Comments from sender:
This is a welcome attire that should generate enough 'Hope' among the 'peace-seekers' of terror-stricken civilians of Iraq, if one tries to read between the lines and words of the general, if he really is resolved to what he said.
BEST OF FUTURE.
Hard-charging U.S. general takes charge in Iraq
Full story: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2003478611_general15.html
By Molly Hennessy-Fiske Los Angeles Times
CAMP VICTORY, Iraq -- Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno assumed command of U.S. troops at a ceremony in the capital Thursday, vowing to pursue more than just combat to resolve the conflict in Iraq.
"This is not just a military solution only," he said to the crowd assembled outside one of Saddam Hussein's former palaces near the U.S. military headquarters. "It is a combination of diplomatic, economic and military programs."
But those who know Odierno say the hard-charging general, who plotted Saddam's capture and anti-insurgency combat operations, may put more effort toward securing, rather than rebuilding, Iraq.
Odierno gained a reputation as an aggressive commander while leading the 4th Infantry Division in Sunni Arab-dominated parts of the country in 2003 and 2004. Some military analysts have argued that the region's continued unrest can be traced to Odierno's heavy-handed methods.
Odierno's predecessor, Lt. Gen. Peter Chiarelli, in contrast, emerged as a champion of more comprehensive strategies aimed at winning over local populations, including large-scale public-works programs and restrained firepower in the face of sectarian warfare.
Despite sporadic violent uprisings against his forces, Chiarelli, a former West Point professor, eventually was able to stabilize the volatile Shiite Muslim slums of Sadr City by putting locals to work on a large sewage system and posting some of his top soldiers to nascent Iraqi security forces.
Chiarelli also is popular in Washington, where he is in contention to replace his commander, Gen. George Casey, who may leave before summer.
At Thursday's ceremony, Casey praised Chiarelli's approach to securing Iraq.
"I will always remember your personal passion for building a better life for the Iraqi people," Casey told the crowd, which included U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad and several regional U.S. military commanders.
Chiarelli went on to speak about working side by side with Iraqis for the past year to rebuild the country, in a speech sprinkled with quotes from former President Theodore Roosevelt and liberal economist John Stuart Mill.
Odierno sat nearby, surveying the crowd of about 300 soldiers, sailors and Marines. Raised by a World War II Army sergeant, Odierno saw his son enter the military and lose an arm after being wounded by insurgents in Baghdad.
When Odierno spoke Thursday he quoted World War II Gen. Douglas MacArthur, the hawkish commander who advocated the use of nuclear weapons against the Chinese during the Korean war: "No man is entitled to the blessings of freedom unless he is vigilant in their protections."
People close to Odierno argue his characterization as an overly aggressive commander with a style antithetical to Chiarelli's is unwarranted. They say he's become more attuned to the importance of soft power during his last two years as an assistant to Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Chiarelli said Thursday that he believes Odierno shares his belief that it will take more than military force to bring peace to Iraq. Odierno suggested political solutions to the latest sectarian conflicts, such as setting a date for provincial elections and integrating sectarian militias into the army.
But he was at his most passionate when talking about counterinsurgency.
"We are going to go after any -- any -- individual who attacks the government, who attacks the security forces and who attacks coalition forces no matter who they are and no matter who they are associated with," he said Thursday.
Odierno said his first priority will be developing Iraqi security forces. His second: supporting Iraqi security forces, "to defeat those extremists who do not want to conform to Iraq," he said.
Odierno added that his style hasn't changed much since his days in Tikrit. "I'm aggressive in whatever I do," he said. "I'm an aggressive personality." His spokesman said Odierno plans to huddle with commanders this week to discuss his plans.
Lt. Col. Josslyn Aberle, a spokesman at Baghdad coalition headquarters who worked with Odierno in the northern city of Tikrit, said her new boss was aggressive, "but never overly aggressive." Members of the Fourth Infantry Division have a reputation for fighting hard, she said, but they had to, at least at first.
"It was always going to be about more than combat power. We knew that," she said.
Los Angeles Times reporter Peter Spiegel contributed to this report.
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