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http://www.GuluFuture.com/news/scott_ritter030325.htm
US WILL LOSE
THE IRAQ WAR
-SAYS SCOTT RITTER
25th March, 2003
by Fintan Dunne, Editor
http://www.GuluFuture.com
Thorn in the side of the American administration,
and former UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter, has warned that America
will lose the Iraq war and the American military: "will leave Iraq
with its tail between its legs."
In an interview with Irish radio, Mr. Ritter said that the
conflict would become an "absolute quagmire," and the US-UK
advance would stall outside Bhagdad and fail to capture the city.
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Listen to
Ritter
Realplayer
3 mins
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"We find ourselves... facing a nation of 23 million,
with armed elements numbering around 7 million --who are concentrated
at urban areas. We will not win this fight. America will loose this war,"
said Mr. Ritter.
According to Mr. Ritter, too many in the Pentagon have listened
to: "the blithering of Iraqi expatriates," whose agenda coincides
with neo-conservatives in the White House.
"We're in Iraq --carrying out the right-wing neo-conservative
motives of a handful of people. The Richard Perle's, Paul Wolfowitz's;
the Dick Cheney's. And we've allowed them to hijack our foreign policy,"
he told Irish broadcaster, Vincent Browne on the RTE1 radio "Tonight
Show."
He warned that Shia Muslims in the South were not fighting
because of intimidation by the Iraqi government, but because of nationalistic
and religious reasons.
"They're doing it because, the American Crusader Infidel has invaded
and violated Holy Iraq, and they will resist us, and they will resist
us strongly," said Mr. Ritter. "We are not liberating Iraq,
we are destroying Iraq," he added later in the interview.
Scott Ritter, is a former U.N. weapons inspector and author
of the book "Endgame." Ritter, a ballistic missile technology
expert, worked in military intelligence during his 12-year career in the
U.S. armed forces. In 1998, Ritter resigned from the U.N. Special Commissions
team to protest Clinton Administration policies that he said subverted
the weapons inspection process.
Full Transcript & Audio
follows below.
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Listen
to full Gulf War Analysis Segment
Audio
25 minutes[ Realplayer]
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Vincent
Browne:
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"
Scott Ritter...
are you surprised by how
the assault in Iraq is going? |
Scott
Ritter:
Listen to
Ritter
Realplayer 3 mins
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" No actually,
I wrote a paper that was published last Fall, that predicted just
this. And i'm a little disturbed in listening to some of the analysis
going along here.
I think that one of the reasons the American find themselves in
such difficulties in Iraq, is that so many in the Pentagon have
listened to the... blithering of Iraqi expatriots who have spoken
out --rightly so-- against Saddam Hussein, and who think that it's
a) the role of the United States to liberate Iraq; and b) think
that the Iraqi people want us to liberate them from Saddam.
And I think that the harsh reality is that in buying off on the
expectations of being greeted in the streets of Iraq with song and
flowers... we now find we are being greeted with bullets and bombs.
And it's the Shia in the south who are fighting us. They're not
doing it because Chemical Ali is down there with his death squads
threatening to execute 'em.
They're doing it because, the American Crusader Infidel has invaded
and violated Holy Iraq, and they will resist us, and they
will resist us strongly.
And no
matter how many Iraqi's we kill and slaughter, I predict that America
will loose this war and ultimately the American military will leave
Iraq with its tail between its legs.
Unfortunately, we're going to inflict a tremenduous amount of death
and destruction on the people of Iraq; the American soldiers and
Marines will also pay a price.
And all those who sit outside of Iraq and courageously encourage
Americans to go in and slaughter Iraqi's should be ashamed of themselves."
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Vincent
Browne:
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"...You
think the Americans will lose this war? " |
Scott
Ritter:
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"
We lost Vietnam....
Remember we can kill many, many Iraqui's and we will do so.
But I am telling you right now, that we do not have sufficient combat
power in Iraq --as we speak-- to win this battle. So we will
have to reinforce considerably.
The current posture, in terms of American deployment, is predicated
on a presumption that the Iraqi Army would surrender; that
the Iraqi people would welcome; that the internsational community
would support.
The exact opposite is happening.
And now we find ourselves with fewer than 120,000 boots on the ground;
facing a nation of 23 million, with armed elements numbering around
7 million --who are concentrated at urban areas.
We will not win this fight. America will loose this war.
Saddam Hussein may die... But you know what?
I'm betting that Saddam's gonna be around a lot longer than anyone
can predict.
I'm betting that we don't capture Bhagdad.
I'm betting that we stall outside Bhagdad.
I'm betting that this becomes an absolute quagmire.
I hope I'm wrong, for the sake of the American lives that are going
to be lost. Remember I'm a 12 year veteran of the Marine Corps. I
fought in the first Gulf War. I know what war is about. I know what
defending my country is about.
This is a bad war, because it has nothing to do with the defense
of the United States of America. Iraq doesn't have weapons of mass
destruction. The Bush Administration has pulled an enormous lie to
the international community; to the American people.
And now we're in Iraq --carrying out the right-wing neo-conservative
motives of a handful of people; the Richard Perle's, Paul Wolfowitz's;
the Dick Cheney's. And we've allowed them to hijack our foreign policy.
And they've been cheered on by these Iraqi expatriots, who have zero
credibility in my eyes. They're so brave and they want Iraq liberated...
Then my goodness man, go to Iraq... fight and die for your country...
But don't ask Americans to do it.
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Full
Gulf War Analysis Segment
Audio
25 minutes[ Realplayer]
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