of an early U.S. withdrawal, not the surge, that prompted the Sunni insurgents to change sides, according to the American officers who worked with their leaders. A fascinating article in the current issue of Foreign Affairs by Georgetown professor Colin Kahl and retired Gen. William Odom quotes Marine Maj. Gen. John Allen, who ran the tribal engagement operations in Anbar during 2007, saying that the Democratic sweep in the 2006 midterm elections and the increasing demand for withdrawal by the American public “did not go unnoticed” among the province’s Sunni sheiks.

“They talked about it all the time.” Allen also told Kahl that the Marines exploited those concerns by telling the sheiks: “We are leaving … We don’t know when we are leaving, but we don’t have much time, so you [the Anbaris] better get after this.” Kahl and Odom write that “the risk that U.S. forces would leave pushed the Sunnis to cut a deal to protect their interests while they still could.”

They also quote Maj. Niel Smith, the operations officer at the U.S. Army and Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Center, and Col. Sean MacFarland, commander of U.S. forces in Ramadi during that crucial period, who wrote a long article on the Anbar awakening in the journal Military Review. “A growing concern that the U.S. would leave Iraq and leave the Sunnis defenseless against Al-Qaeda and Iranian-supported militias,” they recalled, “made these younger [tribal] leaders [who led the awakening] open to our overtures.”

]]> By: sboyd http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2008/08/18/riding-the-surge-like-he-stole-it/comment-page-1/#comment-1984 sboyd Tue, 19 Aug 2008 03:08:25 +0000 http://thinkprogress.org/wonkroom/2008/08/18/riding-the-surge-like-he-stole-it/#comment-1984 Bravo! A very well-written, fact based treatment of McCain's co-opting of the "surge", as if it is the remedy to the arrogant, ignorant initiation of this middle east war. If only the so-called mainstream media was as adept and eloquent at presenting the facts to the public. McCain's run at the presidency would be over by now were that the case. The last thing this country needs is an old, flip-flopping, special-interests maven like John McCain, who acts as if the will to live in a POW camp makes him a hero. I applaud his endurance during that horrible time, but that's the eventuality he signed up for; also I would like to think that my will to live and survive would give me the same endurance. A hero to me does something that is proactive. Being reactive to adversity is a very human trait that does not necessarily qualifies as heroism - it qualifies as humanity. Bravo! A very well-written, fact based treatment of McCain’s co-opting of the “surge”, as if it is the remedy to the arrogant, ignorant initiation of this middle east war. If only the so-called mainstream media was as adept and eloquent at presenting the facts to the public. McCain’s run at the presidency would be over by now were that the case. The last thing this country needs is an old, flip-flopping, special-interests maven like John McCain, who acts as if the will to live in a POW camp makes him a hero. I applaud his endurance during that horrible time, but that’s the eventuality he signed up for; also I would like to think that my will to live and survive would give me the same endurance. A hero to me does something that is proactive. Being reactive to adversity is a very human trait that does not necessarily qualifies as heroism – it qualifies as humanity.

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