Najaf Standoff
Reported by Marie Therese - August 13, 2004 -
The O'Reilly Factor. August 12, 2004. 8:29 PM to 8:33 PM EDT
Guest: Col. David Hunt, FOX Military Analyst
Two key Bush talking points these days are (1) our military acts only at the request of the Iraqi government and (2) there are trained Iraqis to take over responsibility for their own security . Frequently, guests on FOX News tell the truth about the Bush administration's tissue of lies. Col. Hunt did it during this interview with Bill O'Reilly. He admits that both talking points are in fact false and misleading.
HUNT: "There's about 500 or so Iraqi infantry and police on the ground. What we're saying - the Iraqi government's saying - is they're leading the fight. Don't think that's true, but we'd rather have it be Iraqis.
O'Reilly: "Do they have any units that are that proficient ..
HUNT: No.
O'Reilly: "...that they could go in and do that?"
HUNT: "The answer is no. They're gonna have to be advised and led by the people I've already described, probably special forces. But the answer is they don't have the training, they're two or three years away from that. It's a very difficult fight, we can't let Sadr leave."
O'Reilly goes on to tell another truth: "This is really a make or break moment for President Bush because he, basically, has to make the call in conjunction with the Iraqi President, who I like, by the way. I think this guy Allawi (which he pronounces "ahlahWEE') is doing a pretty good job over there. But if Bush pulls back and doesn't get al-Sadr (mispronounced as "Cider") and the cycle of violence continues, Americans are divided now on the Iraq effort almost 50-50 [and] are just gonna say ‘What's the point? Another Vietnam. Let's get out'."
HUNT: This place has gone bad...Fallujah hasn't been settled. You got problems in Mosul. You got problems in Ramadi. You got problems in Kut. We've got problems in five or six very serious flashpoints, and, if we allow this to continue, it's a slap in the face."
