[Peace-discussion] Fwd: WAR IS NOT THE ANSWER

[makersofpeace]

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WAR IS NOT THE ANSWER > (click HERE for more info)
<http://fcnl.org/index.htm>    * ! * ! * ! * ! * ! * ! * ! * ! * ! * ! *
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American kills 5 fellow soldiers at clinic in Iraq By ROBERT H. REID,
Associated Press Writer Robert H. Reid, Associated Press Writer 2 hrs 9
mins ago  BAGHDAD =96 An American soldier opened fire at a counseling
center on a military base Monday, killing five fellow soldiers before
being taken into custody, the U.S. command and Pentagon officials said.
Although it was unclear what prompted the shooting, the incident draws
attention to the issue of combat stress and morale after six years of
war as the mission of the 130,000-strong force transforms to one of
training and mentoring the Iraqis. Attacks on fellow soldiers, known as
fraggings, were not uncommon during the Vietnam war but are believed to
be rare in Iraq and Afghanistan. President Barack Obama said in a
statement that he was "shocked and deeply saddened" by the report,
adding that "my heart goes out to the families and friends" of all those
involved "in this horrible tragedy." After a meeting with Defense
Secretary Robert Gates, Obama said he would make sure "that we fully
understand what led to this tragedy" and will do everything possible "to
ensure that our men and women in uniform are protected as they serve our
country so capably and courageously in harm's way." A brief U.S.
military statement said the assailant was taken into custody following
the 2 p.m. shooting at Camp Liberty, a sprawling U.S. base on the
western edge of Baghdad near the city's international airport. Obama
visited an adjacent base last month. The statement said nobody else was
hurt, but a senior defense official in Washington said three people were
wounded. The names of the victims and shooter were not released.
Pentagon officials said the shooting happened at a stress clinic, where
troops can go for help with the stresses of combat or personal issues.
It was unclear whether the gunman and his victims were workers at the
clinic or were there for counseling. Soldiers routinely carry weapons on
Camp Liberty and other bases, but they are supposed to be unloaded. At
the Pentagon, Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,
said the shooting occurred "in a place where individuals were seeking
help." "It does speak to me about the need for us to redouble our
efforts in terms of dealing with the stress," Mullen said. The U.S.
military is coping with a growing number of stress cases among soldiers
in Iraq and Afghanistan =97 many of whom are on their third or fourth
combat tours. Some studies suggest that about 15 percent of soldiers
returning from Iraq suffer from some sort of emotional problems. With
violence declining, many soldiers face new challenges trying to shift
from fighting a war to supporting the Iraqis =97 tasks that often
require skills in which they have not been trained. Adding to the
stress, there have been several incidents recently when men dressed as
Iraqi soldiers have opened fire on American troops, including an attack
in the northern city of Mosul on May 2 when two soldiers and the gunman
were killed. Rep. Harry Mitchell, a member of the House Veterans'
Affairs Committee, said the Camp Liberty shooting underscores the
"critical need" to reach out to soldiers suffering from "the effects of
combat stress and post-traumatic stress disorder." "Many troops are
under great psychological strain and are not receiving the treatment
they need," said Paul Rieckhoff, founder and head of Iraq & Afghanistan
Veterans of America. "Much more must be done to address troops'
psychological injuries before they reach a crisis point." The death toll
from the shooting at the counseling center was the highest for U.S.
personnel in a single attack since April 10, when a suicide truck driver
killed five American soldiers with a blast near a police headquarters in
Mosul. "Any time we lose one of our own, it affects us all," U.S.
spokesman Col. John Robinson said. "Our hearts go out to the families
and friends of all the service members involved in this terrible
tragedy." There have been several previous fragging incidents in the
Iraq war.  =95 Last September, Sgt. Joseph Bozicevich, 39, of
Minneapolis was detained after allegedly killing two members of his unit
south of Baghdad. The case remains under investigation.  =95 In April
2005, Army Sgt. Hasan Akbar was sentenced to death for killing two
officers in Kuwait just before the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. 
