USA & Iraq -The Long Good-bye Kiss

The latest US long good- bye kiss to Iraq was officially announced by
General Ordierno last Sunday on ABC TV. You can be certain these fraudulent farewells will continuue for years as the US attempts to justify its continued occupation of the broken country.. What makes the General's announcement more disingenious is that there has not been a legal central government for five months. And violence is now beginning to work itself into another bloody crescendo

General Ordierno along with Gerneral Abizaid were about the only top generals assigned to Iraq occupation that appeared to be concerned over martial integrity. Abizaid quietly retired as CENTOM commander when he was asked to prolong the losing war with the GWB surge'. He just faded away. Ordierno choose to remain; he was promoted with two stars more from his old 2-star days as division commander of the 4th Division. He was a "bash, mash and slash general. Nuances thankfully were never his thing.

While General Petreus was hopelessly trying to win hearts and minds as a division commander, Ordierno went about arresting any male Iraqi who could wear beard and who did not need a wheel chair or crutches to walk. He filled the POW cages wiith many innocents to include the prision at Abu Gahrib. He was criticized by the press for his brutal methods, but he captured Saddam Hussien with his tactics . Unlike politically correct Petraeus, he took the press hits, but got the job done..

Whether you agree with the war or not and I do not, you should be glad Ordierno fights for the US. So it is now especially vexing that he flaks for contniued US presence in Iraq by pretending Iraqi forces can prevent disintergration of the country especially without a central government.

Perhaps two more stars on his shoulder bring about a change in outlook and candor..

Ordierno should have concluded that there is serious skepticism on whether the Iraqi can manage anything politically or militarily seriously without a united central government. For example, when he turned over the high security prison Camp Cropper recently on July 15 2010, he had to retain about 50 prisioneers under US control.

A few days afterwards 4 Al Queda POWs escaped from the now Iraq facility.; the new warden and some guards fled with them. So general, please hold off on another "mission accomplished" celebration on Iraq. It was sappy enough when a large wood key was passed to the Iraqis at the ceremony when Cropper was transfered to them. Was that your female staffs contribution to the event ?.

This summer General Ordierno is slated to depart Iraq coincidental with the draw-down of US forces to around 50,000 troops. His replacement is as of now slated to be LTG L. Austin. Ordeirno is to take command of a Joint Forces command, so expect him to be around for awhile. Meanwhile General Petraeus, Commander of NATO/US in Afghanistan, has started to launch a campaign to win the hearts and minds of the American people to support the Afghan war. It begins to get creepy when generals promote their own wars. It certainly did not work for General Westmorland in the Vietnam war.

It is a certainty that the US will do what it can to continue maintain control over Iraq. US troops will morph into US mercenary forces funded by the US. The mercenaries will hold some airfieds and bases for reinsertion of US forces when required. The other certainty is that no major road or boulevard in Iraq will be named after GW Bush--Colonel Robert E Bartos USA Ret.