Iraq is a 'disaster' admits Blair
By TIM SHIPMANLast updated at 22:00pm on 17th November 2006
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Blair's most frank admission yet over the war in Iraq came during an interview on the new Al Jazeera English television channel with Sir David Frost
Tony Blair admitted that British intervention in Iraq has been a disaster last night - sending shockwaves through Westminster.

In his frankest admission about the war to date, Mr Blair admitted that Western forces have been powerless to stop the descent into violence.

The Prime Minister stopped short of accepting the blame for plunging Iraq to the brink of civil war - blaming instead the insurgent uprising that has killed 125 British troops.

But his admission in an interview with the Arab new channel Al Jazeera will be seen as an historic climbdown for Mr Blair, who has always fought to put a positive gloss on often disastrous events.

Challenged by veteran interviewer Sir David Frost that the Western invasion of Iraq has "so far been pretty much of a disaster", Mr Blair said: "It has."

His words were last night seen as an olive branch to other states in the Middle East and his critics at home.

But critics will be angered that Mr Blair still refused to take the blame for the failed planning for the aftermath of the war, which has seen rival Sunni and Shia Muslim militias take control of the streets.

The Prime Minister went on: "You see what I say to people is why is it difficult in Iraq? It's not difficult because of some accident in planning, it's difficult because there's a deliberate strategy - al Qaeda with Sunni insurgents on one hand, Iranian-backed elements with Shia militias on the other - to create a situation in which the will of the majority for peace is displaced by the will of the minority for war."

Despite the violence engulfing Baghdad and British-controlled Basra, Mr Blair insisted that British troops were not ready to pull out.

"We are not walking away from Iraq," he said. "We will stay for as long as the government needs us to stay.

"And the reason for that is that what is happening in Iraq, as in Afghanistan, as elsewhere in parts of the Middle East, is a struggle between the decent majority of people, who want to live in peace together, and those who have an extreme and perverted and warped view of Islam, who want to create war.

"In those circumstances, our task has got to be to stand up for the moderates and the democrats against the extremists and the sectarians. They are testing our will at the moment, and our will has not to be found wanting."

In a chilling warning to those who want Britain to cut and run from the foreign adventures that have characterised Mr Blair's premiership he warned that Britain would be involved in the Middle East on a "generational" basis, though he stressed he did not expect British troops to remain in countries like Iraq and Afghanistan for a generation.

He said long-term diplomatic, economic and political efforts would be required to support and empower the forces of moderate Islam in the region against extremists with a "warped and perverted" version of the religion.

The Prime Minister used his interview to again offer a partnership with Iraq's neighbours Iran and Syria but warned that they are not yet doing enough to warrant a friendly relationship.

Asked whether his stance amounted to "appeasement", Mr Blair responded: "It is completely absurd to say that - on the contrary."

He added: "Let me make one thing absolutely clear, I do not intend any message other than absolute strength in relation to Iran. If, for example, Iran wants a different relationship with the USA or EU, with the West, then it has got to make sure it is abiding by its international obligations in respect to this nuclear weapons issue; it has got to stop supporting terrorism in the region; and it has got to reach out and help resolve the problems of the region, rather than be part of the problem in the region."

His message to Iran was: "If you reject the way forward that we are setting out, if instead of helping the region you support terrorism, you act in breach of your international obligations, then it is our part to stand up to you. On the other hand, if it is the case that you want to be part of a constructive solution in the Middle East, the door is open to you."

Mr Blair's frank admission comes a month after Britain's top general said that British troops should pull out of Iraq "soon" because their presence a "exacerbates the security problems".

Sir Richard Dannatt, the Chief of the General Staff, told the Daily Mail that Mr Blair's desire to forge a "liberal democracy" in Iraq was a "naive" failure and commented: "Whatever consent we may have had in the first place" from the Iraqi people "has largely turned to intolerance."

A series of reports have exposed the disatrous consequences of the Iraq war.

In addition to the British death toll of 125, nearly 5,000 British injured servicemen have been evacuated from the war zone. Some 2,865 Americans have been killed and more than 21,000 injured.

A report by Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore last month claimed that 654,965 Iraqis have died over the last three years, with 200,000 deaths directly attribuatble to coalition forces

Protecting Sunnis in Western Iraq 'Complicated,' General Says
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Nov. 17, 2006 – Providing protection and stability for Sunnis living in a portion of western Iraq has proved to be a complicated situation, a senior U.S. Marine officer said today.