=95 In June 2005, an Army captain and lieutenant were killed when an
anti-personnel mine detonated in the window of their room at the U.S.
base in Tikrit. National Guard Staff Sgt. Alberto Martinez was acquitted
in the blast.  =95 Spc. Chris Rolan, an Army medic, was sentenced to
33 years in prison in 2007 for killing a fellow soldier after a night of
heavy drinking in Iraq.  =95 In 2008, Army Cpl. Timothy Ayers was
sentenced to two years and four months in prison after pleading guilty
to involuntary manslaughter in the fatal 2007 shooting of his platoon
sergeant in Iraq.  In other violence, the military announced Monday that
a U.S. soldier was killed a day earlier when a roadside bomb exploded
near his vehicle in Basra province of southern Baghdad.  In the northern
city of Kirkuk, a car bombing killed two people Monday, including a
10-year-old boy, and wounded 10 others, police Brig. Gen. Sarhat Qadir
said.  In Baghdad, a senior Iraqi traffic officer was assassinated on
his way to work. It was the second attack on a high-ranking traffic
police officer in the capital in as many days.  * ! * ! * ! * ! * ! * !
* ! * ! * ! * ! * ! * ! * ! * ! * ! * ! * ! * ! * ! * ! * ! * ! * ! * !
* ! * ! * ! * ! * ! * !  US fires top general in Afghanistan as war
worsens By PAULINE JELINEK and ANNE GEARAN, Associated Press Writers
Pauline Jelinek And Anne Gearan, Associated Press Writers 48 mins ago 
WASHINGTON =96 President Barack Obama fired the top U.S. general in
Afghanistan on Monday, replacing him with a former special forces
commander in a quest for a more agile, unconventional approach in a war
that has gone quickly downhill. With the Taliban resurgent, Obama's
switch from Gen. David McKiernan to Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal suggests
the new commander in chief wants major changes in addition to the
additional troops he's ordering into Afghanistan to shore up the war
effort. McKiernan, on the job for less than a year, has repeatedly
pressed for more forces. Although Obama has approved more than 21,000
additional troops this year, he has warned that the war will not be won
by military means. Defense Secretary Robert Gates echoed that view at a
grim Pentagon news conference announcing the leadership overhaul. "As I
have said many times before, very few of these problems can be solved by
military means alone," he said. "And yet, from the military perspective,
we can and must do better." "It's time for new leadership and fresh
eyes." A new team of commanders will now be charged with applying
Obama's revamped strategy for challenging an increasingly brutal and
resourceful insurgency. The strategy, still a work in progress, relies
on the kind of special forces and counterinsurgency tactics McChrystal
knows well, as well as nonmilitary approaches to confronting the
Taliban. It would hinge success in the seven-year-old war to political
and other conditions across the border in Pakistan. McKiernan, named to
his post by former President George W. Bush, had expected to serve into
next year but was told he was out during Gates' visit to Afghanistan
last week. Gates said he asked for McKiernan's resignation "with the
approval of the president." The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,
Adm. Mike Mullen, and McKiernan's military boss, Gen. David Petraeus,
both said they supported the switch. The White House said the
recommended change came from the Pentagon. "The president agreed with
the recommendation of the secretary of defense and chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff that the implementation of a new strategy in Afghanistan
called for new military leadership," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs
said in a statement. McChrystal is a former special forces chief
credited with nabbing one of the most-wanted fugitives in Iraq. Taking a
newly created No. 2 slot under his command will be Lt. Gen. David
Rodriguez, a veteran of the Afghanistan fight who has been Gates'
military shadow, the top uniformed aide who travels with him everywhere.
By year's end, the United States will have more than 68,000 troops in
the sprawling country =97 about double the total at the end of Bush's
presidency but still far fewer than the 130,000 still in Iraq. McKiernan
and other U.S. commanders have said resources they need in Afghanistan
are tied up in Iraq. Although Obama had pledged to add forces in
Afghanistan while shutting down the Iraq war, his new administration has
sought firmer control over the pace and scope of any new deployments.
