PACIFICA COMMENTARY FOR SEPTEMBER 23, 2004

DEFEAT

Hello, this is Blase Bonpane with a comment. William Rivers Pitt wrote an editorial

for the website Truthout in which he said:

"Every reason to go to Iraq has failed to retain even a semblance of credibility. Every bit of propaganda Osama bin Laden served up to the Muslim world for why America should be attacked and destroyed has been given credibility by what has taken place in Iraq. Victory in this 'War on Terror,' a propaganda war from the beginning, has been given to the September 11th attackers by the hand of George W. Bush, and by the hand of those who enabled his incomprehensible blundering."

Support for the position of William Rivers Pitt is also the position of many senior US military officers who now believe the war in Iraq has turned into a disaster on an unprecedented scale. Sidney Blumenthal quotes the former head of the National Security

Agency, General William Odom saying, "Right now, the course we're on, is achieving Bin Laden's ends."

Jeffrey Record, professor of strategy at the Air War College, said: "I see no ray of light on the horizon at all. The worst case has become true." "I see no exit. We've been down

that road before. It's called Vietnamization."

W. Andrew Terrill, professor at the Army War College's strategic studies institute and Iraq specialist said, "I don't think you can kill the insurgency. We see larger and more coordinated military attacks. They are getting better and they self-regenerate. The idea there are x number of insurgents, and that when they're all dead we can get out is wrong.

The insurgency has shown an ability to regenerate itself because there are people willing to fill the ranks of those who are killed. The political culture is even more hostile to US presence. The longer we stay, the more they are confirmed in their view."

General Odom has concluded that the tension between the Bush Administration and the senior military officers over Iraq is worse than any he has ever seen with previous governments, including the years of the Vietnam War.

Friends we are not giving the statements of a hostile power. We are giving the views of the highest levels of our own military. Let the frauds who started this war give any excuse they want and let them get out of Iraq now.

For a free copy of this commentary call 323/852-9808....323/852-9808.

This is Blase Bonpane