White_Male_Canada
05-10-2007, 02:00 AM
General-turned-war critic sends mixed message
THE HILL
By Mike Soraghan
May 09, 2007
A former Iraq commander starring in an ad campaign critical of President Bush’s Iraq policy has also panned many of the ideas pushed by Democrats to change the war’s course.
Gen. John Batiste, who commanded a division in Iraq before quitting the military in protest, is featured in an ad campaign by the anti-war group VoteVets.org. The spot juxtaposes footage of Bush pledging to follow the advice of military commanders with Batiste’s declaration, “You did not listen, Mr. President.”
Batiste then adds: “You continue to pursue the failed strategy that is breaking our great Army and Marine Corps.”
Batiste may be best known for being one of the retired generals who called for the resignation of then-Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld because of failures in Iraq.
But Batiste has also said in recent months that the United States might need to send more troops to Iraq, and that withdrawal of troops is “terribly naïve.” In addition, he predicted that setting a date for withdrawal could spark a “civil war” and cause a “regional mess.”
Two other generals also are featured in the ad campaign by VoteVets.org, a group dedicated to getting veterans critical of Bush’s Iraq and Afghanistan policies active in politics.
The advertisements are airing in the districts of 14 Republican senators and representatives whom the group believes are close to breaking with Bush on Iraq policy. Targeted states include Alabama, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, New Hampshire, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, New York, New Mexico, Missouri and Virginia.
Batiste’s positions cut both ways in the congressional Iraq debate. He appears to agree with Democratic criticism that Bush needs to pursue more diplomacy and seek a political solution. But he has also said more troops may be necessary — and thus appears to support Bush’s controversial “surge.”
Batiste has written it may be necessary to deploy tens of thousands more “coalition troops” to train Iraqi troops, but with the hope that many troops could come from other countries.
“David is right. He may end up needing more troops,” Batiste told CBS News, referring to Iraq commander Gen. David Petraeus. “The strategy that we're employing in Iraq is not at all unified. We're not firing on all cylinders — diplomatically, politically, economically.”
Batiste also told the New York Times in an article shortly after last year’s election that congressional proposals for troop withdrawal were ''terribly naive.''
Before considering troop reductions, Batiste said at the time, the United States should do several things, such as try harder to alleviate unemployment in Iraq, secure its borders, seek more cooperation from tribal sheiks, step up the effort to train Iraq's security forces, engage Iraq's neighbors and weaken the militias.
Batiste also told the Democratic Policy Committee on Sept. 25 last year that “should we pull out of Iraq on some timeline in the future, whatever that turns out to be, without finishing the work that we started, I think the result will be a civil war of some magnitude, which will turn into a regional mess.”
“The general is on record in support of a troop surge, in support of Gen. David Petraeus and saying a ‘surrender date’ would create a regional mess,” said Ed Patru of the House Republican Conference. “We agree.”
Responding to The Hill, a VoteVets.org spokesman said there’s no contradiction in the statements of Batiste, because the general has consistently said success in Iraq will require diplomatic, political and economic efforts.
http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/general-turned-war-critic-sends-mixed-message-2007-05-09.html
THE HILL
By Mike Soraghan
May 09, 2007
A former Iraq commander starring in an ad campaign critical of President Bush’s Iraq policy has also panned many of the ideas pushed by Democrats to change the war’s course.
Gen. John Batiste, who commanded a division in Iraq before quitting the military in protest, is featured in an ad campaign by the anti-war group VoteVets.org. The spot juxtaposes footage of Bush pledging to follow the advice of military commanders with Batiste’s declaration, “You did not listen, Mr. President.”
Batiste then adds: “You continue to pursue the failed strategy that is breaking our great Army and Marine Corps.”
Batiste may be best known for being one of the retired generals who called for the resignation of then-Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld because of failures in Iraq.
But Batiste has also said in recent months that the United States might need to send more troops to Iraq, and that withdrawal of troops is “terribly naïve.” In addition, he predicted that setting a date for withdrawal could spark a “civil war” and cause a “regional mess.”
Two other generals also are featured in the ad campaign by VoteVets.org, a group dedicated to getting veterans critical of Bush’s Iraq and Afghanistan policies active in politics.
The advertisements are airing in the districts of 14 Republican senators and representatives whom the group believes are close to breaking with Bush on Iraq policy. Targeted states include Alabama, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, New Hampshire, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, New York, New Mexico, Missouri and Virginia.
Batiste’s positions cut both ways in the congressional Iraq debate. He appears to agree with Democratic criticism that Bush needs to pursue more diplomacy and seek a political solution. But he has also said more troops may be necessary — and thus appears to support Bush’s controversial “surge.”
Batiste has written it may be necessary to deploy tens of thousands more “coalition troops” to train Iraqi troops, but with the hope that many troops could come from other countries.
“David is right. He may end up needing more troops,” Batiste told CBS News, referring to Iraq commander Gen. David Petraeus. “The strategy that we're employing in Iraq is not at all unified. We're not firing on all cylinders — diplomatically, politically, economically.”
Batiste also told the New York Times in an article shortly after last year’s election that congressional proposals for troop withdrawal were ''terribly naive.''
Before considering troop reductions, Batiste said at the time, the United States should do several things, such as try harder to alleviate unemployment in Iraq, secure its borders, seek more cooperation from tribal sheiks, step up the effort to train Iraq's security forces, engage Iraq's neighbors and weaken the militias.
Batiste also told the Democratic Policy Committee on Sept. 25 last year that “should we pull out of Iraq on some timeline in the future, whatever that turns out to be, without finishing the work that we started, I think the result will be a civil war of some magnitude, which will turn into a regional mess.”
“The general is on record in support of a troop surge, in support of Gen. David Petraeus and saying a ‘surrender date’ would create a regional mess,” said Ed Patru of the House Republican Conference. “We agree.”
Responding to The Hill, a VoteVets.org spokesman said there’s no contradiction in the statements of Batiste, because the general has consistently said success in Iraq will require diplomatic, political and economic efforts.
http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/general-turned-war-critic-sends-mixed-message-2007-05-09.html