Interview by Lee Rodgers with someone (Michael Ledeen?) this am. Explained some of the screwing around in Fallujah.
A local station here has a recently retired Marine officer that is still in contact with people in the military in Iraq. He claimed, at the time, that the Marines were NOT happy campers because they’d intended to go in and mop up. He claimed their pull-back consisted of their biting their tongues and doing what they were told.
Then Bush had his speech and claimed that the pullout was a military, not political decision.
Then the guy today, who claimed it was all about the Iraqi Governing Council not wanting the Marines in there. Supposedly, they all threatened to resign if they were not pulled back. Bremer pitched a fit (with us) and *poof* the Marines were pulled back.
Hmmm.
I've kind of changed my thinking on this, and come around to the President's position. Initially I wanted the Marines to go in and deal with the insurgents. However, there will continue to be insurgencies in Iraq, and the Iraqis will have to deal with them eventually...it's the on;y way they'll ultimately be stopped..so, better to pull the Marines back, keep a tight cordon around the town..
That is exactly what soldiers do. They take orders and do what they are told! Soldiers, Marines, Sailors, Airmen, whatever you want to call them, DO NOT MAKE POLICY! This government is civilian and the civilian government makes policy! The military simply does what it is told. That is the way it has to be. That is why Harry sacked MacArthur. Because he would not listen. Harry sets policy, Doug was suppose to carry it out, not the other way around. Otherwise, you lead to potential military dictatorship!
What a novel idea, being that they were in the military and that IS their job.
Since last summer the State Department and the CIA , not DoD have been calling the shots. People forget who Bremer is.
” They’re already calling the shots.Interview by Lee Rodgers with someone (Michael Ledeen?) this am. Explained some of the screwing around in Fallujah.
A local station here has a recently retired Marine officer that is still in contact with people in the military in Iraq. He claimed, at the time, that the Marines were NOT happy campers because they’d intended to go in and mop up. He claimed their pull-back consisted of their biting their tongues and doing what they were told.
Then Bush had his speech and claimed that the pullout was a military, not political decision.
Then the guy today, who claimed it was all about the Iraqi Governing Council not wanting the Marines in there. Supposedly, they all threatened to resign if they were not pulled back. Bremer pitched a fit (with us) and *poof* the Marines were pulled back.
Hmmm. ”
Who is Michael Ledeen (sp?)? How do you spell this guys name? How does he know that the IGC did not want the Marines to finish-off Falujah? How does he know that everybody -- what's that about 20 guys -- on the ICG threatened to resign? How does he know that Bremer "pitched" a fit?
Do you think that it wasn't the CIC who made the final political decision on what the Marines objective was in Falluja? Do you think that what finally occurred in Fallujah is the wrong decision?
Your post doesn't really confirm anything. It only raises a lot more questions.