Cheney: Iraq insurgency in "last throes"

Durandal · Post by **Durandal** » 2005-06-02 03:50pm

CNN.com wrote:IRAQ INSURGENCY IN 'LAST THROES,' CHENEY SAYS
Tuesday, May 31, 2005 Posted: 3:50 AM EDT (0750 GMT)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The insurgency in Iraq is "in the last throes," Vice President Dick Cheney says, and he predicts that the fighting will end before the Bush administration leaves office.

In a wide-ranging interview Monday on CNN's "Larry King Live," Cheney cited the recent push by Iraqi forces to crack down on insurgent activity in Baghdad and reports that the most-wanted terrorist leader, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, had been wounded.

The vice president said he expected the war would end during President Bush's second term, which ends in 2009.

"I think we may well have some kind of presence there over a period of time," Cheney said. "The level of activity that we see today from a military standpoint, I think, will clearly decline. I think they're in the last throes, if you will, of the insurgency."

Cheney was among the Bush administration's most forceful advocates of the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. Bush, Cheney and other top officials said war was necessary because Iraq was maintaining illicit stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons and concealing a nuclear weapons program from U.N. weapons inspectors and could have provided those weapons to terrorists.

No banned weapons were found after U.S. troops deposed Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's government, though U.S. inspectors said Iraq was concealing some weapons-related research from the United Nations.

Nevertheless, Cheney said he was "absolutely convinced we did the right thing in Iraq." He said the United States was making "major progress" in Iraq, where a transitional government took power in April and was working on drafting a new constitution.

"America will be safer in the long run when Iraq, and Afghanistan as well, are no longer safe havens for terrorists or places where people can gather and plan and organize attacks against the United States," he said.

Saddam's government collapsed in just three weeks, but a persistent guerrilla campaign against U.S. troops and the fledgling Iraqi government has lasted more than two years. The number of U.S. troops killed in the conflict now tops 1,650, and estimates of the number of Iraqi deaths range into the tens of thousands.

Since the conflict, the Jordanian-born Islamic militant al-Zarqawi has been blamed for dozens of bombings that have left hundreds of people dead. Reports emerged last week that he had been wounded in combat -- but in an audiotaped statement released Monday on militant Islamic Web sites, a man claiming to be al-Zarqawi said the injury was minor. (Full story)

Alright, Dick, we'll hold you to this.

Lord Zentei · Post by **Lord Zentei** » 2005-06-02 04:16pm

Good news. If true.

When he says "last throes" does he mean weeks? Months? Only one more year? However long is neccesary?

Shinova · Post by **Shinova** » 2005-06-02 04:38pm

Lord Zentei wrote:Good news. If true.

When he says "last throes" does he mean weeks? Months? Only one more year? However long is neccesary?

"When it's done," probably.

Lord Zentei · Post by **Lord Zentei** » 2005-06-02 05:04pm

Durandal wrote:How about starting with an overall decrease in the number of suicide bombings, car bombings, deaths and injuries due to bombings and hostage taking for starters?

Or an increase in the proportion of operations that can be undertaken by the Iraqi forces so the US boys are off the hook, at the very least, and indicating that the Iraqi government institutions are now strong enough to take care of themselves.

Durandal wrote:Sure, I'd love to see Iraq stabilize so we can pull our troops back home, so they can be with their families and ready to actually address a real threat sometime down the road.

Not to mention the longsuffering Iraqis.

Post by **Coyote** » 2005-06-02 05:12pm

Cheney is a moron. The Jihadists are not stupid by any means-- they know our history and know what we went through in Vietnam. They know that Americans tend to have spines of Kleenex when it comes to taking casualties and to sudden developments that are friehghtening and appear out-of-control.

All they were waiting for was for a monkeyfuck comment like that to give the people back home a "light at the end of the tunnel" type feeling so they could start putting together some sort of Tet-like shock. They want history to repeat itself. And thanks to chowderheads like Dick, he'll usher us right down that path again.

The Spartan · Post by **The Spartan** » 2005-06-02 05:13pm

Is there a broken record somewhere?

I could swear that the administration has been saying various versions of this for the better part of 2 years.

Flakin · Post by **Flakin** » 2005-06-02 05:44pm

The Spartan wrote:Is there a broken record somewhere?

I could swear that the administration has been saying various versions of this for the better part of 2 years.

Ssshhhh comrade. We've always been at war with Eurasia.....

Patrick Degan · Post by **Patrick Degan** » 2005-06-02 05:47pm

Ah, so Cheney's remarks would be this war's "light at the end of the tunnel" statement then.

Plekhanov · Post by **Plekhanov** » 2005-06-02 05:52pm

I don't know why you guys are all so negative, believe me it'll all be over by Christmas.

Stravo · Post by **Stravo** » 2005-06-02 05:57pm

Don't you fucking people know ANYTHING?! We go to war with the insurgency we have not the insurgency we want. Jesus.

Post by **Coyote** » 2005-06-02 06:04pm

Stravo wrote:Don't you fucking people know ANYTHING?! We go to war with the insurgency we have not the insurgency we want. Jesus.

I love you, Stravo.

