Comments on: Play Your Part http://attackerman.firedoglake.com/2008/10/21/powellandobama/ Just another Firedoglake weblog Mon, 23 Nov 2009 22:52:40 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: aspiringexpatriate http://attackerman.firedoglake.com/2008/10/21/powellandobama/comment-page-1/#comment-3060 aspiringexpatriate Thu, 23 Oct 2008 09:35:01 +0000 http://attackerman.firedoglake.com/2008/10/21/powellandobama/#comment-3060 <p>I know a lot of soldiers fight responsibly and respectfully, but there is an intolerable amount of civilian deaths in Iraq, Afghanistan and now Pakistan. I don’t know whether it’s top down intelligence failures or simply mechanical failures of the ’smart missiles’ and thus ‘acceptable losses.’ Either way, there needs to be a non-military, yet non-antagonistic task force assembled to bring civilian losses to the absolute minimum. This is getting absurd and destroying what little is left of American reputation. There *is* no such thing as ‘acceptable losses’ when it comes to a sovereign ally nation’s civilians. American soldiers caught hell when an Italian died in Iraq, yet there’s nothing when far worse happens to our allies in the Mid-East.</p> <p>There needs to be some form of top-down, non-antagonistic military reform. Powell has the experience, and might just want to earn a bit of redemption. Also, your idea of working with Blair on the Israel-Palestine issue is also very good.</p> I know a lot of soldiers fight responsibly and respectfully, but there is an intolerable amount of civilian deaths in Iraq, Afghanistan and now Pakistan. I don’t know whether it’s top down intelligence failures or simply mechanical failures of the ’smart missiles’ and thus ‘acceptable losses.’ Either way, there needs to be a non-military, yet non-antagonistic task force assembled to bring civilian losses to the absolute minimum. This is getting absurd and destroying what little is left of American reputation. There *is* no such thing as ‘acceptable losses’ when it comes to a sovereign ally nation’s civilians. American soldiers caught hell when an Italian died in Iraq, yet there’s nothing when far worse happens to our allies in the Mid-East.

There needs to be some form of top-down, non-antagonistic military reform. Powell has the experience, and might just want to earn a bit of redemption. Also, your idea of working with Blair on the Israel-Palestine issue is also very good.

]]> By: MarkH http://attackerman.firedoglake.com/2008/10/21/powellandobama/comment-page-1/#comment-3049 MarkH Wed, 22 Oct 2008 21:50:49 +0000 http://attackerman.firedoglake.com/2008/10/21/powellandobama/#comment-3049 <p>Is it too snarky to suggest U.N. ambassador or National Security Adviser?</p> Is it too snarky to suggest U.N. ambassador or National Security Adviser?

]]> By: gryphon http://attackerman.firedoglake.com/2008/10/21/powellandobama/comment-page-1/#comment-3002 gryphon Wed, 22 Oct 2008 14:05:10 +0000 http://attackerman.firedoglake.com/2008/10/21/powellandobama/#comment-3002 <p>he should clearly be be in charge of investigating claims of human rights violations in Iraq by US soldiers, after all, he has experience, dontcha know? <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Lai_massacre" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Lai_massacre</a></p> he should clearly be be in charge of investigating claims of human rights violations in Iraq by US soldiers, after all, he has experience, dontcha know? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Lai_massacre

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