Gates and Mullen have both warned Obama that a very large influx of U.S.
troops would be self-defeating. Asked if McKiernan's resignation would
end his military career, Gates said, "Probably." But he praised the
general's long service, and when pressed to name anything McKiernan had
failed to do, Gates demurred. "Nothing went wrong, and there was nothing
specific," he said. Gates, too, was appointed to his position by former
President George W. Bush. He noted that the Afghan campaign has long
lacked people and money in favor of the Bush administration's focus
since 2003 on the Iraq war. "But I believe, resources or no, that our
mission there requires new thinking and new approaches from our military
leaders," he said. "Today we have a new policy set by our new president.
We have a new strategy, a new mission and a new ambassador. I believe
that new military leadership also is needed." McKiernan issued a short
statement in Kabul.  "All of us, in any future capacity, must remain
committed to the great people of Afghanistan, " McKiernan said. "They
deserve security, government that meets their expectations, and a better
future than the last 30 years of conflict have witnessed."  In June 2006
Bush congratulated McChrystal for his role in the operation that killed
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of al-Qaida in Iraq. As head of the
special operations command, McChrystal's forces included the Army's
clandestine counterterrorism unit, Delta Force.  He drew criticism for
his role in the military's handling of the friendly fire shooting of
Army Ranger Pat Tillman =97 a former NFL star =97 in Afghanistan. An
investigation at the time found that McChrystal was "accountable for the
inaccurate and misleading assertions" contained in papers recommending
that Tillman get a Silver Star award.  McChrystal acknowledged he had
suspected several days before approving the Silver Star citation that
Tillman might have died by fratricide, rather than enemy fire. He sent a
memo to military leaders warning them of that, even as they were
approving Tillman's Silver Star. Still, he told investigators he
believed Tillman deserved the award.
Love and Light, wm and lynn McLean
the Blueberry Peace Farm, Magee, Mississippi, USA, EARTH
http://geocities. com/blueberrypea cefarm/MovingSpring2009
<http://geocities.com/blueberrypeacefarm/MovingSpring2009>   our Farm
blog: http://blog. 360.yahoo. com/dirtandsludg e
<http://blog.360.yahoo.com/dirtandsludge>
http://legitgov. org/ <http://legitgov.org/>   Citizens for Legitimate
Government
 
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<DIV><A href=3D"http://fcnl.org/index.htm" rel=3D"nofollow" target=3D"_blan=
k"><STRONG><FONT size=3D"6"><FONT color=3D"#ff0000">WAR</FONT><FONT color=
=3D"#003399"> </FONT><FONT color=3D"#0000bf">IS NOT THE</FONT><FONT color=
=3D"#003399"> </FONT><FONT color=3D"#407f00">ANSWER</FONT></FONT></STRONG><=
FONT color=3D"#003399"> &gt; (click <STRONG>HERE</STRONG> for more info)</F=
ONT></A></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D"#003399"></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>* ! * ! * ! * ! * ! * ! * ! * ! * ! * ! * ! * ! * ! * ! * ! * =
! * ! * ! * ! * ! * ! * ! * ! * ! * ! * ! * ! * ! * ! * ! <BR></STRONG></DI=
V>
<H1>American kills 5 fellow soldiers at clinic in Iraq</H1>
<DIV class=3D"byline"><CITE class=3D"vcard">By ROBERT H. REID, Associated P=
ress Writer <SPAN class=3D"fn org">Robert H. Reid, Associated Press Writer<=
/SPAN> </CITE>2&nbsp;hrs&nbsp;9&nbsp;mins&nbsp;ago </DIV>
<DIV>BAGHDAD =96 An <SPAN id=3D"lw_1242090994_0" class=3D"yshortcuts">Ameri=
can soldier</SPAN> opened fire at a counseling center on a <SPAN id=3D"lw_1=
242090994_1" class=3D"yshortcuts">military base</SPAN> Monday, killing five=
 fellow soldiers before being taken into custody, the U.S. command and Pent=
agon officials said.</DIV>
<DIV>Although it was unclear what prompted the shooting, the incident draws=
 attention to the issue of <SPAN id=3D"lw_1242090994_2" class=3D"yshortcuts=
">combat stress</SPAN> and morale after six years of war as the mission of =
the 130,000-strong force transforms to one of training and mentoring the Ir=
aqis.</DIV>
<DIV>Attacks on fellow soldiers, known as fraggings, were not uncommon duri=
ng the <SPAN id=3D"lw_1242090994_3" class=3D"yshortcuts">Vietnam war</SPAN>=
 but are believed to be rare in Iraq and <SPAN id=3D"lw_1242090994_4" class=
