Defense chief says no US police role in Haiti

This is the kind bureaucratic logic that is costing the lives of Haitians. How do you save lives when there is no order in the country. Didn't one of these politicians evade that country and overthrow the government there? So why can't use troops now to save lives now. In the weeks to come there will be stories about how enough wasn't done to save lives in Haiti. Limbaugh was right today about this: If Bush was blamed for Katrina, why shouldn't Obama be blamed for the fiasco in Haiti. And if MLK Jr. were alive today, what would he say about the relief effort no going on over in Haiti. Would he be praising the President's performance? Or for that matter, that of the UN?

in reference to:

""I haven't heard of us playing a policing role at any point," Gates told reporters traveling with him to India for talks on defense cooperation, trade and relations between India and Pakistan. Gates gave a fuller explanation of the rules under which U.S. troops are operating than the Pentagon previously provided. Gates approved rules of engagement for U.S. forces on shore and aboard nearby ships. "Anywhere we deploy our troops they have the authority and the right to defend themselves," Gates said, adding that the troops could also defend others "if they see something happen." On Sunday, Lt. Gen. Ken Keen of the U.S. Southern Command said some violence has hindered rescue workers trying to help earthquake victims. He said providing humanitarian aid requires a safe and secure environment, and while streets have been mostly calm, violence has been increasing. "We are going to have to address the situation of security," Keen said. Keen said about 1,000 U.S. troops are in Haiti and 3,000 more are working from ships. More than 12,000 U.S. forces were expected to be in the region by Monday. Fear of looters and robbers has been among factors slowing aid delivery. After last Tuesday's 7.0 magnitude earthquake, maintaining law and order fell to the 9,000 U.N. peacekeepers and international police already in Haiti, even though those forces also sustained heavy losses in the disaster. International aid agencies and U.S. officials say they are watching for signs violence is rising as people compete for scarce resources. "After all we can't deliver the food and water if we don't have a reasonable security situation, so that obviously has to be an element of any work that we're doing with the government of Haiti and the U.N.," Gates said."
- Defense chief says no US police role in Haiti (view on Google Sidewiki)