Iraq Assault Was Military, not Political Effort..
actually depends on who you ask...LOL
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On Thursday, as U.S.-led coalition forces launched the largest air assault since the invasion of Iraq nearly three years ago, officials from the Bush administration fended off reporters' assertions that the main goal of "Operation Swarmer" was political, not military, in nature.
During a White House briefing, David Gregory, chief White House correspondent for NBC News, pressed White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan to admit that the air raid in northern Iraq was actually intended to boost President Bush's sagging poll numbers.
"Beyond the merits of this particular operation, we are coming to the three-year anniversary of the war," Gregory said, pointing to the March 20, 2003 U.S.-led coalition attack to topple Saddam Hussein's regime. "Support for the president is at rock bottom. Support for this war is at rock bottom in this country.
"Does the president think it's important as a show of U.S. and Iraqi force to mount these kinds of operations to try to change public opinion?" he asked.
McClellan replied that he could not accept the premise of Gregory's question since the decision to use more than 1,500 Iraqi and coalition troops, over 200 tactical vehicles and more than 50 aircraft in the operation was "made by the commanders" on the ground, not Bush.
"It's important that the commanders have the flexibility to make these type (sic) of tactical decisions in order to prevail," the press secretary added.
Exchanges like that were common across cable news channels all day, as reporters asked both Republican and Democratic officials whether the new military push had a more subtle reason for taking place than the stated purpose of denying insurgents a base of operations in Samarra, located about 60 miles north of Baghdad.
However, none of the guests -- who ranged from U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) to liberal Democratic U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel from New York -- would take the bait and connect the air and ground assault with Bush's low poll numbers or with the upcoming third-year anniversary of the invasion of Iraq.
Most analysts and experts said they hoped the operation would be successful so Americans and their elected officials could keep their attention on such issues as passing a federal budget and preventing avian flu.
Nevertheless, the new coalition push drew strong reactions from both opponents and supporters of the war.
"'Operation Swarmer': That's what the U.S. military is calling the air assault they launched in Iraq earlier today," United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ), an anti-war coalition, stated in a press release Thursday.
After noting that CNN was reporting that "some 50 aircraft are 'supporting' U.S. and Iraqi troops near the city of Samarra," the statement added: "When the military says 'supporting,' they mean bombing. And when bombs are dropped, innocent civilians are killed.
"This new air assault demands a quick, visible outcry from people all around the country," the UFPJ release stated, then encouraged readers to take part in "anti-war activities planned to coincide with the third anniversary of the start of the war in hundreds of locations around the country."
"It is time to stop the killing," the UFPJ complained. "It is time to stop the war in Iraq. It is time to bring all of our troops home!"
Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean also registered his opinion on "Operation Swarmer" on Thursday.
"Three years after Vice President (Dick) Cheney said that American troops would be greeted as liberators, the American military today is engaging in the largest air strikes since the war began," Dean said in a press release. "It is no wonder new polls confirm that the American people are continuing to lose confidence in the president's ability to lead the nation.
"From his commitment to a failed strategy in Iraq, to an inept policy that allowed Iran to become a major threat and North Korea to acquire even more nuclear weapons, President Bush's failure to address the real threats to our homeland is undermining Americans' security," the DNC chair added.
"Americans want a change, not more of the same bad choices and failed agenda," he said. "Democrats have a bolder vision for a secure America."
On the other side of the political aisle, Richard Nadler, president of America's Majority, told Cybercast News Service that "Operation Swarmer" is proof that the "job is getting done" in Iraq.
"This is hardly the operation of a force that's losing," Nadler said. "The coalition is clearly on the offensive. The security over there is getting better all the time, and the insurgents are being swept out."
Nadler also praised the involvement of the Iraqi army in the operation and Iraqi citizens who are providing information for coalition forces.
"It's wonderful. It really is," he added. "So much progress is being made" in Iraq as part of the ongoing War on Terror."
During a White House briefing, David Gregory, chief White House correspondent for NBC News, pressed White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan to admit that the air raid in northern Iraq was actually intended to boost President Bush's sagging poll numbers.
"Beyond the merits of this particular operation, we are coming to the three-year anniversary of the war," Gregory said, pointing to the March 20, 2003 U.S.-led coalition attack to topple Saddam Hussein's regime. "Support for the president is at rock bottom. Support for this war is at rock bottom in this country.
"Does the president think it's important as a show of U.S. and Iraqi force to mount these kinds of operations to try to change public opinion?" he asked.
McClellan replied that he could not accept the premise of Gregory's question since the decision to use more than 1,500 Iraqi and coalition troops, over 200 tactical vehicles and more than 50 aircraft in the operation was "made by the commanders" on the ground, not Bush.
"It's important that the commanders have the flexibility to make these type (sic) of tactical decisions in order to prevail," the press secretary added.
Exchanges like that were common across cable news channels all day, as reporters asked both Republican and Democratic officials whether the new military push had a more subtle reason for taking place than the stated purpose of denying insurgents a base of operations in Samarra, located about 60 miles north of Baghdad.
However, none of the guests -- who ranged from U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) to liberal Democratic U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel from New York -- would take the bait and connect the air and ground assault with Bush's low poll numbers or with the upcoming third-year anniversary of the invasion of Iraq.
Most analysts and experts said they hoped the operation would be successful so Americans and their elected officials could keep their attention on such issues as passing a federal budget and preventing avian flu.
Nevertheless, the new coalition push drew strong reactions from both opponents and supporters of the war.
"'Operation Swarmer': That's what the U.S. military is calling the air assault they launched in Iraq earlier today," United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ), an anti-war coalition, stated in a press release Thursday.
After noting that CNN was reporting that "some 50 aircraft are 'supporting' U.S. and Iraqi troops near the city of Samarra," the statement added: "When the military says 'supporting,' they mean bombing. And when bombs are dropped, innocent civilians are killed.
"This new air assault demands a quick, visible outcry from people all around the country," the UFPJ release stated, then encouraged readers to take part in "anti-war activities planned to coincide with the third anniversary of the start of the war in hundreds of locations around the country."
"It is time to stop the killing," the UFPJ complained. "It is time to stop the war in Iraq. It is time to bring all of our troops home!"
Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean also registered his opinion on "Operation Swarmer" on Thursday.
"Three years after Vice President (Dick) Cheney said that American troops would be greeted as liberators, the American military today is engaging in the largest air strikes since the war began," Dean said in a press release. "It is no wonder new polls confirm that the American people are continuing to lose confidence in the president's ability to lead the nation.
"From his commitment to a failed strategy in Iraq, to an inept policy that allowed Iran to become a major threat and North Korea to acquire even more nuclear weapons, President Bush's failure to address the real threats to our homeland is undermining Americans' security," the DNC chair added.
"Americans want a change, not more of the same bad choices and failed agenda," he said. "Democrats have a bolder vision for a secure America."
On the other side of the political aisle, Richard Nadler, president of America's Majority, told Cybercast News Service that "Operation Swarmer" is proof that the "job is getting done" in Iraq.
"This is hardly the operation of a force that's losing," Nadler said. "The coalition is clearly on the offensive. The security over there is getting better all the time, and the insurgents are being swept out."
Nadler also praised the involvement of the Iraqi army in the operation and Iraqi citizens who are providing information for coalition forces.
"It's wonderful. It really is," he added. "So much progress is being made" in Iraq as part of the ongoing War on Terror."