=3D"yshortcuts">Afghanistan</SPAN>.</DIV>
<DIV><SPAN id=3D"lw_1242090994_5" class=3D"yshortcuts">President Barack Oba=
ma</SPAN> said in a statement that he was "shocked and deeply saddened" by =
the report, adding that "my heart goes out to the families and friends" of =
all those involved "in this horrible tragedy."</DIV>
<DIV>After a meeting with <SPAN id=3D"lw_1242090994_6" class=3D"yshortcuts"=
>Defense Secretary Robert Gates</SPAN>, Obama said he would make sure "that=
 we fully understand what led to this tragedy" and will do everything possi=
ble "to ensure that our men and women in uniform are protected as they serv=
e our country so capably and courageously in harm's way."</DIV>
<DIV>A brief <SPAN id=3D"lw_1242090994_7" class=3D"yshortcuts">U.S. militar=
y</SPAN> statement said the assailant was taken into custody following the =
2 p.m. shooting at Camp Liberty, a sprawling U.S. base on the western edge =
of Baghdad near the city's international airport. Obama visited an adjacent=
 base last month.</DIV>
<DIV>The statement said nobody else was hurt, but a senior defense official=
 in Washington said three people were wounded. The names of the victims and=
 shooter were not released.</DIV>
<DIV>Pentagon officials said the shooting happened at a stress clinic, wher=
e troops can go for help with the stresses of combat or personal issues. It=
 was unclear whether the gunman and his victims were workers at the clinic =
or were there for counseling. Soldiers routinely carry weapons on Camp Libe=
rty and other bases, but they are supposed to be unloaded.</DIV>
<DIV>At the <SPAN id=3D"lw_1242090994_8" class=3D"yshortcuts">Pentagon</SPA=
N>, Adm. Mike Mullen, <SPAN id=3D"lw_1242090994_9" class=3D"yshortcuts">cha=
irman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff</SPAN>, said the shooting occurred "in a=
 place where individuals were seeking help."</DIV>
<DIV>"It does speak to me about the need for us to redouble our efforts in =
terms of dealing with the stress," Mullen said.</DIV>
<DIV>The U.S. military is coping with a growing number of stress cases amon=
g <SPAN id=3D"lw_1242090994_10" class=3D"yshortcuts">soldiers in Iraq</SPAN=
> and <SPAN id=3D"lw_1242090994_11" class=3D"yshortcuts">Afghanistan</SPAN>=
 =97 many of whom are on their third or fourth combat tours. Some studies s=
uggest that about 15 percent of soldiers returning from Iraq suffer from so=
me sort of emotional problems.</DIV>
<DIV>With violence declining, many soldiers face new challenges trying to s=
hift from fighting a war to supporting the Iraqis =97 tasks that often requ=
ire skills in which they have not been trained.</DIV>
<DIV>Adding to the stress, there have been several incidents recently when =
men dressed as Iraqi soldiers have opened fire on American troops, includin=
g an attack in the northern city of <SPAN id=3D"lw_1242090994_12" class=3D"=
yshortcuts">Mosul</SPAN> on May 2 when two soldiers and the gunman were kil=
led.</DIV>
<DIV>Rep. Harry Mitchell, a member of the <SPAN id=3D"lw_1242090994_13" cla=
ss=3D"yshortcuts">House Veterans' Affairs Committee</SPAN>, said the Camp L=
iberty shooting underscores the "critical need" to reach out to soldiers su=
ffering from "the effects of <SPAN id=3D"lw_1242090994_14" class=3D"yshortc=
uts">combat stress</SPAN> and <SPAN id=3D"lw_1242090994_15" class=3D"yshort=
cuts">post-traumatic stress disorder</SPAN>."</DIV>
<DIV>"Many troops are under great psychological strain and are not receivin=
g the treatment they need," said <SPAN id=3D"lw_1242090994_16" class=3D"ysh=
ortcuts">Paul Rieckhoff</SPAN>, founder and head of Iraq &amp; Afghanistan =
Veterans of America. "Much more must be done to address troops' psychologic=
al injuries before they reach a crisis point."</DIV>
<DIV>The death toll from the shooting at the counseling center was the high=
est for U.S. personnel in a single attack since April 10, when a suicide tr=
uck driver killed five <SPAN id=3D"lw_1242090994_17" class=3D"yshortcuts">A=
merican soldiers</SPAN> with a blast near a <SPAN id=3D"lw_1242090994_18" c=
lass=3D"yshortcuts">police headquarters</SPAN> in Mosul.</DIV>
<DIV>"Any time we lose one of our own, it affects us all," U.S. spokesman C=
ol. John Robinson said. "Our hearts go out to the families and friends of a=
ll the service members involved in this terrible tragedy."</DIV>
<DIV>There have been several previous fragging incidents in the Iraq war. 
