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3 December 2005 THE ANTI-OCCUPATION OPINION GROWS Karen Watters Cole has sent this along:"General Odom Calls for Immediate Exit from Iraq", United Press International, 2 December 2005 "The US general who used to head the National Security Agency says the only way to stabilize the Middle East is to leave Iraq. Retired three star Lt. Gen. William Odom, writing for [Harvard School of Journalism's] NiemanWatchdog.org, wrote that while President Bush wants to bring democracy and stability to the Middle East, the only way to achieve that goal is for the US armed forces to get out of Iraq now. Odom, one of the most respected US military analysts and a prominent figure at the conservative Hudson Institute in Washington, wrote, 'We have seen most of our allies stand aside and engage in Schadenfreude over our painful bog-down in Iraq. Winston Churchill's glib observation, "the only thing worse that having allies is having none" is once again vindicated.' " [Ed: Under pressure from his Republican Party President Bush is already signalling loud and clear that he will be pulling some troops out of Iraq next year. General Odom's call, particularly with the Hudson Institute behind him, is now part of a powerful wave of opinion to withdraw significant quantities of troops. (I wonder, however, whether the four ultra-defensive bases that the Americans have been building for two years will remain. And, if so, how long will it take insurgents or terrorists or the Iraq government to close these down also.]
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