What really bothers me is your point about the micromanaging issue. I'm worried about this too, but not for the same reason. I accept your observation that he is not a micromanager, which leads me to really wonder what he was doing knobdicking the TPFDL - if not a micromanager then he must have had some other objective for his behavior. Many suspect that he was trying to make a point, to wit: the U.S. did not need large ground forces for the transformed military. Many suspect that's why 1AD's deployment was delayed and 1st Cav's was cancelled.
Many suspect that he was trying to make a point, to wit: the U.S. did not need large ground forces for the transformed military. Many suspect that's why 1AD's deployment was delayed and 1st Cav's was cancelled.
Yup. I also think that while he is very loyal, he would not have stuck around if he didn't buy into the program, this assuming he didn't come up with it. But the reality of the decision to go into Iraq in the first place with France, Germany and Russia watching our back (or perhaps us turning our back on them allowing them to stick it to us is a better phrase!) is what has come back to haunt us. While it is great have England and our other great allies:
Monaco, Nauru,Tuvalu,San Marino,Liechtenstein,The Marshall Islands, St. Kitts and Nevis, Maldives, Malta and too many other great nations to count, it's still us versus the world. Rummy didn't make that decision and that one hurts.
I would like to track down the genius that based a policy on The pie in the sky belief that no overwhelmingly superior occupational force would be needed or the world would help if such a force was in fact was needed. Again, a political decision and one I do not know if he was in on. Worst of all? if it wasn't him, it was someone further up the ladder. No help is on the way.