Iraqi's want US to stay awhile

[ShadowHM]

If he made those same comments after being appointed, I'd have to say it would be a matter of some concern to both the State Department and the White House to have an official doing that while so much in the Mid East is being worked a bit more delicately.

Here is what I understood his postition to be from NBC's web-site:

March 2000-2003: Commanding general, U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center, Fort Bragg, N.C.

June 2003 - present: Deputy undersecretary of defense for intelligence (intelligence and war fighting), the Pentagon

I don't understand whether that current job is a 'uniform-wearing' position or not, but it certainly does lend an aura of 'officialness' to his pronouncements, no?

There is more here:

http://www.msnbc.com/news/980764.asp?0cb=-113186886

I do gather that most of the more controversial remarks were made before he was awarded that position and that he has stated that he will now be curtailing such remarks. That was not apparent in the first news reports I heard, so my concerns are somewhat allayed.