You are right..and I didn't say it the way I meant.
The fact that they couldn't come from the north DID harm us in the aftermath of the taking of Baghdad by NOT having done what you said.
What I meant was that I don't know that the 5th ID (which I think are the ones rerouted) even had gotten up with them by they time they "took" Baghdad.
You are very right about them being needed...but, that wasn't Rummy's fault.
In fact, if IIRC...John Murtha recently said he was in Turkey about that time...and was asked to get the Turkish government to let our troops just travel through Turkey....and he FAILED his mission.
"In fact, if IIRC...John Murtha recently said he was in Turkey about that time...and was asked to get the Turkish government to let our troops just travel through Turkey....and he FAILED his mission."
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I had no idea. In that case, I bet MURTHA TALKED TURKEY OUT OF HELPING US. Remember how anti-war and anti-US Murtha is. I would bet he was doing the opposite of what his mission stated and is at least partly responsible for Turkey not allowing us to go through it's territory.
Someone should investigate this.
Powell declined to go to Turkey personally and pressure them. I've put that on him.
Powell declined to go to Turkey personally and pressure them. I've put that on him.
Bush has some responisbility ther for not making him go... And Clinton has a lot to answer for there by letting our relations with Turkey fall apart from neglect, thus dramatically decreasing the prestige that Turkey's secular government had from the beneficial relationship. This last led to a more Islamist government taking power in Turkey, which made the arrangments much harder to make.