I am not as distrubed as many on this thread are regarding the "leak" of this memo. TO me it shows that Rummy was working on identifying a change in tactics, but not a change in the overall goal. It shows that the Pentagon was looking at making changes and shows the high level thinking that we know and admire about Rummy. His options are far more expansive than the options of the gang of 10 led by Baker.
I do not see Iraq as a failure and I think history will show it a success, but the success will be hard fought. Something that Bush and Rummy said from day one.
Some are still missing one of the main points about the Iraq war. If we go there, they will follow. Although it has never been stated, at least I haven't heard it addressed, is that WE chose Iraq as the central battle field. We knew if we went in there, the terrorists would follow us. It gave us the opportunty to fight the terrorists out in the open (if you can call guerilla warfare in the open). It is a hard mission, but I believe it will be won. If the dems/media had not turned on america, I believe this would have been much more successful by now. But the dems/media give the terrorists hope by constantly denigrating our President, Rummy, our troops and our mission. When Dick Durbin stands on the Senate floor and calls our troops Nazi's, isn't censured, and then americans vote him into a leadership position -- I shake my head in complete dismay.
If you build it they will come. They did and we are capturing and killing them, we are just not doing it fast enough, or open enough to let the american people see this as part of the overall strategy. There is a reason Iraq was/is billed as part of the WOT.
If we go there, they will follow. Although it has never been stated, at least I haven't heard it addressed, is that WE chose Iraq as the central battle field. We knew if we went in there, the terrorists would follow us. It gave us the opportunty to fight the terrorists out in the open (if you can call guerilla warfare in the open).This may have been part of the strategy for choosing Iraq as a battlefield. After all, the terrain in Iraq is a lot more favorable then that in Afghanistan. But it looks like it didn't work out. According to General Abizaid the vast majority of the Insurgents are from inside Iraq. If they are loyal to Al-Queda then they're new recruits.
Again...Murtha is all over saying Rumsfield stole all his ideas from a year ago.