UPI.com: Brzezinski calls for Iraq pull out

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March 16, 2006

Brzezinski calls for Iraq pull out

By Katherine Gypson
UPI = Correspondent

One of America's most respected elder national = security=20 statesmen called for a full pull-out from Iraq Thursday.

Delivering the keynote address at the Center for American = Progress'=20 "Iraq; Next Steps for U.S. Policy," Zbigniew Brzezinski, the = former=20 National Security advisor for President Jimmy Carter, said that = "within a=20 year we should be able to complete a course of disengagement" and = withdraw=20 from Iraq.

Brzezinski cited several reasons for withdrawal, among them the = "prohibitively expensive" cost of the war and the fact that = American=20 leadership and legitimacy has been severely undermined by the = insurgency=20 and damaged credibility.

"We have to make a really cold judgement," said Brzezinski. = "Would the=20 consequence of civil war be more devastating than the consequences = of=20 staying the course?"

Iraqi Shiites and Kurds might prevail in a civil war, = Brzezinski=20 said.

"The U.S. umbrella that is designed to prevent these wars is so = porous=20 it ends up feeding them," he said.

It would take a U.S. commitment of half a million troops to = make a=20 significant difference in fighting the Iraqi insurgency, = Brzezinski said.=20 But, "We are not in a position to do this," he said.

Brzezinski also called for a new U.S. nuclear dialogue with = Iran. A=20 precedent for one already existed in the Bush administration's=20 multi-lateral talks with North Korea on nuclear proliferation, he=20 said.

"Surely it cannot be our deliberate intention to fuse Iranian=20 nationalism with Iranian fundamentalism?" he said.

Brzezinski said that however long the U.S. military occupation = of Iraq=20 lasted, it was doomed to failure.

"In a war of attrition," he said, "a foreign occupier is always = at a=20 disadvantage. This is a failed occupation."

Brzezinski said Iraq had not yet collapsed into a full-scale = civil war.=20 Far from preventing such a war from breaking out, he said, the = continued=20 U.S. military occupation made one far more likely.

"This is not yet a civil war, in the sense that it is not yet a = comprehensive, nation-wide collision between Shiites and Sunnis = but we are=20 unintentionally feeding it," he said.

Brzezinski suggested that the United States "ask Iraqi leaders = to ask=20 us to leave" and suggested that those Iraqi politicians who have = expressed=20 a desire for American forces to continue the occupation are = exercising=20 poor leadership.

"We are acting as though the Iraqis are our colonial wards," he = said.=20 "We are teaching them about democracy by arresting them, bombing = them, by=20 humiliating them and also helping them. It is an ambivalent course = in=20 democracy."

Brzezinski also said the president had failed to provide any = serious=20 national leadership to back up his commitment to the Iraq war and = had=20 failed to call the American people to the spirit of duty and = sacrifice=20 needed to win any real war.

"What bothers me is the packaging," Brzezinski said. He said = that if=20 the United States were truly engaged in war, then there would need = to for=20 a national mobilization involving a tax on the rich, an overall = war tax=20 and a draft. "These actions," he said, "are the basic consequences = of=20 serious engagement."

Brzezinski also hit out at President George W. Bush's newly = released=20 National Security Strategy. He called it "an erroneous version of=20 reality."

Brzezinski urged Bush to widen his circle of advisors. "Words = have=20 consequences," he said. "The deliberate misuse of words can be = dangerous=20 and a fundamentally altered version of reality can lead to a = fear-driven=20 nation."

Other speakers at the CAP meeting called the bombing of a = Shiite mosque=20 in Samara "a turning point for Iraq" and recommended a shift in = U.S.=20 priorities from institution-building to a peace process similar to = the=20 Dayton accords which sought a resolution for the Bosnia conflict = in the=20 nineteen-nineties.

Jonathan Morrow, a lawyer who worked to rebuild legal = institutions in=20 the country after the U.S. invasion said "Iraq was dealt with as a = post-conflict crisis, which is quite ironic actually because the = conflict=20 was just beginning."

"The Iraqi Constitution -- for all its flaws -- is an authentic = version=20 of what Iraqis want," he said. "Iraq looks like a lot less of a = disaster=20 if you accept that there will be a loosely central government and = if you=20 focus on peace-building rather than nation-building or=20 institution-building."