"We live in a gray area, and this is a very complex scenario that we have to work with every day," Marine Col. Larry D. Nicholson, commander of Regimental Combat Team 5, told Pentagon reporters from Fallujah during a satellite-televised news conference.

Nicholson has commanded RCT-5's nearly 5,000 U.S. Marines, soldiers and sailors since February. The unit's primary mission, he said, is to train and develop Iraqi soldiers and police within his 1,800-square-mile area of operations in Anbar province.

U.S. and Iraqi security forces have teamed up to dampen the violence that gripped Fallujah in previous years, Nicholson observed. As a result, he said, life is looking up for that city's mostly-Sunni residents.

Former dictator Saddam Hussein, a Sunni Arab, had ruled Iraq with an iron fist, to the detriment of its Shiite and Kurdish citizens, who together constitute a majority of the Iraq's population. Now, the less-numerous Sunnis are adjusting to the reality that they don't have the political power they'd once enjoyed under Saddam.

Nicholson noted the irony in the fact that much of the insurgent activity in Iraq since Saddam was toppled from power has been conducted by Sunni Muslims. "We're in the middle of a Sunni insurgency, but yet we feel ... that we are the protectors of the Sunnis," the colonel said. The spike of sectarian violence in Baghdad, Nicholson said, has caused thousands of Sunni residents of the Iraqi capital city to move to points west, including Fallujah.

Security is just one of RCT-5's many missions, the colonel said, noting his troops also work with local Iraqi officials, tribal sheiks and religious leaders to bolster area governance and economic development. The Iraqi government has provided $70 million, he said, to rebuild Fallujah residences that were damaged or destroyed two years ago during the joint U.S.-Iraqi offensive that regained control of the city from insurgents.

U.S. military and civilian officials continue to assist in efforts to persuade the Iraqi government to provide funding for projects that benefit Fallujah's residents, Nicholson pointed out.

However, there's a palpable rift between Fallujah's elected officials and the federal government in Baghdad, Nicholson said. Fallujah's Sunni officials, he observed, "just don't believe that the government right now in Baghdad is as inclusive as it ought to be."

Yet, despite the changed political landscape since Saddam fell from power, "there are positive developments that come out of Baghdad and out of the government" for Fallujah's Sunnis, the colonel noted.

But most Sunnis aren't in any hurry to visit Iraqi army recruiting stations, Nicholson observed. "We have not had the kind of success that we would like to create an army that represents all of Iraq and not just portions of Iraq," he said.

The majority of Fallujah's residents do seem to realize and appreciate that the Americans are trying to help them, Nicholson said.

"You know, we are here to help get funds for them to rebuild their infrastructure and to make sure that they get a fair shake out of Baghdad," Nicholson asserted. "And, I will tell you, it's not lost on them. They understand that."

Related Articles:
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THE FRAUD OF DARFUR
Dr. Jack Wheeler  
Behind The Lines
Thursday, 16 November 2006

The latest liberal cause célèbre is the "humanitarian crisis" of "genocide" in Darfur.  It is very difficult to find on this earth a more remote wasteland having no connection whatever to American interests than this patch of the Sahara Desert in western Sudan. 

But of course, that is precisely why liberals are so hysterical about it.

The first thing to understand is that there are no Christians in Darfur.  They're in the south, Darfur is way over there in the west.  The conflict, which started in 2003, is between camel-herding nomads and farmers in the desert - both of whom are Moslem.

The Darfur Conflict is purely Moslem:  Moslem versus Moslem.  No Christians are involved.  It is strictly Moslem tribal warfare.

The infamous "Janjaweed" militias of nomadic Abbala tribesmen are all Moslem.  The Fur, Zaghawa, and Massaleit farming tribes they are attacking are all Moslem. 

Moreover, there is not one side versus another.  It's chaotic tribal warfare between dozens and dozens of tribes who are continuously switching sides - sometimes right in the middle of a battle.

If there is anyplace in the world that America has no interest being involved in, this is it.

To The Point Weekly Report for November 17th 2006
GEORGE BUSH’S BETRAYAL AND DESTRUCTION OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY
Dr. Jack Wheeler  
TTP Intelligence Bulletin
Wednesday, 15 November 2006

The worst fears of conservative Republicans in Congress came true this Monday (11/13), six days after their November 7 wipeout.  The tapping of Senator Mel Martinez (R-FL) as RNC Chairman is confirming evidence that George Bush is intent on destroying the Republican Party.

