RUMSFELD UNDER FIRE(Wesley Clark has accused Rumsfeld of putting troops at risk )

SKY NEWS ^ | 03/26/2003 | SKYNEWS

[KQQL]

The former supreme allied commander of Nato has accused US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld of putting allied troops at risk through poor planning.

Wesley Clark said Mr Rumsfeld's insistence on a smaller invasion force had left troops vulnerable and the 300-mile oil supply line between Kuwait and Basra open to guerilla attack.

Troops had been tied up in "messy fighting" around Nasiriyah and Baghdad, he said, leading to "logistics problems".

He added that hopes of a quick victory spurred by a popular revolt against Saddam had been dashed.

"The simple fact is that the liberation didn't quite occur. They didn't rise up."

Other war veterans have also spoken out against the early stages of war planning.

Miscalculations

Ralph Peters, a military scientist and former Army officer, wrote in the Washington Post that a coalition victory would be achieved "despite serious strategic miscalculations by the office of the Defence Secretary".

The "shock and awe" strategy of aerial bombardment had failed to shatter the will of Saddam's regime, he said, and if anything had encouraged greater resistance.

"It delayed essential attacks on Iraq's military capabilities," said Mr Peters. "This encouraged at least some Iraqis in uniform to believe they had a chance to fight and win.

"Now our forces advancing on Baghdad face the possibility of more serious combat than would otherwise have been the case."

Coalition commander General Tommy Franks's draft invasion plan proposed using four or five heavy divisions moving slowly towards Baghdad.

New warfare

Mr Rumsfeld is said to have rejected this, complaining that it was too similar to the strategy used in the 1991 Gulf War. Instead he insisted on a smaller, lighter force relying heavily on special forces and air power.

Retired US Army General Barry McCaffrey, commander of the 24th Infantry Division 12 years ago, said Mr Rumsfeld had ignored warnings that he was underestimating the number of troops needed.

"I think he thought these were generals with feet planted in World War Two who didn't understand the new way of warfare," he said.

"If the Iraqis actually fight it's going to be brutal, dangerous work and we could take a couple to 3,000 casualties."

Mr Rumsfeld insisted his strategy was working.

"It's a good plan everybody agrees to, and it is a plan that in four and a half or five days has moved ground forces to within a short distance of Baghdad."

[McGavin999]

LOL, this is the same guy who almost started WWIII when he demanded the Brits stop the Russians at the airport in Kosovo. Fortunately, the Brit General stood up to him and revealed him for a fool.

The guy who insisted that out guys fly at 15,000 ft so there wouldn't be any losses (except to innocent civilians). This guy is the Clinton military personified.

[Erasmus]

Sometimes it seems as if a bullet is too good a thing to waste on Wesley "Crusher" Clark.

[upchuck]

Hey Wesley, tell me again how easy it is to sit back in your easy chair, second guess actions half way around the world and take pot shots at the finest fighting force (no thanks to your bitch THE SCUMBAG) in the world. Tell me again?

If you can't say something constructive then shut the f**k up! Damn, what a patriot, huh?

[rollin]

This bears repeating in an endless loop!

------------------------------------

Wesley Clark is the poster child for the "Perfumed Princes" that accumulated in the Pentagon during the Clinton years.. He is/was NOT a warrior. He is/was NOT a respected General... He is a POLITICIAN.....He has already put out feelers as a candidate for President.... Most of his peers wouldn't piss on him if he were on fire.... On second thought, perhaps they would use the opportunity to do just that... His one and only responsibility of distinction - was as NATO commander in the bombardment and destruction of Yugoslavia to remove ONE MAN..... Just think about it.... Look at the two "Generals" with the most face time on CNN.... That ought to tell you something about this certifiable asshole.

[gov_bean_ counter]

Clark planning to run on military platform.

Good, then maybe he will finally have to answer questions about his mismanagement of NATO forces.

[Burkeman1]

Can I ask a question? Where was the media's concern about civilian casualties during Clarke's war on Serbia? We bombed a country fighting a muslem terrorist group for 78 days and killed anywhere between 500 to 3000 civilians depending on who you believe. But not only that we took out their water, electricity, and civilian infrastructure and caused thousands of deaths as a result. Where were the "peace" protestors? Where was Susan Sarandon? Since General's Clarke war almost all Serbs, Gypsies, Turks, and other ethnic groups hhave been driven out of Kosovo and reside in squalid refugee camps. No media outcry about that? Milosevic was the "Hitler" then and the media bought and swallowed it. Anyone else remember the cheerleading of the media during that war? It was shameful. It was the first war I had ever seen the networks actually support. But hey- Clinton was President. Doesn't that just tell all?

[over3Owithabrain]

O'Reilly tonight said he heard the kill ratio is 25 to 35,000.
Funny how Al-Jihada, BBC, and CNN cannot even come up with a guess as to how many Iraqi fighters are dead.

[Irish Eyes]

Thanks for the reminder, I had forgoten that incident.

[info_scout]

So if your not cheerleeding then shut up? I don't think so. That's pretty insecure.

[Green Knight]

The Perfumed Prince Strikes Again!

[Red Dog #1]

Could you imagine all these Chicken Littles having to get through WW II? They would have given up all hope by the December 20th and urged Roosevelt to capitulate before we were over run by the Vichy French (I almost said Germans but I just can’t pass up a cheap shot at the French).

[SamKeck]

Wesley Clark is the poster child for the "Perfumed Princes" that accumulated in the Pentagon during the Clinton years..

Damn. You beat me to it. "Perfumed Prince" is exactly the right term for Wesley Clark.

[GOPJ]

Ahhh, so it's political?

Wesley "The Slime" Clark is Clinton's Slut, bought and paid for.

[WOSG]

Rummy *is* right.

war plan is good be could be more innovative ... could be doing more special ops and leadership undermining in baghdad, more psych ops and more support of anti-saddam incitement and propoganda. could do more to separate military from urban centers, and use our air power to insert forces in unexpected places (actually doing it now with 101st, so way to go), more use of precision air power to take out anything and everything, more use of allied forces (kurds and shiite fighters) ... etc. so how is Rummy wrong to ask for more innovation.

[vbmoneyspender]

Oohh, still upset that Serbia got beat by idiots like Clark?

Ouch.

[WOSG]

not only that .. damage assessment afterwards indicated that many military targets were decoys. imagine 78 days of Times front-page articles highlighting and questioning that - ooops never happened. oh well.

[river rat]

True...
But they're both CNN sluts..
Which makes them both DNC sluts...

Both are Clinton flunkies.....and wear DNA stained bibs.

McCaffrey has no future planned in politics....Clark does..

He's the bastard to watch....and squash.
Semper Fi

[KQQL]

Don't you know RAT Generals can do what ever they wish...
it's a RAT thing