Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno at Pentagon, March 4, 2008. Pentagon photo by Cherie A. Thurlby.
by Aamer Madhani
Lt. Gen Ray Odierno didn't sound too impressed by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad galivanting around Baghdad this week.
Afterall, it’s the Iranians that are the problem in Iraq, Odierno said.
“A lot was made yesterday of the fact that he was able to walk around and nothing happened,” said Odierno, who has been nominated to become the next vice chief of staff of the Army. “My comment is: I'm not surprised, because over the last 12 months, whenever a visitor would come from the United States, we'd either foil a rocket attack or the rocket attack happened.”
Odierno’s comments to reporters at the Pentagon on Tuesday come on the heels of Ahmadinejad calling out the U.S. forces at a news briefing in Baghdad yesterday that was held outside the confines of the Green Zone, where most official business is conducted by U.S. forces, American diplomats and even the Iraqi government.
Few western leaders leave the confines of the Green Zone, and any visits into the so-called "Red Zone" tend to be tightly coordinated with the U.S. military.
In wrapping up his visit, Ahmadinejad called on U.S. forces to leave Iraq and pledged a $1 billion loan to the Iraqi government
Odierno, who has long said that the Iranians are playing an unhelpful role inside Iraq, said that Iranian influence remains is "what I worry about most." The general just wrapped up a long tour as the No. 2 commander in Iraq.
Odierno spoke positively of the Moqtada al-Sadr-led Jaish al-Mahdi, saying the armed group has moved away from militia activity and has become more politically engaged.
But Odierno added that rogue elements in the organization are now being supported by Iran.
"They have a huge role to play in Iraq as helpful partners in the Middle East and to the Iraqi government," Odierno said of the Iranian government. "What they have to stop doing is training surrogates, funding surrogates and supplying weapons to them — which they are still doing today."
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Comments
Thanks to Bush...Iran is now a big player. Lets continue our folly and vote for bomb bomb Iran McCain.
Posted by: bill "Hussein" r. | March 4, 2008 12:48 PM
Congratulations Bush Administration. You have created a new Iranian ally.
Mission Accomplished!
After a McCain Administration we can plan on Iran being stronger than ever.
Posted by: Reality | March 4, 2008 12:56 PM
Iran pledges 1 billion loan.
Hey America, guess where that money comes from? Guess why Hugo Chavez can be as belligerent as he wants with us and why Russia is rebuilding its military and influence at breakneck pace?
Hmmmm...
As I stand here at the gas pump filling up my Hummer, because its my right as an American to drive whatever I want, I just cant come up with an answer.
How much influence would Iran have in the world it it didn't sell oil? Russia? Venezuela? Hmmm..
I remember a time we had a Manhattan Project and against all odds and at terrific expense we made a major technological breakthrough.
Too bad we don't have the cajones to stand up to big oil interests and the cronies of the Bush regime to do the same thing now with alternative energy. Its fossil fuels people, its a limited supply and will run out, why do we drag our feet on this? Hmmm, lets ask Exxon, basking in 11 billion in profits.
Think of this: We hear sometimes that Iranian weapons are being used in Iraq to kill and maim American soldiers, I wonder where Iran got the money to make those weapons?
Oh, gotta go, my Hummer is full and it was only $115!
Posted by: erick | March 4, 2008 1:06 PM
"Odierno spoke positively of the Moqtada al-Sadr-led Jaish al-Mahdi..."
This band of thugs may be positive in his mind and other right wing hacks but the truth is many Americans were killed by Moqtada al-Sadr's terrorist goons. He was a wanted man and President Bush has let him off the hook and this is unnacceptable. Every Swampster and American should condemn this inaction and call for Moqtada al-Sadr's head. Why are we coddling this terrorist and allowing him to become a major player in Iraqi politics? This makes me, a Lefty Loon, sick. Go ahead and defend this man, you right wing lunatics. You people are about as unAmerican as you can get if you think this man's victims do not deserve justice. For you slow witted right wingers, justice does not mean you let this fat pig get rich and attain power and influence. It means you take him dead or alive and you do it, not just say it.
Posted by: john | March 4, 2008 1:25 PM
"#2 SPEAKS"
Has anyone seen #1, the Klingon fighters are on their way.
"#1 SPEAKS"
Has anyone seen #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, or #9 "TOP GENERAL ON THE GROUND?
Oh they are meeting with the Iranian President right now. Oh My BAD!
Posted by: Roger Morris | March 4, 2008 1:35 PM
Mission accomplished!!!
Posted by: Logic Prisoner | March 4, 2008 1:53 PM
"Odierno spoke positively of the Moqtada al-Sadr-led Jaish al-Mahdi, saying the armed group has moved away from militia activity and has become more politically engaged".
The US ($$$) paid ($$$) off al-Sader for his part in the "cease fire", that is why violence is down a little in Iraq and NOT because of the "surge" aka occupation.
Iraq is still an all out civil war waiting to happen, these people have been fighting with each other for over 1300 years.
I'm still waiting for Insane John McCain to tell everyone how we're going to pay for his "idea" of spending the next 100 years in Iraq with at 140,000 troops because that's what it will take to keep things somewhat tamped down over there.
John McCain/Bush knows absolutlely nothing about ecomonics or the economy and even he admits it, the crazy old man has no business whatsoever being the President, it would be similar to putting Napoleon in charge of our foreign policy.
The $2 Trillion Nightmare
By BOB HERBERT
"We’ve been hearing a lot about “Saturday Night Live” and the fun it has been having with the presidential race. But hardly a whisper has been heard about a Congressional hearing in Washington last week on a topic that could have been drawn, in all its tragic monstrosity, from the theater of the absurd.
The war in Iraq will ultimately cost U.S. taxpayers not hundreds of billions of dollars, but an astonishing $2 trillion, and perhaps more. There has been very little in the way of public conversation, even in the presidential campaigns, about the consequences of these costs, which are like a cancer inside the American economy".
-full story
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/04/opinion/04herbert.html?_r=2&hp&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
John McCain on the state of the US economy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tu-tg1kQ8dk
Posted by: John E | March 4, 2008 1:57 PM
Hey, General. Who sold the Iranians those weapons?
Posted by: DD | March 4, 2008 3:42 PM
I just can't imagine why they would of promoted the fine General to deal with the Iranians in Iraq. All they had to do is trot out Jimmy Carter, now there's a guy who knows how to get it done.....he could also do double duty as Fed . chief..he knows how to keep that interest rate down too. Could someone please pass me a "Billy Beer".
Posted by: Don B. | March 4, 2008 4:29 PM
Don B-
Maybe they should have used the tried and true Reagan Plan for dealing with Iran - Sell them weapons. That sure showed the Iranians how tough on terrorisnm we were, didn't it?
Posted by: Luke | March 4, 2008 5:10 PM
Maybe they should have used the tried and true Reagan Plan for dealing with Iran - Sell them weapons. That sure showed the Iranians how tough on terrorisnm we were, didn't it?
Posted by: Luke | March 4, 2008 5:10
Kuke: I don't know what country you went to school, but the Iranians released our people on his FIRST day of office. Go back to your X box and don't bother me anymore.
Posted by: Don B. | March 4, 2008 6:00 PM
Don B-
I don't know what country you went to school in (I suspect you played hooky alot)but after that Reagan sold arms to the Iranians in order to get them to pressure Hezbollah to release hostage they were holding. Iran-Contra, remember?
http://www.fas.org/irp/offdocs/walsh/part_i.htm
Read a book sometime. It might make you less ignorant.
Posted by: Luke | March 4, 2008 6:40 PM