Fuente: © Democratic National Committee (DNC) ·
http://www.democrats.org/

DNC: Bush White House Must Talk Publicly About Plans For Iraq

/noticias.info/ As the Bush Administration continues to paint a rosy picture of the war in Iraq, it's privately making contingency plans to pull U.S. troops out of the country if sectarian violence evolves into civil war, according to a new report in Newsweek. [Newsweek, 8/14/06] This revelation is in stark contrast to what the Bush Administration says publicly. It's time for President Bush to be honest with the American people about his Administration's plans for our troops on the ground and the growing sectarian violence in Iraq.

"Despite public assertions that Iraq is not spiraling into a civil war, it's now clear that the Bush Administration recognizes the potential as the sectarian violence grows in the region," said DNC Communications Director Karen Finney. "We now know that the White House and Pentagon are privately heeding the warnings of Democrats and others that Iraq may be on the brink of civil war, if it's not already, because they're making contingency plans to pull U.S. troops out of Iraq if the country descends into civil war. Americans are tired of Donald Rumsfeld and other Administration officials saying one thing and doing another. It's time for the Bush Administration to speak publicly about what's going on in Iraq."

Exclusive: Iraq-Plans in Case of a Civil War
By: Richard Wolffe and John Barry
Newsweek
August 14 issue

"The Bush administration insists Iraq is a long way from civil war, but the contingency planning has already begun inside the White House and the Pentagon. President Bush will move U.S. troops out of Iraq if the country descends into civil war, according to one senior Bush aide who declined to be named while talking about internal strategy...

"The White House prefers to focus on the more positive aspects of last week's testimony from Gen. John Abizaid, commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East, and Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The generals gave a bleak assessment of the sectarian violence, but added that civil war was only a possibility, not a probability.

"The administration hasn't made its definition of full-blown civil war explicit. But in March, when Iraq's former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi said the country was already fighting a civil war, Bush disagreed, noting the existence of Iraq's nonsectarian Army and government."

To read this entire Newsweek article, please click here.

Generals Raised Fears Of Iraq Civil War. In testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee on August 3, 2006, Generals Abizaid and Pace both expressed fears that Iraq was headed towards a civil war. Responding to questions about escalations in violence in recent weeks, General John Abizaid admitted that "Iraq could move toward civil war." He described the sectarian violence as "probably as bad as I have seen it[.]" Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff concurred with Abizaid's assessment that Iraq was in danger of civil war on its current path. Pace said at the hearing, "We do have the possibility of that devolving into civil war." While Pace indicated that he did not see this path developing one year ago, Abizaid admitted that the trend has been consistent, saying that it was obvious one year ago that sectarian violence was on the rise. [AP, 8/3/06]

Britain's Outgoing Ambassador To Iraq Forecast That "Civil War" And "Division" Of Iraq Was More Likely Than A "Stable Democracy," Contrary To British Public Statements. William Patey, the outgoing British Ambassador to Iraq, wrote in his final diplomatic telegram from Baghdad that Iraq would likely fall into civil war, end up in ethnic division, and not be an ally in the war on terror. Patey's cable forecast a bleak future for Iraq: "The prospect of a low intensity civil war and a de facto division of Iraq is probably more likely at this stage than a successful and substantial transition to a stable democracy." Patey added that Bush's "lowered expectation" for the country "must remain in doubt," expectations which he described as "a government that can sustain itself, defend itself and govern itself and is an ally in the war on terror[.]" According to Reuters, the statement "gives a far more pessimistic assessment for prospects in Iraq than Britain has disclosed in public." [BBC News, 8/3/06; Reuters, 8/3/06]

Former Iraqi Interim Prime Minister Said Iraq Was In Civil War. Iyad Allawi former Interim Iraqi Prime Minister and leader of the Iraqi National List a secular nationalist party made up of Sunnis and Shiites said that Iraq was already in a civil war. Allawi said, "It is unfortunate that we are in civil war. We are losing each day as an average 50 to 60 people throughout the country, if not more. If this is not civil war, then God knows what civil war is." [BBC, 3/19/06]

Experts Say Iraq Has Been In A Civil War Since 2004. "'By the standard that political scientists use, there's been a civil war going on in Iraq since sovereignty was handed over to the interim government in 2004,' said Stanford University's James Fearon.American military analyst Stephen Biddle says U.S. policy-makers make a mistake if they 'miss the nature of the conflict, which in Iraq is already a civil war between rival ethnic and sectarian groups.'" [AP, 3/15/06; Los Angeles Times, 2/25/06; Washington Times 3/15/06]

National Intelligence Estimate Warned in 2003 Of the Strength of the Insurgency and the Possibility for Civil War. "U.S. intelligence agencies repeatedly warned the White House beginning more than two years ago that the insurgency in Iraq had deep local roots, was likely to worsen and could lead to civil war, according to former senior intelligence officials who helped craft the reports." [San Jose Mercury News, 3/1/06]

* Cheney Ignored Report Contents. "President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, Rumsfeld and others continued to describe the insurgency as a containable threat, posed mainly by former supporters of Saddam Hussein, criminals and non-Iraqi terrorists -- even as the U.S.intelligence community was warning otherwise." [San Jose Mercury News, 3/1/06] notas_de_prensa_archivo