SOUND BITES
“Pentagon leaders should be instructed to stop using National Guard units for overseas combat instead of homeland security.”
-Editorial, “The Army We Weed,” The New York Times, Nov. 19, 2006
TERROR WAR STANDOUTS
“If there’s a hero out of all of this, it’s a young man and young woman in uniform. It’s the National Guard staff sergeant. It’s the corporal in the Marine Corps. These are the ones that are standing out. And it’s rather interesting, Mr. Chairman, that this is the first time, at least in recorded history, modern history, that the American public have fully supported those in uniform. But the support for the mission is waning, as you know.”
-Rep. Ike Skelton, D-Mo., House Armed Services Committee hearing, Nov. 15, 2006
CRITICAL MONTHS
“I listened as you said the next months are critical, and it seems that we always hear the next few months are critical. I remember my first trip to Iraq in 2003, a couple of months after Saddam fell, and everyone agreed that we had a window of opportunity to win the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people. … A year ago, there were 400 attacks a day against our troops. It’s up to 800 insurgent attacks now and we’re told it’s just a matter of a few months, the next few months are critical.”
-Rep. Marty Meehan, D-Mass., to David Satterfield, State Department Coordinator for Iraq, House Armed Services Committee hearing, Nov. 15, 2006
MORE TROOPS
“In discussions with our commanders and Iraqi leaders, it’s clear that they believe Iraqi forces can take more control faster, provided we invest more manpower and resources into the coalition military transition teams, speed the delivery of logistics and mobility enablers and embrace an aggressive Iraqi-led effort to disarm illegal militias.”
-Gen. John Abizald, Commander, U.S. Central Command, House Armed Services Committee hearing, Nov. 15, 2006
SMART BOMB
“HALF US JON CARRY-WE R STUCK HEAR N IRAK.”
-1st Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, Minnesota Amy National Guard, The New York Post, Nov. 2, 2006.
COMBAT ADVISERS
“The reassessment of U.S. strategy in Iraq should radically alter the combat mission of the American troops serving there. The key policy change is to embed five times as many U.S. combat advisers into Iraqi battalions. This will, on the one hand, reduce the size and casualties of U.S. forces, and on the other, strengthen the Iraqi army-the only institution that can stop the creeping civil war.”
-Hans Binnendijk and Bing West, “Force multiplier,” The Wall Street Journal, Nov. 21, 2008
EMERGENCY SUPPLEMENTAL
“It’s not an emergency, it sure as hell is not supplemental, and it doesn’t appear in the budget. It’s an accounting trick.”
-Rep. Nell Abercromble, D-Hawall, “Interview: Newsmakers on the Record,” DefenseNews, Nov, 20, 2006
WORN DOWN
“The Army and its National Guard and Reserve have been worn down-some would say worn out-by the endless deployments of troops on one-year combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.”
-Joseph L. Galloway, “It’s Past Time to Start Repairing Army, Marines, “azstamet.com, Nov. 20, 2006
LOOKIN’ FOR SWAGGER
“I think James Baker and Dick Cheney should take Bush out to the woods around Camp David. After 24 hours in a sweat lodge, he should be given only a loin cloth, a hunting knife and a canteen of water. Bush should then set out to track and kill a black bear, after which he should eat its still beating heart so he can absorb its spirit. He should then fly back to Washington in Marine 1. His torso still scratched from the bear’s claws, his face bloodied and steaming in the November chill, he should immediately give a press conference at which he throws the bearskin on the front row of the press corps, completely enveloping Helen Thomas, declaring, Tm not going anywhere.’”