Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
FNC
October 21, 2008
America's Newsroom (FNC), 2:13 PM
TRACE GALLAGHER: A huge success story in Iraq. We’ve talked a lot about politics in recent months, but Iraq is kind of on the backburner, but take a look at this. Its been two years since the man in Room 218 has been to Baghdad, Bill Hemmer. He’s noticed amazing changes since then.
Bill actually sat down with the top U.S. commander in Iraq, General Ray Odierno. Bill joins us live now.
Bill, what did the general have to say about the changes happening on the ground there in Iraq?
BILL HEMMER: Hey, Trace, good evening again. The changes here in Iraq are quite evident to me after being here three times and our last visit in March of 2006, about 24 months plus. Yes, there are a lot of changes, but still Iraq has a long way to go, and General Ray Odierno, the four-star general now heads all of the U.S. military here, the commanding general, makes that point very well, saying that the gains have been achieved and they have been reached, but you can’t take your foot off the gas just yet. And when we sat down a bit earlier today, I wanted to know from him – here is a guy, he’s tall, Trace, 6 feet 5 inches tall. He grew up in New Jersey, graduate of West Point. He has seen every phase of this war from the initial bombing in March of 2003 when the war began. He was head of command in Tikrit. He was here during the surge and now he’s the head of all U.S. military as I mentioned throughout Iraq.
Here is a guy who has seen every phase and wants the American people to know that, yes, there is progress, but there’s still a lot more to do; his thoughts on that from earlier today.
What are the substantial changes you’ve seen?
GENERAL RAY ODIERNO [U.S. Army]: Well, first off, you have a substantial change in security, but it’s still fragile because there’s still underlying tensions beneath the surface.
So what we have to make sure is we eliminate these underlying tensions so we know that the security is sustainable for a long period of time. Iraq, I consider to be a fragile state. It’s a fragile state because of these tensions and because of the institutions not quite ready to assume full control.
I believe our goal over the next couple of years is to make it stable, and if we can make it stable through building the capacities, capabilities as I said earlier, I think we’ll be in for a long-term –
HEMMER: You make a great point because the Iraqi government has reached a point where it can concentrate on the politics and the economics of this country –
ODIERNO: Right.
HEMMER: Because the security has been improved that much.
ODIERNO: Yeah. The underlying tensions I talk about in a lot of terms has to do with the delivery of services and delivery to the population. If the government is not able to do that, a population could lose its –
HEMMER: Maybe its faith in the government.
ODIERNO: Its faith in the government and then what they have to do, where would they go from there?
So what we want to do is give them the opportunity to do that. That’s why that’s so critical over the next few years in my opinion.
HEMMER: And what is the danger if the Iraqi government doesn’t perform? What happens?
ODIERNO: Yeah, well, there’s several, I mean, again, there’s all kinds of people ready to exploit that, whether it be the Iranians or al Qaeda who want to try to exploit that disenchantment with the government.
So it’s important, again, to eliminate those underlying tensions so it’s easier for the government to move forward and provide for the people.
HEMMER: Yeah. One thing in there, Trace, that I think is critical. The institutions of this government that is set up are still fragile and people talking about this country going back in reverse, that’s the danger he says that lies out there if we don’t move forward and keep a foot on the gas as I mentioned before, Trace.
GALLAGHER: We’ve got a few seconds left here, Bill. Did the general talk about where al Qaeda is still active in Iraq?
HEMMER: Yeah. This is a big concern in Mosul, it’s about 300 miles north of Baghdad and what we believe to be happening on the ground based on the reporting we’re getting there is that the Christian population is really being oppressed by al Qaeda. There was one report that came out today from the Vatican saying that half of that city’s Christian population has literally left. They have left town, and that is a concern here as al Qaeda moves up through the country. They were so prominent in Baghdad for so long, but the success of the surge and the Iraqi government turning itself around on behalf of the U.S. military and with the U.S. military’s help, they pushed al Qaeda to other places in the country.
Expect to see a lot more news out of Mosul and we’ll be on that throughout the week here, Trace.
GALLAGHER: You will indeed, Bill Hemmer, live on the ground in Baghdad all week long.
