US made the right decisions in Iraq

Times-Washington Post ^ | By L. Paul Bremer

[ASC2006]

You need to stop thinking Iraqi Army = Saddam loyalists.

The average Iraqi soldier and officer was in it either because he had to be by order of the Iraqi government or they were in it to make ends meet.

Saddam had organizations for his loyalists and personal enforces like his secret police as his Faydeen Saddam.

When it comes to the Iraqi Army only generals were politically connected to anything.

The Saudis told Bush to undo what Bremer did and simply get rid of the Iraqi generals. Because, he didn’t America is greatly weakened domestically and across the world.

We would not have seen 500 US casulties in Iraq if they did that. Of that I believe without a doubt in my mind.

[ASC2006]

Bremer was an idealist and a moron. I remember hearing him speak in late 2003. When he said that he was modeling post war Iraq after post war Japan and he does not want Iraq to have a real Army instead he wanted them to have just a small National Guard force to mostly disarm mines.

Tens of thousands of Iraqis and thousands of Americans died who shouldn’t have because of this guys stupid decisions.

[ZULU]

I agree with you.

Japan was a “western” country long before WW1. It sought to emulate the west in many ways while retaining its own culture.

Islamic countries are mentally imprisoned in the 7th Century. You can’t bridge over 1000 years in less than a decade. The best these people can hope for is a benevolent secular dictator like the Shah.

[ChessExpert]

Thanks for the post.

It’s no surprise that Bremer would like to defend himself. He seems to do a pretty good job, and is much more credible than Tenet. Many critics assume that in the absence of our current problems, everything would be rosy. But would everything have been rosy if Bathist elements and Saddam’s army had remained intact? It seems unlikely to me. I think the liberals are just terrible with their perpetual blame game. But sometimes conservatives do it to. I think the most credible criticism is that we did not use enough soldiers. But I only say that because of positive indicators from the surge. That at least indicates a path forward. IMHO, Americans should support the President, the military, and the United States, by supporting the surge. Finger pointing about past actions is harmful unless it provides a valid guide to the future.