Clark on Iraq: "We need to do it right..but I'm not optimistic"

[Clarkie1]

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: (laughs) Brian, I'm one of those guys who's been offering constructive criticism from the beginning. I wouldn't have gone into Iraq, but I've said from the, from the outset, once we're there we need to do it right.

Problem is the administration has taken a long time to get its strategy on track. Now we're down to about four to six months window. We've got an elected Iraqi Parliament. The question is: can they form a government and change the Constitution so the Sunnis will have a stake in the government? It's a matter of using military power to gain political influence. We still have the military power. We don't have the political power in the country. We've given it to the Iraqis. So, we gave it to them, actually, before we had it organized. So, now we've got to use our remaining military influence to get that Constitution changed so that the Sunnis will participate, and that in turn will enable us to overcome the remaining resistance.

Brian Kilmeade: Right, but I, but I think too, you have to have full faith in Ambassador Khalizad, who if anyone knows this region, understands the region and has tangible progress being made, it's him, who's done a great job in Afghanistan is now over in Iraq. But real quick, this just in: early indications have 1.4 million votes, over in Baghdad, going to the Shia Alliance, but the Sunnis have the second-highest vote tally in early, on early returns of 451,000. It might be interesting, General, to see if we get a hybrid of secular Shia teaming with the Sunnis, who seem to have done a lot better this time, to maybe get equal power in the National Assembly.

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Well, Khalizad has done- he's done a good job. He's come late on the scene in, in, in Iraq. I wish he'd been there sooner, but everyone hopes that we'll get this secular government, leaving the militant Islamists out of the government, the Shiite clergy. Leave them on the side-lines. We'll see if that can be shaped and what it means, but there is a chance now, if we move the right way, to try to put a government in place that will delegitimize the insurgency. That's the window.

Brian Kilmeade: Right

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: That's what we've got to do right now.

Brian Kilmeade: What did, what did you, from a military strategy point of view, what did you take away from the fact that these Sunni insurgents basically told the terrorists, 'Quiet down. You better not attack the voters. I want us voting.' It seems like that mystical insurgent 'who are they, how do we stop them,' it seems like we might have found the hot button.

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Well (laughs), it cuts both ways, you know. About 90, 95% of the insurgency, they're not jihadists. They're not foreigners. They're not terrorists. They're people who are resisting the US presence and resisting the hand-over of Iraq, as they see it, to Iran. So, what we have to do is split apart those resistance fighters from the jihadists and then get them to turn on the jihadists, and that's the end of the terrorists threat. As the President said last night, the terrorists weren't there in the beginning. Our presence gave them an opening.
Brian Kilmeade: Well, Zarqawi was.

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Now we've got a chance to finish this.

Brian Kilmeade: Zarqawi was there in the beginning.

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Zarqawi was in a Jordanian jail, and at one point-

Brian Kilmeade: No, but he was there before the war.

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: And he was- he's being used by the resistance fighters. So, what we've got to do now s take advantage of a political opening to delegitimate Zarqawi and all of his aims.

Brian Kilmeade: You optimistic?

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: I'm never optimistic, but I think there's an opening for this.

Brian Kilmeade: Why?

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: I think, because this is a very, very difficult problem. You know (laughs), I'm optimistic when it comes to our military capabilities.

Brian Kilmeade: Gotcha.

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: But try to make politics work based on military strength is very tough.

Brian Kilmeade: Right. General, thanks a lot.

http://www.securingamerica.com/

[BeyondGeography]

1. I found this quote most interesting

<"About 90, 95% of the insurgency, they're not jihadists. They're not foreigners. They're not terrorists. They're people who are resisting the US presence and resisting the hand-over of Iraq, as they see it, to Iran.">

If this is correct, and the pro-Iran Shiite slate cleaned up in Sunday's elections, as has been reported, we're in for a massive violent response by the Sunni insurgency.

[Clarkie1]

2. Yes, I almost put that in the headline.

I'm not sure the extent the pro-Iran Shite slate "cleaned up" in the elections. My understanding is there was some degree of greater Sunni participation as well. Let's hope for the best for voices of moderation inside Iraq; it's all we can do with the idiot boy-chimp in charge.