<DIV>=95 Last September, Sgt. Joseph Bozicevich, 39, of Minneapolis was det=
ained after allegedly killing two members of his unit south of Baghdad. The=
 case remains under investigation. 
<DIV>=95 In April 2005, Army Sgt. Hasan Akbar was sentenced to death for ki=
lling two officers in Kuwait just before the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2=
003. 
<DIV>=95 In June 2005, an Army captain and lieutenant were killed when an a=
nti-personnel mine detonated in the window of their room at the U.S. base i=
n Tikrit. <SPAN id=3D"lw_1242090994_19" class=3D"yshortcuts">National Guard=
 Staff</SPAN> Sgt. <SPAN id=3D"lw_1242090994_20" class=3D"yshortcuts">Alber=
to Martinez</SPAN> was acquitted in the blast. 
<DIV>=95 Spc. Chris Rolan, an Army medic, was sentenced to 33 years in pris=
on in 2007 for killing a fellow soldier after a night of heavy drinking in =
Iraq. 
<DIV>=95 In 2008, Army Cpl. Timothy Ayers was sentenced to two years and fo=
ur months in prison after pleading guilty to <SPAN id=3D"lw_1242090994_21" =
class=3D"yshortcuts">involuntary manslaughter</SPAN> in the fatal 2007 shoo=
ting of his platoon sergeant in Iraq. 
<DIV>In other violence, the military announced Monday that a U.S. soldier w=
as killed a day earlier when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in B=
asra province of southern Baghdad. 
<DIV>In the northern city of Kirkuk, a car bombing killed two people Monday=
, including a 10-year-old boy, and wounded 10 others, police Brig. Gen. Sar=
hat Qadir said. 
<DIV>In Baghdad, a senior Iraqi traffic officer was assassinated on his way=
 to work. It was the second attack on a high-ranking <SPAN id=3D"lw_1242090=
994_22" class=3D"yshortcuts">traffic police officer</SPAN> in the capital i=
n as many days. </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>* ! * ! * ! * ! * ! * ! * ! * ! * ! * ! * ! * ! * ! * ! * ! * =
! * ! * ! * ! * ! * ! * ! * ! * ! * ! * ! * ! * ! * ! * ! </STRONG></DIV>
<H1>US fires top general in Afghanistan as war worsens</H1>
<DIV class=3D"byline"><CITE class=3D"vcard">By PAULINE JELINEK and ANNE GEA=
RAN, Associated Press Writers <SPAN class=3D"fn org">Pauline Jelinek And An=
ne Gearan, Associated Press Writers</SPAN> </CITE>48&nbsp;mins&nbsp;ago </D=
IV>
<DIV>WASHINGTON =96 <SPAN id=3D"lw_1242090992_0" class=3D"yshortcuts">Presi=
dent Barack Obama</SPAN> fired the top U.S. general in <SPAN id=3D"lw_12420=
90992_1" class=3D"yshortcuts">Afghanistan</SPAN> on Monday, replacing him w=
ith a former special forces commander in a quest for a more agile, unconven=
tional approach in a war that has gone quickly downhill. With the <SPAN id=
=3D"lw_1242090992_2" class=3D"yshortcuts">Taliban</SPAN> resurgent, Obama's=
 switch from <SPAN id=3D"lw_1242090992_3" class=3D"yshortcuts">Gen. David M=
cKiernan</SPAN> to Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal suggests the new <SPAN id=3D=
"lw_1242090992_4" class=3D"yshortcuts">commander in chief</SPAN> wants majo=
r changes in addition to the additional troops he's ordering into Afghanist=
an to shore up the <SPAN id=3D"lw_1242090992_5" class=3D"yshortcuts">war ef=
fort</SPAN>.</DIV>
<DIV>McKiernan, on the job for less than a year, has repeatedly pressed for=
 more forces. Although Obama has approved more than 21,000 additional troop=
s this year, he has warned that the war will not be won by military means.<=
/DIV>
<DIV><SPAN id=3D"lw_1242090992_6" class=3D"yshortcuts">Defense Secretary Ro=
bert Gates</SPAN> echoed that view at a grim Pentagon news conference annou=
ncing the leadership overhaul. "As I have said many times before, very few =
of these problems can be solved by military means alone," he said. "And yet=
, from the military perspective, we can and must do better."</DIV>