Durandal · Post by **Durandal** » 2005-06-02 08:37pm

Coyote wrote:Cheney is a moron. The Jihadists are not stupid by any means-- they know our history and know what we went through in Vietnam. They know that Americans tend to have spines of Kleenex when it comes to taking casualties and to sudden developments that are friehghtening and appear out-of-control.

All they were waiting for was for a monkeyfuck comment like that to give the people back home a "light at the end of the tunnel" type feeling so they could start putting together some sort of Tet-like shock. They want history to repeat itself. And thanks to chowderheads like Dick, he'll usher us right down that path again.

Uh oh Coyote. I don't hear the right cheers coming out of your mouth, you fucking pinko-commie. You'd better hope Kohr-Ah doesn't report you to Homeland Security. Your negative attitude is hurting and killing our troops. How does it feel to be a murderer? You'd better start draping yourself in American flags and being a proper American cheerleader, or else it's off to Gitmo for you.

RedImperator · Post by **RedImperator** » 2005-06-02 09:20pm

Kor-Ah's shit split and sent here. Stay tuned for the ban poll.

Lord Zentei · Post by **Lord Zentei** » 2005-06-02 09:27pm

Missed one post, RI.

(#4 on the current thread remains).

Post by **weemadando** » 2005-06-02 09:31pm

Last Throes eh? Which is why the insurgency has been going off the fucking wall this past month...

Cheney - stop lying. Just say that the insurgency is being combated and is being overwhelmed by superior forces of superior number. Its atleast the truth then.

RedImperator · Post by **RedImperator** » 2005-06-02 09:31pm

Lord Zentei wrote:Missed one post, RI.

(#4 on the current thread remains).

If I felt up to it, I could split that post into its own thread, then merge it into the HOS thread with my handy-dandy new merge tool. But as Korh-Ah has already been shown the door (by which I mean, Mike threw him out headfirst), it hardly matters.

No ban poll after all, folks. Sorry if I got your hopes up.

Lord Zentei · Post by **Lord Zentei** » 2005-06-02 09:38pm

RedImperator wrote:
Lord Zentei wrote:Missed one post, RI.

(#4 on the current thread remains).
If I felt up to it, I could split that post into its own thread, then merge it into the HOS thread with my handy-dandy new merge tool. But as Korh-Ah has already been shown the door (by which I mean, Mike threw him out headfirst), it hardly matters.

No ban poll after all, folks. Sorry if I got your hopes up.

Yeah. I noticed.

Oh, well. At least I got to flame him a little.

weemadando wrote:Last Throes eh? Which is why the insurgency has been going off the fucking wall this past month...

Cheney - stop lying. Just say that the insurgency is being combated and is being overwhelmed by superior forces of superior number. Its atleast the truth then.

Tsk, tsk weemadando. Don't you know that it is Anti-American™ to say such things?

Post by **Mr Bean** » 2005-06-02 10:59pm

Tsk, tsk weemadando. Don't you know that it is Anti-American™ to say such things?

Not being American he can get away with that

Ender · Post by **Ender** » 2005-06-02 11:25pm

Mr Bean wrote:
Tsk, tsk weemadando. Don't you know that it is Anti-American™ to say such things?
Not being American he can get away with that

Not any more. See clause 37 of the Patriot At.

Post by **The Yosemite Bear** » 2005-06-02 11:26pm

Lord Zentei wrote:Good news. If true.

When he says "last throes" does he mean weeks? Months? Only one more year? However long is neccesary?

It means the policy has changed to pull the "Shep Option" at midnight, first week of November 2008.

Post by **Mr Bean** » 2005-06-02 11:38pm

Ender wrote:
Mr Bean wrote:
Tsk, tsk weemadando. Don't you know that it is Anti-American™ to say such things?
Not being American he can get away with that
Not any more. See clause 37 of the Patriot At.

See section B Clause 38,
Clause 37 only cover non-american commie-pinko's regular communists are still allowed to hate American legaly, infact according to section 6 of that clause, its illegal NOT to hate America

Post by **Coyote** » 2005-06-03 01:39am

Durandal wrote:Uh oh Coyote. I don't hear the right cheers coming out of your mouth, you fucking pinko-commie. You'd better hope Kohr-Ah doesn't report you to Homeland Security. Your negative attitude is hurting and killing our troops. How does it feel to be a murderer? You'd better start draping yourself in American flags and being a proper American cheerleader, or else it's off to Gitmo for you.

Oh, shit! It's off to e-Gitmo for me. Not only did I dis the Dick, I said the insurgents were smart.

Man, if they send me back to Iraq, they'll bend my dogtags now. And stamp "no dessert" on my meal card.

I wish I'd been here for Kohr-Ahs last throes. I like the new forum. Hehehehe!

Lord Zentei · Post by **Lord Zentei** » 2005-06-03 04:50am

The Yosemite Bear wrote:
Lord Zentei wrote:Good news. If true.

When he says "last throes" does he mean weeks? Months? Only one more year? However long is neccesary?
It means the policy has changed to pull the "Shep Option" at midnight, first week of November 2008.

Arguably, that would eliminate the insurgents.