I recently interviewed General Georges Sada, who served as the second-highest ranked general in the Iraqi Air Force. A two-star general, he wrote a recently published book called "Saddam's Secrets: How an Iraqi General Defied and Survived Saddam Hussein." Here are some sound bites from that interview:
Elder: General, as you know, the president has been accused of lying about the intelligence, fabricating it, cherry-picking it, that he wanted to go to war, he really didn't believe that Saddam had WMD. It was all a big smokescreen. When you hear people accuse the president of lying about WMD, of misleading the country and the world, your reaction, Gen. Georges Sada, is what?
Sada: Let me tell you. I am really surprised how people are speaking like this and their soldiers are still in the battle. You see, a soldier when he is in battle, he wants to feel that all his nation are backing him and they are with him. And now I tell you I feel very sorry when I see some people in this country, their soldiers are in the battle, and they are discussing political things making that soldier to feel that he is there in the wrong place. That's one. Second, if there was something right had been done in this country, it was the best decision taken in the proper time, to go and liberate Iraq from an evil dictatorship who only God knows what he was going to do in the region, and maybe even to America, because that man was possessing the weapons of mass destruction and then he was with very evil intentions towards all the West, especially America.
Full article @ Townhall.com
This is a very interesting read that Mrs. Muddy and Skywalker have pointed out. -Ed
Posted by Muddy at March 3, 2006 10:05 AM"This is a very interesting read that Mrs. Muddy and Skywalker have pointed out. -Ed"
Yes, but *we* make sence. I personally don't expect some people to get it. Especially most of the liberals (dems). As they don't give a crap about America...they just want power. (of course, the same is true for most of the republicans these days as well).
What scares me is that the longer we let these things sit around there.....who will actually get ahold of them? I'm afraid to find out but we need to be finding out (if we're not secretly already).
Posted by: mrs. muddy at March 3, 2006 12:02 PMQuite possibly the dumbest article ive read in a while. Im sure whoever the ghost writer was from the AEI or Herritage foundation fed him all the right lines.
That interview is a joke. All the WMDs fit on two 727 airplanes, and were taken away in 56 flights, LOL. Who belives such nonsense? Is that guy Ahmed Chalabi's brother?
Did you support the Vietnam war? During that war, people made the same arguments about "speaking out" and how that hurt morale. They kept on saying how it was hurting morale, and tens of thousands after tens of thousands [not to mention hundreds of thousands of vietnmase] were killed. As early as 66 it was pretty much fought, that Vietnam could not be a war that was won, yet we just stayed on in their killing lots of americans and vietnamese.
So how many americans will die before you guys change your mind just a little? 3000? 5000? 10,000? Maybe 25,000? Were in it for the long term since Haliburton is getting paid big money to build more than a dozen permanent millitary bases in iraq. How much money will you be willing to pay? Were up to $250 Billion dollars now. Thats just official, not the special appropriations which make the sum even larger.
So, How much are the muddies willing to fork out? 500 Billion, 1 trillion, 5 trillion? Most of which will go to haliburton and other companies bush chooses.
How much will the war in Iran cost us that you guys support?
Posted by: mooseboy84 at March 3, 2006 07:31 PM"During that war, people made the same arguments about "speaking out" and how that hurt morale"
Its a known fact that the Vietcong's moral was bolstered by the efforts of John Kerry and Jane Fonda. You would have to be a complete idiot not to understand that this is true. This has been verified by Vietcong officers, after the war was over, who said that they would not have won the war if they would not have won the propaganda war that was fought, almost in full, by our own liberal left.
That war is raging on again as the baby boomers are getting old and yearn for the 'good old day' feeling of protesting a war. Only difference is now the baby boomers are the journalists and univeristy professors who teach American hate to our kids and the idiots who believe anything that is reported on CNN/MSNBC.
The good parts of the war are never shown or known to anybody except those who, like myself, know somebody who is actually there. Who actually helped rebuild schools and villages from PRE war conditions. Who are thanked by the Iraqi's for their freedom. Yes, that stuff actually happens.
Of course, I dont expect you to comprehend that. Your anti-American views cloud your own judgement on the subject. So go back to being spoon fed your opinions from your TV set like a good little boy.
Posted by: cwilli at March 4, 2006 04:12 PMI see, so when it doesn't go your way it's fabricated...
BTW, it does hurt morale to tell people you think their mission is worthless, and do you realize what all a 727 can hold on it?
And since when does all this money go to Haliburton? Are you still spouting the moronic war for oil line?
Posted by: skywalker at March 4, 2006 05:21 PMYou guys are a piece of work. The vietcong did not win the war because they won the "propoganda" battle. They won because there were alot of stupid generals and cols in charge, who didnt know how to fight an insurgent war. That and Macnamara making all kinds of irrational decesions, and the gens in the pentagon, not standing up to him. You could also throw in the fake body reports driven by the brass, that lead the pentagon to belive they were making big impacts, when in reality many of the numers were lies.