"The model is not difficult," Morrow said, "to bring all the = players to=20 the table, to build a consensus version of what peace should look = like in=20 Iraq. One of the key questions is to find someone who = authentically speaks=20 for the Sunni Arabs."

Jonathan Finer, Baghdad Correspondent for the Washington Post, = said the=20 influence of Iran in Iraq was hard to overstate, particularly in = the case=20 of Iranian Shiite clerics whose voice he called "a significant = force" in=20 Iraqi politics.

Morrow said, "We cannot expect to succeed in Iraq without = involving the=20 regional players - and that means involving Iran. You cannot = pursue=20 conflicting policies. But there do have to be priorities and that = doesn't=20 necessarily mean sacrificing security interests."

Copyright =C2=A9 2006 UPI. Displayed by = permission. All rights=20 reserved. You may forward this article or get additional = permissions by=20 typing=20 =

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";=0A= var newNode =3D document.createElement("div");=0A= newNode.setAttribute("id", datePickerDivID);=0A= newNode.setAttribute("class", "dpDiv");=0A= newNode.setAttribute("style", "visibility: hidden;");=0A= document.body.appendChild(newNode);=0A= }=0A= =0A= // move the datepicker div to the proper x,y coordinate and toggle the = visiblity=0A= var pickerDiv =3D document.getElementById(datePickerDivID);=0A= pickerDiv.style.position =3D "absolute";=0A= pickerDiv.style.left =3D x + "px";=0A= pickerDiv.style.top =3D y + "px";=0A= pickerDiv.style.visibility =3D (pickerDiv.style.visibility =3D=3D = "visible" ? "hidden" : "visible");=0A= pickerDiv.style.zIndex =3D 10000;=0A= =0A= // draw the datepicker table=0A= refreshDatePicker(targetDateField.name, dt.getFullYear(), = dt.getMonth(), dt.getDate());=0A= }=0A= =0A= =0A= /**=0A= This is the function that actually draws the datepicker calendar.=0A= */=0A= function refreshDatePicker(dateFieldName, year, month, day)=0A= {=0A= // if no arguments are passed, use today's date; otherwise, month and = year=0A= // are required (if a day is passed, it will be highlighted later)=0A= var thisDay =3D new Date();=0A= =0A= if ((month >=3D 0) && (year > 0)) {=0A= thisDay =3D new Date(year, month, 1);=0A= } else {=0A= day =3D thisDay.getDate();=0A= thisDay.setDate(1);=0A= }=0A= =0A= // the calendar will be drawn as a table=0A= // you can customize the table elements with a global CSS style sheet,=0A= // or by hardcoding style and formatting elements below=0A= var crlf =3D "\r\n";=0A= var TABLE =3D "" + crlf;=0A= var xTABLE =3D "

" + crlf;=0A= var TR =3D "";=0A= var TR_title =3D "";=0A= var TR_days =3D "";=0A= var TR_todaybutton =3D "";=0A= var xTR =3D "" + crlf;=0A= var TD =3D "";=0A= var TD_buttons =3D "";=0A= var TD_todaybutton =3D "";=0A= var TD_days =3D "";=0A= var TD_selected =3D "" + crlf;=0A= var DIV_title =3D "

";=0A= var DIV_selected =3D "

";=0A= var xDIV =3D "

