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thedrifter
08-28-07, 06:26 AM
HE'S A FIGHTER

By RALPH PETERS

August 28, 2007 -- BAGHDAD

'AL Qaeda's worn out their welcome," Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno told The Post.

Probably the tallest, and just maybe the toughest, man in Iraq, the Rockaway native also has a vigorous intellect at odds with the stereotype of generals.

Even though he looks like he could've had a parallel career in the World Wrestling Federation.

In a forthright interview with The Post yesterday, the commanding general of the Multinational Corps-Iraq - the man who leads the day-to-day fight in support of Gen. David Petraeus - noted that, while foreign terrorists remain a threat, al Qaeda's been wounded so deeply by the Sunni Arab shift against them that he now feels other issues take priority.

"First, I worry about Shia extremism and Iranian interference, which is increasing. In the long term, Iraqis won't allow Iranians to take over their country - but, in the short term, I'm worried about Basra and the Port of Um Qasr."

Odierno, whose limbs stretched out from a big, black-leather chair, folded his hands. "Second, I'm worried about the development of the government of Iraq. They have to solve their own problems - we can't solve them."

The hands broke apart and one rose slightly, as if in warning. "The Shia have not yet recognized that they've actually won. . . They need to get past that and move toward reconciliation."

The general notes that their parliamentary form of government is proving difficult for the Iraqis to operate, since it requires levels of cooperation not necessarily inherent in the culture. Blunt and brutally honest, he refuses to sugarcoat the problems he sees.

STILL, Odierno describes himself as a "cautious optimist," noting that "I do see continued improvement in the Iraqi security forces, especially in the last eight or nine months - but we still need to support them. Ultimately, security here will depend upon our ability to train and develop the police."

While the police are improving markedly in Sunni Arab and Kurdish areas and lagging among Shias, Odierno just thinks that will take time. "In Nasiriyah and Hilla, we already have good cops. In my mind, we can get there."

Here in Baghdad, the surge has brought a halt to ethnic cleansing, and the police forces in both Sunni and Shia neighborhoods are growing in capability and confidence. But problems remain in the fault-line neighborhoods where Sunni and Shia still live intermingled.

The general's working on the issue. Hard. And he believes we'll see progress there, too.

ASKED about Muqtada al-Sadr, Odierno responded: "He's a figurehead . . . erratic in his behavior . . . unpredictable. . . but he's the individual who reaches out to the Shia nobody else reaches out to. The problem is that he's lost control of some parts of his movement, the Special Groups and others - many of whom are funded by Iran.

"We need to separate those elements and kill or capture them - while working with those closer to the mainstream."

As for the militias that have alternately plagued Iraq and protected the people along sectarian lines, the general is convinced that "we must deal with the militia problem. . . Wherever possible, they'll have to be integrated into the security forces."

So what about Iran? "It's a difficult problem . . . it's important to have regional and international awareness of what they're doing."

But the general feels that, before we take any cross-border military action, we need to think through the second- and third-order effects. He'd much prefer a diplomatic solution - if possible.

As the commander of the 4th Infantry Division during Operation Iraqi Freedom and in the initial year of the occupation - the year of missed opportunities - Odierno was criticized savagely by those who believed that you could hug and kiss terrorists into abiding friendship.

His division took a hard line on providing security to the people - one that, in retrospect, has been fully vindicated. The Sunni Arabs needed to know that they'd been defeated, that we were the ones in the position of strength, before a durable peace could be built.

NOW the Marine successes-after-the- showdown in Anbar have proven that Odierno was right and his detractors fatally wrong. Tragically, the security situation in the sector his division had covered was allowed to deteriorate after he left and a "softer touch" was mandated.

Clearly troubled by the opportunities we squandered, the general shook his head. "When I left in 2004, I could walk down the street in Tikrit or Baquba, in Kirkuk and Samarra. When I came back in 2005, I couldn't."

But he doesn't believe in cookie-cutter solutions. "Every part of Iraq is different. You need different solutions." Even in different parts of one city, varied approaches may be required.

Syria? "There are some signs that Syria's doing a bit more to stem the flow of foreign fighters into Iraq, but their efforts are off and on. The airport in Damascus remains a major conduit for terrorists. The Syrians clearly still believe that instability in Iraq is to their benefit."

WHAT would be Gen. Odierno's ideal scenario for the future of Iraq? "A country whose leaders are representative of the people and a government that provides security for all of its people. A state that's a responsible regional actor and a partner for the U.S. in the fight against terrorists."

Toward the end of the lengthy interview, I asked the general if he had any personal heroes. He nodded slowly. "George Marshall, because he always did what was right for the country and never let personal ambition affect his actions . . . and Gen. Eric Shinseki, who's one of the most honorable men I've ever met."

Looking back over a long, successful career, he added, "And my father, because of his family values and his love of country."

The general also admires his son, who was severely wounded in Iraq (and who's making a strong recovery while living and working in Manhattan).

ASKED what message he wished to send to the American people, Odierno took the time to form his response precisely: "There are millions of people in Iraq who have sacrificed in the hope that the United States will finish its work here. We should never forget that."

During the grip-and-grin pleasantries at the close of the interview, I told the general that anybody from Rockaway should read The Post.

He laughed - and said he reads it online regularly.

Ellie