There is no, "good news" coming out of iraq. There hasnt been since we first started our "shock and awe" campaign. If there is good news in iraq, its that an 70 year old woman wasnt blown up while going to the market today. Who knows if shell be so lucky tomorrow.
When did I say the war wasnt going "my way." If ANYTHING, it is Not going "your way." A country on the brink civil war, a country where there is still widespread numbers people who dont have running water or electricity all day; people that did just 3 years ago? Were talking about a place where there is a night curfew, and only certain cars can drive certain days of the week. Oh, and that is not to mention all the secular insurgency, or the civil war going on.
You can put any spin on it you want, but Iraq isnt going "your way."
Dont even get me started with haliburton and all the billions theyve gotten. Theyre just a figurehead for the dozens of corporations making a killing billing the goverment. Wasnt it Haliburton that mysteroiusly had 3 billion unaccounted for? I guess being a conservative, losing 3 billion is just collateral damage to you.
I realise what a 727 can hold, I work around them. They dont nearly hold all that King George listed in his state of the union speech a few years ago.... Oh wait, that was a "fabrication."
Arnt you going to some special college down there. Cant you connect 1 dot? There were several reason for going in iraq, some legitmate, most not, but that Oil sure was up high on that list there. I dont know how anyone with deductive reasoning ability above a 10 year old just couldnt have a slight feeling, that oil and all those contracts for "rebuilding" iraq may just have been on a few minds inside the whitehouse.
I dont even watch TV that much. But you guys will continue to tote the line. Keeping listening to Hush Bimbo, I mean Rush Limbaugh and Sean Vanity and all those who spiel out the "moronic" talking points released by Karl Rove and the rnc. Yes continue to be Sheeple and belive what your told.
Posted by: mooseboy84 at March 5, 2006 07:10 PM"There is no, "good news" coming out of iraq."
So the power plant that has come on line in Iraq is not good news? Schools being rebuilt is not good news? 70 plus percent of Iraqis going to vote last year was not good news? Sadaam going on trial for his crimes is not good news?
You know what....never mind. Your sorry excuse piece of shit brain cannot comprehend good and positive news. You can't even give enough respect to our soldiers by admitting that their doing a great job. You have to bastardize everything they do with all of this "the sky is falling - nothing good is happening in Iraq" mentality of yours. Why do you even bother getting out of bed in the morning when you live in such a miserable world anyway!
Posted by: mrs. muddy at March 5, 2006 08:48 PMActually, mooseboy, allow me to rephrase that last statement from:
"Your sorry excuse piece of shit brain cannot comprehend good and positive news."
to:
You cannot comprehend good and positive news with your semingly sorry excuse piece of rubbish you appear to have as a brain.
There - that's better. The first version I put didn't seem very couth. At least this was a little more couth without comprimising the truth.
I can't believe you went down to his level, yikes.
Posted by: muddy at March 5, 2006 11:19 PMI tend toward pessimism, but you sir, take the cake.
Posted by: skywalker at March 5, 2006 11:58 PMLets see, if Iraq is such a great place with so many "good things" happening, why doesnt Mrs. Muddy go volunteer to teach in one of those schools? Im sure you could make 100k, and teach those young children all the great things america is doing for them, that is, if half the children arnt killed while walking to school by an IED.
Muddy could go install a linux network in all those new buildings bechtel is being paid billions to build.
Skywalker is in the marines, I assume some sort of rotc or reserve component, so he can be the first to volunteer to move over to that theatre once he goves active. He can be first to see all the, "good things" happening in iraq, and hopefully after a few tours in the theater, hell return with all of his body parts.
Pessimism? Nah its just called "reality." We all live in our own reality, mine is just a bit more coherent when looking at a situation "obejectively."
Are there success going on in iraq? Sure there are. I mean a good 20 iraqi police officers wernt shot in the head and dumped alongside a road today. Thats a great triumph. Hopefully theyll last another week.
Im not the one with an acrid since of humour, I just find it laughable all this "good news" nonsense. You guys have been posting these, "good news" articles for years, as things progressively get worst. What the hell good is a power plant, when you cant even let your children play in the streets, because someone may blow them up?
Oh I forgot, the security in iraq is not a problem. I mean how many people die every day in washington dc because of crime, so whats going on in Iraq is just small potatoes.
Im glad you all have such Optimistic views on how the war is going, but the fact is, its a tar baby of a situation and its going to get alot worst before it gets better.
Posted by: mooseboy84 at March 6, 2006 02:31 AM"...why doesnt Mrs. Muddy go volunteer to teach in one of those schools?"
well, I know you weren't being serious about that question but I'll answer it anyway so let's see....
