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Lanya

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Gen. Odom
« on: September 30, 2006, 09:16:42 AM »
Lt. General Odom Speaks Truth in Basement of U.S. Capitol. Dome Shakes.
Submitted by davidswanson on Tue, 2006-09-26 16:23. Congress

Rep. Woolsey and 15 Other Congress Members Hold Hearing on Iraq
By David Swanson

Photos. -- Video at PoliticsTV.

Present (whole time or briefly, in order of arrival): Representatives Lee, Woolsey, Jackson-Lee, Rothman, Kilpatrick, Conyers, Hinchey, Owens, Kaptor, Hoyer (Hoyer!?, yes Hoyer, but he left quickly and did not get a chance to speak), Tierney, Farr, Watson, Delahunt, Shakowsky.

Corporate media present: apparently none.

Panel 1: Witnesses: Lt. Gen. William Odom, Dr. Paul Pillar.

live blogging below...

Pillar spoke first. He addressed the question of whether the disaster in Iraq is the result of poor execution or of the initial decision to go in at all. "Most of what we are seeing," he said, "and in particular the communal violence, is an almost inevitable result of having ousted the dictator Saddam Hussein."

Odom spoke second and addressed points of argumentation that he hears too often and is tired of hearing, including being told to ignore the past and focus on the future, to ignore how we got into Iraq and only talk about what to do from here on. Unless, Odom said, we discuss whose interests this war served, we cannot decide what to do. It served no U.S. interests. It served the interests of al Qaeda and Iran.

Al Qaeda recruiting declined in 2002, Odom said, but spiked after the U.S. invaded -- rose in Asia as well as in the Middle East. And Iraq is a great training ground for terrorists now. In addition, Odom said, a wedge is being driven between the United States and its European allies. "Osama understands that; we seem not to." The invasion of Iraq, Odom said, probably saved al Qaeda from ceasing to exist.

"Iran's clerics," Odom added, "must have been equally surprised and delighted." Terrorists can now train in Iraq and engage in violence in Israel.

The longer the war goes on, Odom stressed, the more it benefits al Qaeda and Iran.

During questions and answers Odom addressed the notion that U.S. troops need to do a better job of training Iraqi troops. If we do that, he said, the military will take over and install a dictatorship. The problem is not one of soldiers' skills, he said, but of political loyalties.

Congresswoman Barbara Lee said that the House is voting today on more money for the war, and that she will vote against it, but that she is glad to have successfully included in the bill a stipulation that no money can be spent on permanent U.S. bases in Iraq during 2007.

Odom again spoke about what would happen when/if the United States pulls out. The aftermath is going to be great, he said. It was going to be great the day you went in, but the longer you wait the greater it will be. And, Odom added to noticable effect, this will be the greatest strategic defeat in American history.

Congressman Rothman said that he had voted for the war because he had believed Bush and Rumsfeld, and that he now understood they had been lying. He said he saw the same approach now underway with Iran, and that he thought it was aimed at the coming U.S. elections.

Odom again spoke of leaving Iraq and said "It takes a very high level of ignorance to believe America can leave behind in Iraq any government that will not be anti-American."

But Odom argued that staying longer in Iraq would make things worse, whereas getting out would dramatically improve America's standing in the world. Our standing went up as soon as we got out of Vietnam, he said.

"Beating the war drums on Iran," Odom said, "is a disaster that will make this one look small."

Odom did not hesitate to criticise the Congress Members in the room. He recalled the day on which Republicans in Congress, in response to Rep. John Murtha's bill, proposed a bill to simply withdraw from Iraq. The Democrats scattered in fear, Odom said. He recommended that they should have introduced a bill to send 600,000 more troops to Iraq.

Congressman Conyers replied that the Republican bill did not allow amendments, so the Democrats could not have done that.

Odom said that the most important thing for the United States to do now is to talk to Iran, a nation with which we have many common interests. Both nations, Odom said, oppose al Qaeda. One wants to sell oil, the other wants to buy. Iran's government hated Saddam Hussein and should appreciate what the US did. "We have two issues," Odom said, "Hezbollah and nukes, and they're going to get nuclear weapons - there's nothing we can do about that."

Conyers thanked Odom and Pillar but said that he and his colleagues who agree with him cannot convince other Congress Members. "There's one thing that gets to members, and that's constituents...." In the end, conyers said, the question is how do we get more of our people to tell their representatives that the Progressive Caucus members are right?