<DIV>"It's time for new leadership and fresh eyes."</DIV>
<DIV>A new team of commanders will now be charged with applying Obama's rev=
amped strategy for challenging an increasingly brutal and resourceful insur=
gency. The strategy, still a work in progress, relies on the kind of specia=
l forces and counterinsurgency tactics McChrystal knows well, as well as no=
nmilitary approaches to confronting the Taliban. It would hinge success in =
the seven-year-old war to political and other conditions across the border =
in <SPAN id=3D"lw_1242090992_7" class=3D"yshortcuts">Pakistan</SPAN>.</DIV>
<DIV>McKiernan, named to his post by <SPAN id=3D"lw_1242090992_8" class=3D"=
yshortcuts">former President George W. Bush</SPAN>, had expected to serve i=
nto next year but was told he was out during Gates' visit to Afghanistan la=
st week.</DIV>
<DIV>Gates said he asked for McKiernan's resignation "with the approval of =
the president." The <SPAN id=3D"lw_1242090992_9" class=3D"yshortcuts">chair=
man of the Joint Chiefs of Staff</SPAN>, Adm. Mike Mullen, and McKiernan's =
military boss, <SPAN id=3D"lw_1242090992_10" class=3D"yshortcuts">Gen. Davi=
d Petraeus</SPAN>, both said they supported the switch.</DIV>
<DIV>The White House said the recommended change came from the <SPAN id=3D"=
lw_1242090992_11" class=3D"yshortcuts">Pentagon</SPAN>.</DIV>
<DIV>"The president agreed with the recommendation of the <SPAN id=3D"lw_12=
42090992_12" class=3D"yshortcuts">secretary of defense</SPAN> and chairman =
of the Joint Chiefs of Staff that the implementation of a new strategy in A=
fghanistan called for new military leadership," <SPAN id=3D"lw_1242090992_1=
3" class=3D"yshortcuts">White House spokesman Robert Gibbs</SPAN> said in a=
 statement.</DIV>
<DIV>McChrystal is a former special forces chief credited with nabbing one =
of the most-wanted fugitives in Iraq. Taking a newly created No. 2 slot und=
er his command will be Lt. Gen. David Rodriguez, a veteran of the Afghanist=
an fight who has been Gates' military shadow, the top uniformed aide who tr=
avels with him everywhere.</DIV>
<DIV>By year's end, the United States will have more than 68,000 troops in =
the sprawling country =97 about double the total at the end of Bush's presi=
dency but still far fewer than the 130,000 still in Iraq.</DIV>
<DIV>McKiernan and other U.S. commanders have said resources they need in A=
fghanistan are tied up in Iraq.</DIV>
<DIV>Although Obama had pledged to add forces in Afghanistan while shutting=
 down the <SPAN id=3D"lw_1242090992_14" class=3D"yshortcuts">Iraq war</SPAN=
>, his new administration has sought firmer control over the pace and scope=
 of any new deployments. Gates and Mullen have both warned Obama that a ver=
y large influx of U.S. troops would be self-defeating.</DIV>
<DIV>Asked if McKiernan's resignation would end his military career, Gates =
said, "Probably." But he praised the general's long service, and when press=
ed to name anything McKiernan had failed to do, Gates demurred.</DIV>
<DIV>"Nothing went wrong, and there was nothing specific," he said.</DIV>
<DIV>Gates, too, was appointed to his position by <SPAN id=3D"lw_1242090992=
_15" class=3D"yshortcuts">former President George W. Bush</SPAN>. He noted =
that the Afghan campaign has long lacked people and money in favor of the <=
SPAN id=3D"lw_1242090992_16" class=3D"yshortcuts">Bush administration</SPAN=
>'s focus since 2003 on the Iraq war.</DIV>
<DIV>"But I believe, resources or no, that our mission there requires new t=
hinking and new approaches from our military leaders," he said. "Today we h=
ave a new policy set by our new president. We have a new strategy, a new mi=
ssion and a new ambassador. I believe that new military leadership also is =
needed."</DIV>
<DIV>McKiernan issued a short statement in Kabul. 
