[JDoutrider]

This definetely is something to think about.

[anniegetyourgun]

I don't want to think about Clinton or his stinking legacy....

[the_doc]

Maybe I have misunderstood some of the logistical points. but it sounds to me like it was not a Pentagon screw-up so much as it was our State Department's failure to read the Turkey situation correctly.

Besides, Rumsfeld himself was originally arguing pretty vociferously with General Franks about the size of the force he needed. (Rumsfeld was not inclined to give Franks as big a force as Franks felt he needed.) So, I don't see the alleged "Clinton effect" in great evidence.

My point is not to slam the State Department or Rumsfeld. My point is that I think the "analyst" is not to be trusted in his naysaying. Gosh, Franks has the discretion to wait until he is fully ready to go in the assault on Baghdad. And I assume he will be very careful in the meantime. (He has already proven to my satisfaction that he is pretty careful.)

My bottom-line point: General Franks already knows everything the analyst is saying. (A lot of analysts are four-star wannabes. Franks is apparently the real thing.)

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

OFFICIAL BUMP(TOPIC)LIST

[kylaka]

Even if Rumsfeld was too stupid to ask Powell what he thought about an early launch before the Turkey situation was straightened out... you can bet Cheney was smart enough to ask both Powell and Schwartzkopf if we had enough firepower in country to prevent unnecessary losses. You can't blame everything on Clinton. Nice try though!

[AdA$tra]

This definetely is something to think about.

It would be if this guy knew what he was talking about. My cousin is a brigade commander in the 4ID. Without sinking any ships but still knowing what he told my uncle yesterday, I asked him what I could tell people about this exact issue. He said tell them not to worry it is completly under control. He pointed out that several large, well equiped units deployed are not getting mention by the press because some are not embedded and some others aren't releasing info. He said they expected this or worse as far as resistance and casualties. He also said it may take a while....or more like "This is just the beginning of this [war]."

[AdA$tra]

Another thing this guy isn't even thinking about is airpower. In fact, if our armor had any problem they could just sit back and wait for the air guys to wipe out every single Iraqi tank. According to SECDEF, air missions for yesterday were 50% against Republican Guard posistions and tanks. That is a large number of smoking holes in the ground where tanks used to be. They also may have gotten better tanks and bullets, but they never upgraded their tank drivers.