The most stunning defeat the GOP suffered on election day was that of Michael Steele for the open Senate seat in Maryland.  Here is a black Lt. Governor who is really smart, really articulate, and really conservative Republican.  The Dems were desperate to see him lose and they succeeded.

Outgoing Republican National Committee (RNC) chairman Ken Mehlman immediately recognized the value of Steele to the GOP and asked him to be his successor.  Rove and Bush squashed the offer like a bug.  Steele has been humiliated and is infuriated - he may drop out of politics now to the GOP's great loss.

Bush and Rove instead forced their choice of Martinez upon the party.  Why?  Because Martinez, a Hispanic, is a fierce advocate of amnesty for illegal aliens.

Read more ...  
 
GEORGE BUSH’S GEOPOLITICAL GENIUS
Dr. Jack Wheeler  
Behind The Lines
Thursday, 16 November 2006

George W. Bush may be historically recorded as America's most frustratingly puzzling president.  He is fundamentally a decent man, a genuine Christian with enormous moral courage.  This is what infuriates the Left about him.

It is his incomprehensible blind spots that drive conservatives around the bend.  The one regarding illegal immigration is the worst, with many saying impeachably so.  His refusal to destabilize Iran, which most likely will cause the Iraq War to be lost, is another.

Yet with other geopolitical issues, he sees with astounding foresight and clarity.  The best example is India.  The first thing he asked Condi, when she became his National Security Advisor, was about India.  She hadn't thought about it.

"Biggest democracy in the world, only country in Asia capable of standing up to China," he explained.  "I want a plan from you on how we develop a military, political, and economic alliance with India."  Condi said she'd get right on it.

"Oh, yes," he added, "make sure it includes support for military cooperation between India and Israel."

Bush: Coalition in Iraq Will 'Succeed Unless We Quit'
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Nov. 17, 2006 – President Bush acknowledged today the difficulty of the mission in Iraq but insisted, "We'll succeed unless we quit."

"The (Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-) Maliki government is going to make it unless the coalition leaves before they have a chance to make it," Bush said during a news conference today in Vietnam, where he shared the podium with Australian Prime Minister John Howard. "And that's why I assured the prime minister we'll get the job done."

People tend to want instant success in the world, but the task in Iraq and elsewhere in the world countering radical extremism "is going to take awhile," the president, in Vietnam for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, told reporters.

Bush called the war in Iraq just one part of the struggle between radicals and extremists and people who want to live in peace. "And it's just going to take a long period of time ... for the ... ideology of freedom to overcome an ideology of hate," he said. "Yet, the world that we live in today is one where (people) want things to happen immediately."

He emphasized the difficulty of the mission in Iraq and the importance of the coalition standing strong as Iraq's government progresses. "It's hard work in Iraq," the president said. "That's why I'm so proud to have a partner like John Howard who understands it's difficult to get the job done."

Bush said he assured Howard that a change in the U.S. Congress doesn't signal a change in the country's commitment to the Iraq mission. "I ... assured him that we're not leaving until this job is done, until Iraq can govern, sustain and defend itself," he said.

Howard echoed Bush's sentiments about the need to remain in Iraq until the job is done. "The idea of the coalition leaving in circumstances where the Iraqi people were not soon to be able to look after themselves and to enjoy the democracy they want would be a catastrophic defeat for our cause," he said. That defeat would extend beyond the Middle East and "would embolden terrorists in that region and it would embolden terrorism in countries like Indonesia," he said.

Bush called APEC "an important summit" and said it gives the participants an opportunity to discuss, not just free trade, but also other key issues such as North Korea's nuclear ambitions.

"We have a chance to solve this issue peacefully and diplomatically," he said. "It's important for the world to see that the Security Council resolutions which were passed are implemented. So part of my discussions will be how we fully implement those sanctions that the world has asked for, but also it's a chance to set the conditions right so that the Six-Party Talks will succeed."

The president said he was pleased to visit Vietnam and said he looks forward to meetings with the country's leadership. He expressed optimism that two countries once at war can become friends. "I guess my first reaction is history has a long march to it, and that societies change and relationships can constantly be altered to the good," he said