"The country is now in reach of going from Saddam Hussein to self-government and, I'd add, self-protection," the Connecticut Democrat said in a conference call with reporters. "That would be a remarkable transformation ... I saw real progress there...
The senator said he ate three Thanksgiving meals at different bases visiting with troops, including about 50 soldiers from Connecticut...
Q: From what you’re seeing, from what you’re hearing from the troops you have been embedded with, do they have confidence in — in the Iraqis they’re training?
MICHAEL WARE: Whoever from the White House is saying that is one of two things. Clearly, they have never been in Iraq. And, clearly, they have never been in a firefight with an Iraqi unit. Secondly, they’re clearly lying, whether they know it or not. I mean, a very senior U.S. military intelligence officer, one of the most high-ranking in the country, just in the last few days, said to me, these Iraqi forces will never be in a position to be able to crush this insurgency.
On the ground here, no one has no any real illusions about that. I have been in battle with almost every type of Iraqi security force there is, from police commandos, to special forces, to 36 Commando, to the elite counterterrorism force akin to the Delta.
I have been with Kurds and Shia and Sunni. And I’m telling you, if the Iraqi security forces are the exit strategy, then get ready to be here for a long time. And your troops know that. They work with them side by side every day.
Yes, there are advances. Yes, there are gains. But will this military that’s emerging here ever be able to replace the American military in Iraq? No.
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