Pillar drew a comparison between Iraq and Afghanistan. The jihad in Afghanistan for 10 years against the Soviet Union served to train terrorists, he said, and we are still experiencing the results. Iraq is now that training ground, and we may see results for many years, he said.

Rep. Hinchey asked Odom "How do we get out?" Odom's reply came without a pause: "Well, the Constitution gives the House the right to impeach."

Photos.

_________________________
_________________________

NEWS from

CONGRESSWOMAN LYNN WOOLSEY

6th District, California

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Chris Shields

September 26, 2006 202-225-5187

WOOLSEY, COLLEAGUES HEAR TESTIMONY ON COST OF CONTINUED OCCUPATION OF IRAQ

Washington, D.C - One of the leading national figures in the anti-war movement, Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey (D-Petaluma) was joined by 15 of her colleagues today, including Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD), and Oakland's Barbara Lee in hearing testimony on the cost of the continued occupation of Iraq.

"This series of discussions, quite frankly, have been launched because I repeatedly requested for formal hearings from the relevant House committees and subcommittees...and was met with stone silence," Woolsey said in her prepared remarks. "They weren't interested in asking the tough questions, or in hearing anything other than spin and happy talk.

"I didn't think that was acceptable," Woolsey continued, and "given everything Americans have sacrificed for this occupation -- including nearly 2,700 of their fellow citizens - I believe we're entitled to some straight answers. If the majority party in Congress won't perform its oversight responsibilities, I guess we'll just do it for them."

This is the third in a series of forums that Woolsey has organized on the occupation of Iraq. Today's diverse group of panelists included General William Odom, who served as head of the NSA under President Reagan, and Dr. Paul Pillar who served in the CIA for 30 years. They addressed declining American influence in the region, the inadequate state of our military readiness, and the situation in Iraq, respectively. The panel also addressed the financial and opportunity costs of the continued occupation, a theme echoed by Woolsey:

"Congress has already appropriated $317 billion for the invasion and occupation [of Iraq], a staggering sum amounting to roughly $11 million every hour of every day," Woolsey said. "Of course in 2003, no one in the Bush Administration was prepared to admit that the price tag would climb this high. Had Americans been given the facts, about both the money involved and the lack of WMDs, the President would never have received the green light to go into Iraq in the first place."

Also on the panel were Chloe O'Gara (Save the Children), Anita Dancs (National Priorities Project), Peter Laufer (author) and Sergeant Patrick Cambell (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America). Other members who attended include: Carolyn Kilpatrick; Sheila Jackson-Lee; Steve Rothman; John Conyers; Maurice Hinchey; Major Owens; Marcy Kaptur; Sam Farr; Diane Watson; John Tierney; Rush Holt, Jan Schakowsky and William Delahunt.

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Michael Tee

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Re: Gen. Odom
« Reply #1 on: September 30, 2006, 09:38:57 AM »
General Odom probably doesn't understand that Bush can't lose in Iraq because America has God on its side.  (Had to throw that in because of BT's recent reference to Subterranean Homesick Blues)

I think the Democrats need to dig a little deeper.  They are still talking of success or failure without any real attempt to define the actual objectives.  If it's really a grab for oil, which is the only logical, believable explanation (unless you want to go with the theory that Cheney, like Bush, is a total moron and may really believe it's all about spreading "democracy") then you still have to establish if they are grabbing for oil as an economic commodity or as a strategic commodity.  If their oil grab is economically motivated (to secure a cheap, stable supply) they may be near their goal.  Word is now that another three divisions are going to Iraq right after the elections, and if that doesn't do it, there will be more.  Oil is VERY important to the people who really run your country and the demand is outgrowing all expectations.  If the goal is more strategic - - not only to assure the oil supply on their own terms, but also to make sure that their economic rivals can only get to it - - if at all - - on their (America's) terms, then they still have a ways to go - - Iran and ultimately Saudi Arabia and the Emirates still need to be brought into the orbit.  But for now, Iraq and Iran are the immediate problems.

Lanya

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Re: Gen. Odom
« Reply #2 on: September 30, 2006, 08:51:49 PM »
I think survival there, stemming the bleeding, is the point now of the Iraq war.  I hope I'm wrong, but that's what I think based on what I have read.  We are sending troops out for the 4th tour of duty;  wounded come home, equipment is getting used and not replaced....This is not any kind of strategy, it's simply survival.   If anyone sees something different please tell me.
We are still there.  Is that the whole point?  Just to show we aren't gonna go no matter what?  Well, it's not working.  We are depleting our armed forces.  It is very, very dangerous to do that. 
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