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★阿修羅♪
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(回答先: 米大統領、フセイン政権残党に「来るなら来い」 ［読売新聞］ 投稿者 あっしら 日時 2003 年 7 月 03 日 16:39:57)
↑ワシントンポスト記事：議会の民主党ばかりか軍人からも疑問噴出のごとし。
ブッシュ自身が自慢の飛行服で、落下傘で降りて、行ってみろってんだ！
一匹どっこいの喧嘩もできねえ弱虫の癖しやがってからに。
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A1617-2003Jul2.html?nav=hptop_tb
washingtonpost.com
Bush Utters Taunt About Militants: 'Bring 'Em On'
By Dana Milbank and Vernon Loeb
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, July 3, 2003; Page A01
President Bush yesterday delivered a colloquial taunt to militants who have been attacking U.S. troops in Iraq, saying "bring 'em on" and asserting that the forces in Iraq are "plenty tough" to deal with the threat.
The colorful challenge by Bush provoked indignation from some congressional Democrats, who said the president's bravado was inviting attacks on U.S. soldiers. It came as the president continued to face questions about the chaotic postwar scene in Iraq. Some retired officers, warning of a serious shortage of military manpower, have called on Bush to take the unusual step of activating National Guard divisions to relieve overtaxed troops.
The Pentagon, which is studying whether it needs additional troops in Iraq, is straining to sustain more than half the Army in Iraq while maintaining other troop commitments in Afghanistan, South Korea and the Balkans. Other countries are also resisting entreaties to help in Iraq. In the latest sign of the squeeze, the foreign secretary of India, from which the administration is seeking an entire division, said yesterday that his government remains wary of sending troops to Iraq.
Bush's vigorous defense of his administration's decisions in Iraq -- his second defense in as many days after a period of relative silence -- came as another U.S. Marine was killed and three were injured while clearing mines in Iraq, while a soldier died from wounds suffered in an attack on Tuesday. At least 64 Americans have been killed -- 26 from hostile fire -- since Bush declared the bulk of fighting over two months ago.
"There are some who feel that the conditions are such that they can attack us there," Bush said. Extending his right hand for emphasis, he added: "My answer is: Bring 'em on. We've got the force necessary to deal with the security situation." He promised to "deal with them harshly" if attacks continue.
The president, appearing in the Roosevelt Room of the White House for an event intended to announce an AIDS personnel appointment, appeared irritated as he spoke of U.S. troop strength in Iraq and the cooperation from other countries.
"There are some who feel like that if they attack us, that we may decide to leave prematurely," Bush said in response to a reporter's question. Shaking his head, he continued: "They don't understand what they're talking about, if that's the case." When a reporter tried to ask another question, Bush raised his index finger and said, "Let me finish."
The administration has been struggling to enlist other countries to contribute troops to the Iraqi occupation force and reduce the strain on the U.S. military. Despite vigorous appeals from the president and his senior advisers, however, foreign governments have been reluctant to provide large numbers of troops. While the administration has queried 70 countries about the possibility of contributing forces, 10 have thus far agreed to contribute about 20,000 troops by the end of the summer. Only Britain, Ukraine and Poland have provided substantial assistance so far.
"Anybody who wants to help, we'll welcome the help," Bush said. "But we've got plenty tough force there right now to make sure the situation is secure." The president left open the possibility of increasing U.S. troop strength, however, saying "we'll put together a force structure who meets the threats on the ground."
But in the latest indication of the difficulty the administration is having in recruiting other countries to help in Iraq, Indian Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal told editors and reporters at The Washington Post that his government wants a "better understanding" of U.S. plans for the Iraqi political system and improved security, and would prefer a larger United Nations role. He said it would be a "serious, serious departure" for Indian troops to serve under U.S. command. The Bush administration is hoping India will contribute a division of troops.
Though Congress is in recess, some Democrats criticized Bush's "bring 'em on" statement. "I am shaking my head in disbelief," said Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.). "When I served in the Army in Europe during World War II, I never heard any military commander -- let alone the commander in chief -- invite enemies to attack U.S. troops." Lautenberg's statement said Bush's words were "tantamount to inciting and inviting more attacks against U.S. forces."
In addition, Rep. Richard A. Gephardt (D-Mo.), a presidential candidate, said he had heard "enough of the phony, macho rhetoric" from Bush. Howard Dean, the former Vermont governor also mounting a bid for the Democratic presidential nomination, said Bush "showed tremendous insensitivity to the dangers" troops face.
Bush's spokesman, Ari Fleischer, said Bush was not inviting attacks. "I think what the president was expressing there is his confidence in the men and women of the military to handle the military mission that they still remain in the middle of," he said.
The president has often turned to folksy phrases when angered and discussing a threat to the country. After the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, he said he wanted al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." Bush also has said that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein "crawfished" to escape United Nations sanctions, and that he would "smoke" Taliban operatives "out of their caves." On the eve of the doomed effort earlier this year to win U.N. support for military action against Iraq, Bush said, "It's time for people to show their cards."
Many Democrats, who have been reluctant to criticize the popular president on most aspects of foreign policy, are now arguing that Bush's military strategy has been inadequate to control the violence. "I believe that the absence of a public postconflict plan has led to confusion and misperceptions among the American people regarding the magnitude of the military operations necessary in Iraq," Lautenberg wrote to Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld.
With retired generals and military analysts calling for more soldiers in Iraq and leading members of Congress saying the Pentagon must sustain forces there for as long as five years, Rumsfeld has begun wrestling with a serious shortage of troops in the $3-billion-a-month occupation of Iraq.
Army Lt. Gen. John P. Abizaid, nominated to succeed Gen. Tommy R. Franks as head of the U.S. Central Command, is conducting an internal review to determine whether the military has enough force on the ground in Iraq. He is counting on the arrival of 20,000 to 30,000 international peacekeeping forces in August or September, which could enable the United States to withdraw some of the 150,000 troops in Iraq.
Gen. Eric K. Shinseki, in his retirement address last month as Army chief of staff, called for "a force sized correctly to meet the strategy" and warned, in what seemed a veiled shot at Rumsfeld: "Beware the 12-division strategy for a 10-division Army."
The Army now has more than half of its 10-division active duty force assigned to Iraq. There is the equivalent of another division deployed in Afghanistan, and two to three are typically kept in reserve for a potential confrontation with North Korea. And, because the Army likes to keep three or four divisions training and preparing to eventually replace each division in action, the Pentagon at the moment has no troops to replace many of those on extended deployments in Iraq.
Retired Army Gen. Barry R. McCaffrey has called for activating three National Guard divisions to begin creating a rotational base to sustain the force in Iraq. Without it, he said, "this force is going over the cliff at the end of the year."
Retired Army Col. Robert Killebrew said he believes the Pentagon should send two more divisions to Iraq and begin activating National Guard divisions to create the necessary replacements. "It would be embarrassing for the president, but the consequence of not doing it may be to lose the war," Killebrew said.
Staff writer Peter Slevin contributed to this report.
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