Lady Sentinels

Interview from Former Deputy Garrison Commander of Ft. Lewis (retired), William F. Crane

1. Do you think the troops should be pulled from Iraq? Please discuss.

The answer depends on if we are talking short-term or long-term. In the short-term, they should not be pulled from Iraq. To do so would put the lives of remaining troops, Iraqi military, Iraqi police and innocent civilians in jeopardy. The Iraqis are not sufficiently trained and equipped to be able to take over the security responsibilities currently being provided by American and other NATO troops.

We must remove all troops in the long-run. A decision on a firm timetable for removal of the troops should be a mutual agreement between the Government of Iraq and the on-the-ground military commander. This would require Presidential approval, but should not be a unilateral decision by the President. The military commander is in the best position to judge the on-going situation. The timetable should be established in the near future to force the Iraqi Government to ensure that their troops are adequately trained and equipped.

2. Which of the Presidential candidates (one democrat and one republican) do you think would be best at dealing with Iraq and why?

For the Republican's, I believe that Sen. McCain would be in the best position to deal with the Iraq situation. He has been a trained military officer and recognizes the importance of getting input from the on-the-ground commander. Additionally, all of the intelligence reports for several years and currently are available to him as a member of the Senate Intelligence Oversight Committee.

For the Democrat's, I believe that Sen. Clinton would be in the best position to deal with the Iraq situation. She, unlike her Democratic opponents, has continued to push for a controlled, situation-driven withdrawal from Iraq. She also has been a party to the vast intelligence reports in the Senate.

3. What do you think are the main reasons why Iraq's independence from the US is going so slowly? Or, if you disagree with this statement, why?

I do disagree with the statement. Our invasion of Iraq destroyed the military, the existing government and the police. It takes years to recruit, train and equip a military force to deal with terrorists. The Iraqi people are a fractionalized race (primarily Sunni and Shite) that have hated each other for thousands of years. The only thing that made them live in relative peace was the strong dictatorial hand of Sadam. As I recall, it took the colonists in the United States several years to agree on a constitution that all could agree with and that was without having to contend with terrorists. I believe that once the military and police are reconstituted, trained and equipped, the independence will excellerate.

posted by APGovproject @ 10:00 PM