";=0A= =0A= // start generating the code for the calendar table=0A= var html =3D TABLE;=0A= =0A= // this is the title bar, which displays the month and the buttons to=0A= // go back to a previous month or forward to the next month=0A= html +=3D TR_title;=0A= html +=3D TD_buttons + getButtonCode(dateFieldName, thisDay, -1, = "<") + xTD;=0A= html +=3D TD_title + DIV_title + monthArrayLong[thisDay.getMonth()] + = " " + thisDay.getFullYear() + xDIV + xTD;=0A= html +=3D TD_buttons + getButtonCode(dateFieldName, thisDay, 1, = ">") + xTD;=0A= html +=3D xTR;=0A= =0A= // this is the row that indicates which day of the week we're on=0A= html +=3D TR_days;=0A= for(i =3D 0; i < dayArrayShort.length; i++)=0A= html +=3D TD_days + dayArrayShort[i] + xTD;=0A= html +=3D xTR;=0A= =0A= // now we'll start populating the table with days of the month=0A= html +=3D TR;=0A= =0A= // first, the leading blanks=0A= for (i =3D 0; i < thisDay.getDay(); i++)=0A= html +=3D TD + " " + xTD;=0A= =0A= // now, the days of the month=0A= do {=0A= dayNum =3D thisDay.getDate();=0A= TD_onclick =3D " onclick=3D\"updateDateField('" + dateFieldName + = "', '" + getDateString(thisDay) + "');\">";=0A= =0A= if (dayNum =3D=3D day)=0A= html +=3D TD_selected + TD_onclick + DIV_selected + dayNum + xDIV = + xTD;=0A= else=0A= html +=3D TD + TD_onclick + dayNum + xTD;=0A= =0A= // if this is a Saturday, start a new row=0A= if (thisDay.getDay() =3D=3D 6)=0A= html +=3D xTR + TR;=0A= =0A= // increment the day=0A= thisDay.setDate(thisDay.getDate() + 1);=0A= } while (thisDay.getDate() > 1)=0A= =0A= // fill in any trailing blanks=0A= if (thisDay.getDay() > 0) {=0A= for (i =3D 6; i > thisDay.getDay(); i--)=0A= html +=3D TD + " " + xTD;=0A= }=0A= html +=3D xTR;=0A= =0A= // add a button to allow the user to easily return to today, or close = the calendar=0A= var today =3D new Date();=0A= var todayString =3D "Today is " + dayArrayMed[today.getDay()] + ", " + = monthArrayMed[today.getMonth()] + " " + today.getDate();=0A= html +=3D TR_todaybutton + TD_todaybutton;=0A= html +=3D " ";=0A= html +=3D "";=0A= html +=3D xTD + xTR;=0A= =0A= // and finally, close the table=0A= html +=3D xTABLE;=0A= =0A= document.getElementById(datePickerDivID).innerHTML =3D html;=0A= // add an "iFrame shim" to allow the datepicker to display above = selection lists=0A= adjustiFrame();=0A= }=0A= =0A= =0A= /**=0A= Convenience function for writing the code for the buttons that bring us = back or forward=0A= a month.=0A= */=0A= function getButtonCode(dateFieldName, dateVal, adjust, label)=0A= {=0A= var newMonth =3D (dateVal.getMonth() + adjust) % 12;=0A= var newYear =3D dateVal.getFullYear() + parseInt((dateVal.getMonth() + = adjust) / 12);=0A= if (newMonth < 0) {=0A= newMonth +=3D 12;=0A= newYear +=3D -1;=0A= }=0A= =0A= return "";=0A= }=0A= =0A= =0A= /**=0A= Convert a JavaScript Date object to a string, based on the dateFormat = and dateSeparator=0A= variables at the beginning of this script library.=0A= */=0A= function getDateString(dateVal)=0A= {=0A= var dayString =3D "00" + dateVal.getDate();=0A= var monthString =3D "00" + (dateVal.getMonth()+1);=0A= dayString =3D dayString.substring(dayString.length - 2);=0A= monthString =3D monthString.substring(monthString.length - 2);=0A= =0A= switch (dateFormat) {=0A= case "dmy" :=0A= return dayString + dateSeparator + monthString + dateSeparator + = dateVal.getFullYear();=0A= case "ymd" :=0A= return dateVal.getFullYear() + dateSeparator + monthString + = dateSeparator + dayString;=0A= case "mdy" :=0A= default :=0A= return monthString + dateSeparator + dayString + dateSeparator + = dateVal.getFullYear();=0A= }=0A= }=0A= =0A= =0A= /**=0A= Convert a string to a JavaScript Date object.