October 21, 2008
America's Newsroom (FNC), 2:13 PM
TRACE GALLAGHER: A huge success story in Iraq. We’ve talked a lot about politics in recent months, but Iraq is kind of on the backburner, but take a look at this. Its been two years since the man in Room 218 has been to Baghdad, Bill Hemmer. He’s noticed amazing changes since then.
Bill actually sat down with the top U.S. commander in Iraq, General Ray Odierno. Bill joins us live now.
Bill, what did the general have to say about the changes happening on the ground there in Iraq?
BILL HEMMER: Hey, Trace, good evening again. The changes here in Iraq are quite evident to me after being here three times and our last visit in March of 2006, about 24 months plus. Yes, there are a lot of changes, but still Iraq has a long way to go, and General Ray Odierno, the four-star general now heads all of the U.S. military here, the commanding general, makes that point very well, saying that the gains have been achieved and they have been reached, but you can’t take your foot off the gas just yet. And when we sat down a bit earlier today, I wanted to know from him – here is a guy, he’s tall, Trace, 6 feet 5 inches tall. He grew up in New Jersey, graduate of West Point. He has seen every phase of this war from the initial bombing in March of 2003 when the war began. He was head of command in Tikrit. He was here during the surge and now he’s the head of all U.S. military as I mentioned throughout Iraq.
Here is a guy who has seen every phase and wants the American people to know that, yes, there is progress, but there’s still a lot more to do; his thoughts on that from earlier today.
What are the substantial changes you’ve seen?
GENERAL RAY ODIERNO [U.S. Army]: Well, first off, you have a substantial change in security, but it’s still fragile because there’s still underlying tensions beneath the surface.
So what we have to make sure is we eliminate these underlying tensions so we know that the security is sustainable for a long period of time. Iraq, I consider to be a fragile state. It’s a fragile state because of these tensions and because of the institutions not quite ready to assume full control.
I believe our goal over the next couple of years is to make it stable, and if we can make it stable through building the capacities, capabilities as I said earlier, I think we’ll be in for a long-term –
HEMMER: You make a great point because the Iraqi government has reached a point where it can concentrate on the politics and the economics of this country –
ODIERNO: Right.
HEMMER: Because the security has been improved that much.
ODIERNO: Yeah. The underlying tensions I talk about in a lot of terms has to do with the delivery of services and delivery to the population. If the government is not able to do that, a population could lose its –
HEMMER: Maybe its faith in the government.
ODIERNO: Its faith in the government and then what they have to do, where would they go from there?
So what we want to do is give them the opportunity to do that. That’s why that’s so critical over the next few years in my opinion.
HEMMER: And what is the danger if the Iraqi government doesn’t perform? What happens?
ODIERNO: Yeah, well, there’s several, I mean, again, there’s all kinds of people ready to exploit that, whether it be the Iranians or al Qaeda who want to try to exploit that disenchantment with the government.
So it’s important, again, to eliminate those underlying tensions so it’s easier for the government to move forward and provide for the people.
HEMMER: Yeah. One thing in there, Trace, that I think is critical. The institutions of this government that is set up are still fragile and people talking about this country going back in reverse, that’s the danger he says that lies out there if we don’t move forward and keep a foot on the gas as I mentioned before, Trace.
GALLAGHER: We’ve got a few seconds left here, Bill. Did the general talk about where al Qaeda is still active in Iraq?
HEMMER: Yeah. This is a big concern in Mosul, it’s about 300 miles north of Baghdad and what we believe to be happening on the ground based on the reporting we’re getting there is that the Christian population is really being oppressed by al Qaeda. There was one report that came out today from the Vatican saying that half of that city’s Christian population has literally left. They have left town, and that is a concern here as al Qaeda moves up through the country. They were so prominent in Baghdad for so long, but the success of the surge and the Iraqi government turning itself around on behalf of the U.S. military and with the U.S. military’s help, they pushed al Qaeda to other places in the country.
Expect to see a lot more news out of Mosul and we’ll be on that throughout the week here, Trace.
GALLAGHER: You will indeed, Bill Hemmer, live on the ground in Baghdad all week long.