Quotes of the Morning: The Classic Blunders

“Remember when we invaded Afghanistan to stop Osama bin Ladin? Remember how we deposed the horrible Taliban and liberated the poor Afghani people from the Taliban rule and put elective democracy in its place? Don’t worry… They probably don’t remember it anymore either.”
-Skippy

“The most senior British military commander in Afghanistan yesterday described the situation in the country as ‘close to anarchy’ with feuding foreign agencies and unethical private security companies compounding problems caused by local corruption.
The stark warning came from Lieutenant General David Richards, head of Nato's international security force in Afghanistan, who warned that western forces there were short of equipment and were "running out of time" if they were going to meet the expectations of the Afghan people.”
-The Guardian (UK), July 22, 2006

“First Lt. Ryan Edwards, 1st Platoon leader for the 2-4, said Taliban fighters advanced within yards of defensive positions in this northern section of Zabul province. At one point, U.S. soldiers were taking fire from five directions.
Pvt. Robert Bobbin of the 4th Infantry’s Company A, said the unit has seen firefights in the area before, ‘but never this intense.’
The area has become dangerous in recent months, according to base officials, with local villagers recently announcing a jihad against coalition forces.
Edwards said patrols routinely search nearby villages and find few people left living there. But at night, Taliban forces often take control of those areas, leading coalition commanders to believe they are receiving help from locals.
Thursday’s Taliban attack force was larger, better armed and better equipped than past fighters, Edwards said.”
-Stars & Stripes, July 23, 2006

“Afghanistan is apparently falling to pieces. We apparently fell into one of the classic blunders.”
-Skippy

“Ha ha! You fool! You fell victim to one of the classic blunders! The most famous is never get involved in a land war in Asia…”
-Vizzini, The Princess Bride

“Luckily even with Afghanistan going badly we have a second war to fall back on, so we’ve doubled our chances of winning one!”
-SKippy

“Bombs killed more than 60 people and wounded more than 200 Sunday in Baghdad and the northern oil center of Kirkuk — a dramatic escalation of violence as U.S. and Iraqi forces crack down on Iraq's most feared Shiite militia.”
-Associated Press, July 23, 2006

“Ok, so that one doesn’t seem to be going all that well either. Hey, that isn’t our fault. Those people just don’t seem to want peace. What they need is to follow our example. America is a beacon of freedom and liberty for all the world. If they just tried to live up to our example things would be going great.”
-Skippy

“Four U.S. soldiers accused of murdering suspected insurgents during a raid in Iraq said they were under orders to ‘kill all military age males,’ according to sworn statements obtained by The Associated Press.
The soldiers first took some of the men into custody because they were using two women and a toddler as human shields. They shot three of the men after the women and child were safe and say the men attacked them.
‘The ROE (rule of engagement) was to kill all military age males on Objective Murray,’ Staff Sgt. Raymond L. Girouard told investigators, referring to the target by its code name.
That target, an island on a canal in the northern Salahuddin province, was believed to be an al-Qaida training camp. The soldiers said officers in their chain of command gave them the order and explained that special forces had tried before to target the island and had come under fire from insurgents.
Girouard, Spc. William B. Hunsaker, Pfc. Corey R. Clagett, and Spc. Juston R. Graber are charged with murder and other offenses in the shooting deaths of three of the men during the May 9 raid.
Girouard, Hunsaker and Clagett are also charged with obstruction of justice for allegedly threatening to kill another soldier if he told authorities what happened.”
-Associated Press, July 23, 2006

“No, no, no! Not that example. The one where we weren’t committing war crimes! Do as we say, not as we do! At least things are better than under that ogre Saddam.”
-Skippy

“We know there was a corrupt regime in Saddam, but a regime should be removed by surgery, not by butchering. The U.S. occupation is butcher’s work under the slogan of democracy and human rights and justice.”
-Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, July 22, 2006

“Many thanks to First Draft and Americablog for most of today’s Quotes.”
-Skippy