=0A= */=0A= function getFieldDate(dateString)=0A= {=0A= var dateVal;=0A= var dArray;=0A= var d, m, y;=0A= =0A= try {=0A= dArray =3D splitDateString(dateString);=0A= if (dArray) {=0A= switch (dateFormat) {=0A= case "dmy" :=0A= d =3D parseInt(dArray[0], 10);=0A= m =3D parseInt(dArray[1], 10) - 1;=0A= y =3D parseInt(dArray[2], 10);=0A= break;=0A= case "ymd" :=0A= d =3D parseInt(dArray[2], 10);=0A= m =3D parseInt(dArray[1], 10) - 1;=0A= y =3D parseInt(dArray[0], 10);=0A= break;=0A= case "mdy" :=0A= default :=0A= d =3D parseInt(dArray[1], 10);=0A= m =3D parseInt(dArray[0], 10) - 1;=0A= y =3D parseInt(dArray[2], 10);=0A= break;=0A= }=0A= dateVal =3D new Date(y, m, d);=0A= } else {=0A= dateVal =3D new Date(dateString);=0A= }=0A= } catch(e) {=0A= dateVal =3D new Date();=0A= }=0A= =0A= return dateVal;=0A= }=0A= =0A= =0A= /**=0A= Try to split a date string into an array of elements, using common date = separators.=0A= If the date is split, an array is returned; otherwise, we just return = false.=0A= */=0A= function splitDateString(dateString)=0A= {=0A= var dArray;=0A= if (dateString.indexOf("/") >=3D 0)=0A= dArray =3D dateString.split("/");=0A= else if (dateString.indexOf(".") >=3D 0)=0A= dArray =3D dateString.split(".");=0A= else if (dateString.indexOf("-") >=3D 0)=0A= dArray =3D dateString.split("-");=0A= else if (dateString.indexOf("\\") >=3D 0)=0A= dArray =3D dateString.split("\\");=0A= else=0A= dArray =3D false;=0A= =0A= return dArray;=0A= }=0A= =0A= /**=0A= Update the field with the given dateFieldName with the dateString that = has been passed,=0A= and hide the datepicker. If no dateString is passed, just close the = datepicker without=0A= changing the field value.=0A= =0A= Also, if the page developer has defined a function called = datePickerClosed anywhere on=0A= the page or in an imported library, we will attempt to run that function = with the updated=0A= field as a parameter. This can be used for such things as date = validation, setting default=0A= values for related fields, etc. For example, you might have a function = like this to validate=0A= a start date field:=0A= =0A= function datePickerClosed(dateField)=0A= {=0A= var dateObj =3D getFieldDate(dateField.value);=0A= var today =3D new Date();=0A= today =3D new Date(today.getFullYear(), today.getMonth(), = today.getDate());=0A= =0A= if (dateField.name =3D=3D "StartDate") {=0A= if (dateObj < today) {=0A= // if the date is before today, alert the user and display the = datepicker again=0A= alert("Please enter a date that is today or later");=0A= dateField.value =3D "";=0A= document.getElementById(datePickerDivID).style.visibility =3D = "visible";=0A= adjustiFrame();=0A= } else {=0A= // if the date is okay, set the EndDate field to 7 days after the = StartDate=0A= dateObj.setTime(dateObj.getTime() + (7 * 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000));=0A= var endDateField =3D document.getElementsByName("EndDate").item(0);=0A= endDateField.value =3D getDateString(dateObj);=0A= }=0A= }=0A= }=0A= =0A= */=0A= function updateDateField(dateFieldName, dateString)=0A= {=0A= var targetDateField =3D = document.getElementsByName(dateFieldName).item(0);=0A= if (dateString)=0A= targetDateField.value =3D dateString;=0A= document.getElementById(datePickerDivID).style.visibility =3D "hidden";=0A= adjustiFrame();=0A= targetDateField.focus();=0A= =0A= // after the datepicker has closed, optionally run a user-defined = function called=0A= // datePickerClosed, passing the field that was just updated as a = parameter=0A= // (note that this will only run if the user actually selected a date = from the datepicker)=0A= if ((dateString) && (typeof(datePickerClosed) =3D=3D "function"))=0A= datePickerClosed(targetDateField);=0A= }=0A= =0A= =0A= /**=0A= Use an "iFrame shim" to deal with problems where the datepicker shows up = behind=0A= selection list elements, if they're below the datepicker. The problem = and solution are=0A= described at:=0A= =0A= http://dotnetjunkies.com/WebLog/jking/archive/2003/07/21/488.aspx=0A= http://dotnetjunkies.com/WebLog/jking/archive/2003/10/30/2975.aspx=0A= */=0A= function adjustiFrame(pickerDiv, iFrameDiv)=0A= {=0A= if (!document.getElementById(iFrameDivID)) {=0A= // don't use innerHTML to update the body, because it can cause = global variables=0A= // that are currently pointing to objects on the page to have bad = references=0A= //document.body.innerHTML +=3D "