No good military options in Iraq: leading US senators

[spindrifter]

Agence France-Presse

WASHINGTON (AFP) - There are no good military options for the United States in Iraq, two top US senators said, describing the country as in the midst of a civil war and suggested that Washington convene a high-level diplomatic conference involving regional powers.

<snip>

"This is a civil war," said Dodd. "I don't believe that US military people can play referee in that kind of situation."

<snip>

Hagel proposed getting former president George Bush -- the current president's father -- as well as former president Bill Clinton to "try to enpanel a regional diplomatic conference. The UN can be part of that. Unless you come at it that way, we will leave Iraq and it will not be the way we intended to leave Iraq because that is the direction this is going.

"There are no good options here," he added. "Are we going to put our troops in the middle of a civil war? Who are they going to fight? This will be slaughter of immense proportions."

<more>

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060807/wl_afp/usiraqmilitary_060806201057;_ylt=Ail7MVqQSKAj6_ueYIbv9PuFOrgF;_ylu=X3oDMTA5aHJvMDdwBHNlYwN5bmNhdA--

[LynnTheDem]

1. Choppers off the Green Zone roof, baby.

That's the direction this is going...and Chuck Hagel(R) knows it.

[sutz12]

2. Still in Saigon.

:shrug: :(

[hlthe2b]

7. I have a vietnamese student intern...

who was left behind with his family after the fall of Saigon until they finally immigrated when he was about 21. We had a long discussion about it the other day and I think he was amazed at how guilt-ridden I felt about the whole choppers on the Embassy scene, leaving behind desperate Vietnamese to explain (and face the consequences of)their American aid and sympathies--to the Viet Cong.

I guess the South Vietnamese were pretty pragmatic about the whole thing--if his impressions and attitude are the norm. His family certainly suffered after communist takeover (an uncle who had fought for the South faced 20 years in a North Vietnamese labor camp and was essentially invalid with ever diminishing health after his later release).

Somehow, I supsect that the innocent Iraqi citizens who have suffered, and stand to suffer further at our hands may not be quite so forgiving...

[hlthe2b]

6. exactly.....history does repeat itself when

people are too ignorant or arrogant to learn its lessons.. Devastating. Truly.

[msongs]

3. again Bush JR is bailed out by his old man - a lifetime failure pattern

comes back to bit junior in the ass.

maybe he will do the honorable thing and.....

Msongs
www.msongs.com/2007politicalcalendars.htm

[madokie]

4. lots of visuals with that, but you know he won't

[HysteryDiagnosis]

5. The former regime prevented this civil war from becoming a

reality and hence prevented the impending deaths of hundreds of thousands of civilians. Heck of a job George.