At 5:30 here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGtvhBWp6wIExcerpts from his blog (
http://glennread.blogspot.com/ )
"It did not take the comments of a General to remind all of us here in Iraq that "victory was not in our hands." It never has been in our hands. This war was created out of thin air. It was built on a foundation of lies. Iraq had nothing to do with 9-11. There were no weapons of mass destruction. We certainly were not greeted as liberators. Yet the administration until the last few days continued to insist that its civilian and military leaders in the pentagon drink the cool-aide and try to bullshit us all into believing that we could win this thing from a military vantage. We never did get that whole "winning the hearts and minds" thing down. But I guess now even the most optimistic "cool-aide" drinkers are seeing the writing on the wall. We have lost this war. There is, in my humble opinion, no hope for victory in Iraq. So what do we do? The choices are limited...escalate the war...immediate withdrawal...gradual withdrawal. Over the next several weeks we will hear about these choices and the advantages and disadvantages of each of these. I speak for myself...but I know I and alot of my fellow soldiers are prepared to do whatever is necessary to help end this nightmare with a level of honor and dignaty. But rest assured...we are not drinking the "cool-aide". We know we are fighting impossible odds and a losing battle. But we will soldier on. We just have to move the guide post a bit...lower expectations...and salvage what is left of hope. That is all we soldiers can do. Victory is not in our hands...but neither is the loss. We didnt lose Iraq. Bush lost Iraq. In the end...history will not be kind to those who got us here. But I know this....we still love our country...and we have done our best. We will do our duty until the end...whatever that end is. God help us."
Another excerpt from his blog:
"You see, I came here to meet and to interact with Iraqis. Even if there is wire strung up between us...I still want to reach out and get to know these people. Many of my fellow soldiers don't view things this way. They see every Iraqi as an enemy or someone that must be feared. Call me naive, but I don't see it that way. I want to do my part in winning "hearts and minds" of the Iraqis. I don't want them to view me as a threat. I want them to know that I respect them, their country, and Islam. That I care about their future. That I want for them...what I have. A good life with lots of friends and a roof over my head and food on the table. Today...I tossed two quarters to an 8 year old Iraqi boy. What do you think he thinks now? A small gesture yes. But its possible it could make a difference on how he view soldiers and Americans in the future. Hard to measure but you never know. So yesterday, I made a down-payment on the "hearts and minds" thing and I will do it the next time too. Army procedures be damned. I am an Army of One and I am sticking to it."
And another:
" am happier today then I was the other day. The "people" have spoken. The polls were accurate as it turns out and now the Democrats will control both house of congress for the first time since 1995. I kinda feel alot like the Red Sox fans after they won their first world series in 90 years. Dazed...happy...and not sure how to respond to the being a "winner". Now it is clear to me that this election sends a serious message to Washington....change is needed. But I want to make sure all you liberals and progressives out there (I put myself in that category) do not allow your recent good fortune to delude you in to thinking that the long american conservative nightmare is over. It is not. We are not going to wake up on January 3rd 2007 and suddenly have all the things we have been fighting for. This is only the beginning. The leaders in of the new congress should not repeat the mistakes of the leaders of the "Republican Revolution" who attempted in their first 6 months in power to undo and dismantle everything the Democrats had done in the previous 50 years. In other words...they went too far and in the next election, Americans let them know about it. The other thing that America rejected in the late 90s was the constant attacks on the President and calls for his impeachment and investigations. Now with congress in the hands of Democrats, many want the Democrats to use their power to encourage investigations and to move toward impeachment of the president. In other words...turn-about is fair play right? Uh....no. Wrong answer. Americans do not want more impeachment and investigations on top of investigations. They want progress. They want to clean-up government and they want a plan for Iraq. They also want a fix for social security, health care, and many other things. We should take the next few days to reflect on how we are going to use our power to make these things happen...not scheduling hearings and developing witness lists. Oversight is necessary...but we can't afford to overreach. Now is the time for reaching across the aisle and building support for our agenda. Let us stay focused...find our common ground...and work our plan. That is the change the people seek. Let's give them that."
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