<DIV>"All of us, in any future capacity, must remain committed to the great=
 people of Afghanistan, " McKiernan said. "They deserve security, governmen=
t that meets their expectations, and a better future than the last 30 years=
 of conflict have witnessed." 
<DIV>In June 2006 Bush congratulated McChrystal for his role in the operati=
on that killed <SPAN id=3D"lw_1242090992_17" class=3D"yshortcuts">Abu Musab=
 al-Zarqawi</SPAN>, the leader of <SPAN id=3D"lw_1242090992_18" class=3D"ys=
hortcuts">al-Qaida</SPAN> in Iraq. As head of the special operations comman=
d, McChrystal's forces included the Army's clandestine counterterrorism uni=
t, <SPAN id=3D"lw_1242090992_19" class=3D"yshortcuts">Delta Force</SPAN>. 
<DIV>He drew criticism for his role in the military's handling of the <SPAN=
 id=3D"lw_1242090992_20" class=3D"yshortcuts">friendly fire</SPAN> shooting=
 of <SPAN id=3D"lw_1242090992_21" class=3D"yshortcuts">Army Ranger Pat Till=
man</SPAN> =97 a former NFL star =97 in Afghanistan. An investigation at th=
e time found that McChrystal was "accountable for the inaccurate and mislea=
ding assertions" contained in papers recommending that Tillman get a <SPAN =
id=3D"lw_1242090992_22" class=3D"yshortcuts">Silver Star award</SPAN>. 
<DIV>McChrystal acknowledged he had suspected several days before approving=
 the <SPAN id=3D"lw_1242090992_23" class=3D"yshortcuts">Silver Star</SPAN> =
citation that Tillman might have died by fratricide, rather than enemy fire=
. He sent a memo to military leaders warning them of that, even as they wer=
e approving Tillman's Silver Star. Still, he told investigators he believed=
 Tillman deserved the award. <BR></DIV>
<DIV>Love and Light, wm and lynn McLean <BR>the Blueberry Peace Farm, Magee=
, Mississippi, USA, EARTH <BR><A href=3D"http://geocities.com/blueberrypeac=
efarm/MovingSpring2009" rel=3D"nofollow" target=3D"_blank"><FONT color=3D"#=
003399">http://geocities. com/blueberrypea cefarm/</FONT><STRONG><FONT colo=
r=3D"#ff7f00" size=3D"3">Moving<FONT color=3D"#407f00">Spring</FONT>2009</F=
ONT></STRONG></A> </DIV>
<DIV>our Farm blog: <A href=3D"http://blog.360.yahoo.com/dirtandsludge" rel=
=3D"nofollow" target=3D"_blank"><FONT color=3D"#003399">http://blog. 360.ya=
hoo. com/dirtandsludg e</FONT></A><BR><A href=3D"http://legitgov.org/" rel=
=3D"nofollow" target=3D"_blank"><FONT color=3D"#003399">http://legitgov. or=
g/</FONT></A>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>Citizens for Legitimate Government<BR><A href=3D"http://s52.photobucke=
t.com/albums/g35/cpeacesigns/?action=3Dview&amp;current=3DStPeterburgColleg=
eCampusGreens.jpg" rel=3D"nofollow" target=3D"_blank"></A><IMG style=3D"HEI=
GHT: 414px;" id=3D"fullSizedImage" class=3D"media" alt=3D"12b7.jpg picture =
by cpeacesigns" src=3D"http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g35/cpeacesigns/12=
