Kerry Dead Wrong -- Iraq Not A "Grand Diversion" In War On..

"War of Words"

TOMMY FRANKS
[N.B. General, United States Army, (Retired)]

October 19, 2004
The New York Times

"President Bush and Senator John Kerry have very different views of the
war on terrorism, and those differences ought to be debated in this
presidential campaign. But the debate should focus on facts, not
distortions of history.

On more than one occasion, Senator Kerry has referred to the fight at
Tora Bora in Afghanistan during late 2001 as a missed opportunity for
America. He claims that our forces had Osama bin Laden cornered and
allowed him to escape.

How did it happen? According to Mr. Kerry, we "outsourced" the job to
Afghan warlords. As commander of the allied forces in the Middle East,
I was responsible for the operation at Tora Bora, and I can tell you
that the senator's understanding of events doesn't square with reality.
******

First, take Mr. Kerry's contention that we "had an opportunity to
capture or kill Osama bin Laden" and that "we had him surrounded." We
don't know to this day whether Mr. bin Laden was at Tora Bora in
December 2001. Some intelligence sources said he was; others indicated
he was in Pakistan at the time; still others suggested he was in
Kashmir. Tora Bora was teeming with Taliban and Qaeda operatives, many
of whom were killed or captured, but Mr. bin Laden was never within our
grasp.

Second, we did not "outsource" military action. We did rely heavily on
Afghans because they knew Tora Bora, a mountainous, geographically
difficult region on the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan. It is where
Afghan mujahedeen holed up for years, keeping alive their resistance to
the Soviet Union. Killing and capturing Taliban and Qaeda fighters was
best done by the Afghan fighters who already knew the caves and tunnels.

Third, the Afghans weren't left to do the job alone. Special forces
from the United States and several other countries were there, providing
tactical leadership and calling in air strikes. Pakistani troops also
provided significant help - as many as 100,000 sealed the border and
rounded up hundreds of Qaeda and Taliban fighters.

Contrary to Senator Kerry, President Bush never "took his eye off the
ball" when it came to Osama bin Laden. ******

The war on terrorism has a global focus. It cannot be divided into
separate and unrelated wars, one in Afghanistan and another in Iraq.
Both are part of the same effort to capture and kill terrorists before
they are able to strike America again, potentially with weapons of mass
destruction. Terrorist cells are operating in some 60 countries, and
the United States, in coordination with dozens of allies, is waging this
war on many fronts.

As we planned for potential military action in Iraq and conducted
counterterrorist operations in several other countries in the region,
Afghanistan remained a center of focus. Neither attention nor manpower
was diverted from Afghanistan to Iraq. ******

When we started Operation Iraqi Freedom we had about 9,500 troops in
Afghanistan, and by the time we finished major combat operations in Iraq
last May we had more than 10,000 troops in Afghanistan.

We are committed to winning this war on all fronts, and we are making
impressive gains. Afghanistan has held the first free elections in its
history. Iraq is led by a free government made up of its own citizens.
By the end of this year, NATO and American forces will have trained
125,000 Iraqis to enforce the law, fight insurgents and secure the
borders. This is in addition to the great humanitarian progress already
achieved in Iraq.

Many hurdles remain, of course. But the gravest danger would result
from the withdrawal of American troops before we finish our work. Today
we are asking our servicemen and women to do more, in more places, than
we have in decades. They deserve honest, consistent, no-spin leadership
that respects them, their families and their sacrifices. The war
against terrorism is the right war at the right time for the right
reasons. And Iraq is one of the places that war must be fought and won.
George W. Bush has his eye on that ball and Senator John Kerry does
not."

'Nuff Said.

"The final happiness of man consists in the contemplation of truth....
This is sought for its own sake, and is directed to no other end beyond
itself." Saint Thomas Aquinas, [1224/5-1274] "Summa Contra Gentiles"
[c.1258-1264]

"Populus vult decipi, ergo decipiatur. Odi profanum vulgus et arceo."

Quintus Aurelius Stultus [33 B.C. - 42 A.D.]

Prosecutio stultitiae est gravis vexatio, executio stultitiae coronat
opus.

D. Spencer Hines

Lux et Veritas et Libertas

Vires et Honor

On Wed, 20 Oct 2004 18:45:18 -0000, "D. Spencer Hines"
<poguemidden DeleteThis @hotmail.com> wrote:

>"War of Words"
>
>TOMMY FRANKS
>[N.B. General, United States Army, (Retired)]
>
>October 19, 2004
>The New York Times
>
There is a free web site for the NYT. I doubt there are many here
who desire a subscription service.

Peter Skelton