1) I haven't been called into that line of work
2) I haven't been called to serve over there in any way shape or form
3) I don't know the language
Being all of that....I would do more harm than good. I'll stick to doing the things that I have felt called to do and hopefully it will affect lives in a positive way.
"I mean a good 20 iraqi police officers wernt shot in the head and dumped alongside a road today."
Unfortuantly, they *have* lost alot of Iraqi police since this has all started. No one can deny that. However, I have noticed that the more that are killed the more Iraqi's volunteer for their police force.
Everything is not going to be taken care of over night. That's been said over and over....not to mention - proven. That's not to say though that positive things have occured because they very well have....but forget it. I don't expect you to understand.
I wanted to go, the Marine Corps decided it could put me to better use elsewhere. It did. I don't question where people serve, or whether or not they do serve. I only question the character and honor of it when they do choose to serve.
And for what it is worth, I've had some very close friends killed in Iraq. To call them friends is really an understatement, but it's not anything you would understand because to understand that, you'd have to understand what it is like to be willing to sacrifice yourself for the hopeful betterment of others. Whether you know for certain that will be the outcome.
You act as though it is an easy thing for me to say contunued work in IRaq is the right thing. It isn't. It's war. It is a f**ked up thing. It is a terrible thing. But until humanity is eradicated, war will not be. Instead of criticizing the people who take part in wars, I'd rather you just say "Thank you for being willing to take a bullet since I am not."
Wars are born out of fear. Fear for the safety of one people from the will or violence of another. For one reason or another we feared Saddam Hussein and his ability to give chemical and biological weapons to terrorists. I personally think he did while we pussyfooted around asking if it was the right thing to do. But that is no longer open for debate. We'll never really know the full truth of that matter.
But what does matter is we are there now. We can pack our bags and leave and say hey we got rid of Saddam, you guys take care of your own problems. But if we did that, it would be immoral and unethical. We would simply be playing kick the can and leaving the problem for a later date.
If we do not want to deal with this problem 5 -10 years down the road, then we need to finish the job now.
You are queasy at the thought of a dead man. So am I. Makes me sick to know people out there get off on killing people who are there with only one thing in mind: helping the Iraqi people.
I'd love it if we returned tot he Monroe doctrine, pulled all of our troops outof every other country and said leave us alone and we'll leave you alone. Subsequently we kicked out all the illegal immigrants and welcomed the people to this country who come here to work hard and legally do it. (I'm not saying illegal immigrants don't work hard, but they are not here legally.)
But that would receive as many cries and tears as us leaving our military around the world.
I find it ironic how people who have actually been to Iraq usually have a more optimistic view of the situation than our reporters and also you.
You nailed it right on the head Sky, twice;
"I'd rather you just say "Thank you for being willing to take a bullet since I am not." "
Exactly. Say thanks? HA! That will never happen. Not from people like Mooseboy.
"I find it ironic how people who have actually been to Iraq usually have a more optimistic view of the situation than our reporters and also you."
Bingo.
I often wonder why someone with such strong convictions against everything that America does, would choose to live here. Thats the definition of hypocrisy. Just bitch, no action.
Those who know not and know not they know not are idiots, discard them.
Posted by: cwilli at March 6, 2006 11:53 PMSo the power plant that has come on line in Iraq is not good news?
LOL
That one is the very best line ever posted on this website.
Seek for news anywhere and you will lean that right now in 2006 there is still less electricity available to irakis, especially in Baghdad than before 2003 (not to mention before 1990).
That's the stats.
Of course here and there there are improvements. The US dollars do help building some power plants. It's just that they get bombed, destroyed, electric lines are cut etc.
Now what do objective people do ?
They say : despite some effort from the USA and local improvements, the overall situation is getting worse.
What do muddy and his friends do ?
They say : hey there's a brand new electrical plant. And they don't mention the overall picture.
That's how on this website we ve seen published all the fake news available : saddam as mobile chemical laboratories, drones, nuclear bomb, tons of chemicals etc. etc. Anytime there's a tiny bit that seem to fit the argument (say some 30 year old planes found buried in the sand, old shells with ineffective chemical weapons in them) it's made in a grand proof that things are getting better.
So we hear about lousy Sada that has no knowledge of what democracy is, has been a general for saddam and switched side, and we don't hear about the kay report that admits that the WMDs expected to be there were simply never there.
It's plain denial.
Posted by: DF at March 8, 2006 04:52 AM
By the way anything that could help vietcong's morale and wipe out the US presence in vietnam was welcome. The US war in vietnam was a colonial war against the people there.
The US war in Iraq was different it was a war for democracy. the US occupation sice the war remains different. The main reason the forces are staying now is in order to prevent a civil war. That's a peace keeping job.
Posted by: DF at March 8, 2006 04:56 AM