b7.jpg?t=3D1242092382"></DIV>
<DIV><IMG style=3D"HEIGHT: 540px;" id=3D"fullSizedImage" class=3D"media" al=
t=3D"SustainableGrowth.jpg picture by cpeacesigns" src=3D"http://i52.photob=
ucket.com/albums/g35/cpeacesigns/SustainableGrowth.jpg?t=3D1242091586"></DI=
V>
<DIV><IMG style=3D"HEIGHT: 512px;" id=3D"fullSizedImage" class=3D"media" al=
t=3D"anotherliberatedIraqi.jpg picture by cpeacesigns" src=3D"http://i52.ph=
otobucket.com/albums/g35/cpeacesigns/anotherliberatedIraqi.jpg?t=3D12420917=
07"><IMG style=3D"HEIGHT: 540px;" id=3D"fullSizedImage" class=3D"media" alt=
=3D"BushOffendsMe.jpg picture by cpeacesigns" src=3D"http://i52.photobucket=
.com/albums/g35/cpeacesigns/BushOffendsMe.jpg?t=3D1242091746"></DIV>
<DIV><IMG style=3D"HEIGHT: 321px;" id=3D"fullSizedImage" class=3D"media" al=
t=3D"IraqiKid.jpg Iraqi Kid picture by cpeacesigns" src=3D"http://i52.photo=
bucket.com/albums/g35/cpeacesigns/IraqiKid.jpg?t=3D1242091832"><IMG style=
=3D"HEIGHT: 304px;" id=3D"fullSizedImage" class=3D"media" alt=3D"AMothersCh=
ildinIraq.jpg A Mother\'s Child in Iraq picture by cpeacesigns" src=3D"http=
://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g35/cpeacesigns/AMothersChildinIraq.jpg?t=3D1=
242091887"></DIV>
<DIV><IMG style=3D"HEIGHT: 245px;" id=3D"fullSizedImage" class=3D"media" al=
t=3D"IraqiOrphan3.jpg picture by cpeacesigns" src=3D"http://i52.photobucket=
.com/albums/g35/cpeacesigns/Iraq/IraqiOrphan3.jpg?t=3D1242091943"><IMG styl=
e=3D"HEIGHT: 248px;" id=3D"fullSizedImage" class=3D"media" alt=3D"IraqiOrph=
an8.jpg picture by cpeacesigns" src=3D"http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g3=
5/cpeacesigns/Iraq/IraqiOrphan8.jpg?t=3D1242092049"></DIV>
<DIV><IMG style=3D"HEIGHT: 169px;" id=3D"fullSizedImage" class=3D"media" al=
t=3D"IraqiOrphan1.jpg picture by cpeacesigns" src=3D"http://i52.photobucket=
.com/albums/g35/cpeacesigns/Iraq/IraqiOrphan1.jpg?t=3D1242091977"><IMG styl=
e=3D"HEIGHT: 259px;" id=3D"fullSizedImage" class=3D"media" alt=3D"IraqiOrph=
an2.jpg picture by cpeacesigns" src=3D"http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g3=
5/cpeacesigns/Iraq/IraqiOrphan2.jpg?t=3D1242092019"></DIV>
<DIV><IMG style=3D"HEIGHT: 398px;" id=3D"fullSizedImage" class=3D"media" al=
t=3D"AmericanTorture.jpg picture by cpeacesigns" src=3D"http://i52.photobuc=
ket.com/albums/g35/cpeacesigns/Iraq/AmericanTorture.jpg?t=3D1242092100"><IM=
G style=3D"HEIGHT: 280px;" id=3D"fullSizedImage" class=3D"media" alt=3D"bar=
s_stripes.jpg picture by cpeacesigns" src=3D"http://i52.photobucket.com/alb=
ums/g35/cpeacesigns/bars_stripes.jpg?t=3D1242092326"></DIV></DIV></DIV></DI=
V></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></TD></TR></TBODY><=
/TABLE></DIV></DIV>

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