War Could Last Months, Officers Say

Washington Post ^ | March 27,2003 | Thomas Ricks

[kabar]

Despite the rapid advance of Army and Marine forces across Iraq over the past week, some senior U.S. military officers are now convinced that the war is likely to last months and will require considerably more combat power than is now on hand there and in Kuwait, senior defense officials said yesterday.

The combination of wretched weather, long and insecure supply lines, and an enemy that has refused to be supine in the face of American military might has led to a broad reassessment by some top generals of U.S. military expectations and timelines. Some of them see even the potential threat of a drawn-out fight that sucks in more and more U.S. forces. Both on the battlefield in Iraq and in Pentagon conference rooms, military commanders were talking yesterday about a longer, harder war than had been expected just a week ago, the officials said.

"Tell me how this ends," one senior officer said yesterday.

[kabar]

These comments will be broadcast far and wide today. It fits in with the disgruntled comments from McCaffery and Clark. These senior military officials are probably those who disagreed with the plan. We are only into the eighth day of the campaign.

[The Wizard]

This is the jerk off I warned you about

[SCR1]

I believe Powell also disagreed with the plan.

[wretchard]

War Could Last Months, Officers Say

This headline is already history. Today, the Marines are nearly to their goal of cutting Iraq in two. They're close to the Tigris. The Army, for it's part, has flanked Karbalah from the other side of the river -- read the dispatches carefully. The coup de grace will probably be the airborne cutting the highway north to Tikrit. It's over.

[Jim Noble]

I have reason to believe there is wide and deep disagreement between senior military people and DOD civilian leadership on this subject.

Who is right, I have no idea, and we must always remain aware that virtually all 3 and 4 star generals got those stars from the Sink Emperor.

Nevertheless, the phenomenon is real.

[ItisaReligionofPeace]

Didn't we hear this in Afghanistan too? Hasn't this been said in every conflict since Vietnam? Aren't the anti-war scum happy to hear this?

[NoControllingLegalAuthority]

It doesn't matter. We are in a battle, now, literally for civilization. We cannot sit by and let barbarians deploy the ability to kill millions at a whim. To call the people we are fighting "animals" is an insult to animals who do not kill for the cruel pleasure of it.

[foreverfree]

bump

[jrlc]

The guy who wrote this article, Ricks, has a leftist ax to grind. The Post should be disgraced. The piece was op ed at best and did not belong on the front page. The Washinton Post has turned into a rag. Well probably have to listen to the "quagmire press" at this stage of the war. Maybe somebody will remember to fire Ricks when Bagdad falls.

[Timesink]

These comments will be broadcast far and wide today. It fits in with the disgruntled comments from McCaffery and Clark.

I've been awake about 45 minutes, and I've already seen this line be parroted SEVEN times on at least four different channels. Only two of them mentioned this is what we fully expected as a probability all along.

[bra]

Relax. All is well. As they say, "No plan survives the first shot". The difference between the US Armed Forces and the rest of the world is we have great flexibility built in to all plans.

Our leadership at all levels from the squad leaders to the senior commanders is innovative, aggressive, smart, well trained, well equipped, and have the spirit and will to win. Ammericans have something to live for!

DE OPPRESSO LIBER

[dennisw]

I'll bet FoxNews at 7AM will start off with this.

[Terp]

I believe Powell also disagreed with the plan.

Was listening to a replay of Rush and he played an interview between little Katie Couric and Powell and she keep on trying to get Powell to say that we don't have enough troops on the ground in Iraq and he basically told her that all the gloom and doomers don't have a clue. Now Powell may have not agreed with the War Plan but it sure didn't sound like it to me.

Terp

[tm22721]

It doesn't matter. We are in a battle, now, literally for civilization. We cannot sit by and let barbarians deploy the ability to kill millions at a whim. To call the people we are fighting "animals" is an insult to animals who do not kill for the cruel pleasure of it.

I agree. This is not a clash of civilizations as some have argued.

It is all about English-speaking civilization against the savagery of the Arabian 14th century.

BUMP

[metalboy]

This liberation will last months depending on two factors....

1. How far Saddams boys can instill fear into the Iraqi people that they will be executed if they do not fight.

2. How much more anti-American propaganda the left of the U.S. is going to give Saddam.

I would say the 2nd will determine the length of this liberation more than the first. Why? Here`s just one example.. Saddam can say the US is lying and their real intent is to kill all Iraqis and here`s the proof from their own celebrity; :"We have a fictional President.."

United States, Statutes at Large, Washington, D.C., 1918, Vol. XL, pp 553 ff.
A portion of the amendment to Section 3 of the Espionage Act of June 15, 1917.

SECTION 3. Whoever, when the United States is at war, shall willfully make or convey false reports or false statements with intent to interfere with the operation or success of the military or naval forces of the United States, or to promote the success of its enemies, or shall willfully make or convey false reports, or false statements, . . . or incite insubordination, disloyalty, mutiny, or refusal of duty, in the military or naval forces of the United States, or shall willfully obstruct . . . the recruiting or enlistment service of the United States, or . . . shall willfully utter, print, write, or publish any disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive language about the form of government of the United States, or the Constitution of the United States, or the military or naval forces of the United States . . . or shall willfully display the flag of any foreign enemy, or shall willfully . . . urge, incite, or advocate any curtailment of production . . . or advocate, teach, defend, or suggest the doing of any of the acts or things in this section enumerated and whoever shall by word or act support or favor the cause of any country with which the United States is at war or by word or act oppose the cause of the United States therein, shall be punished by a fine of not more than $10,000 or imprisonment for not more than twenty years, or both....

[Nita Nuprez]

Who is right, I have no idea, and we must always remain aware that virtually all 3 and 4 star generals got those stars from the Sink Emperor.

Good observation.

[BunnySlippers]

Colin Powell kind of answered this in his interview with Lesley Stahl by saying that all of the generals who served under him are now TV pundits. In other words, they just don't know.

[Common Tator]

In modern war massive numbers of troops on the ground are not worth a warm pitcher of spit. Modern wars are fought air, armor, and artillery forces. They do not require huge numbers of forces. The days when wars are won by thousands of riflemen charging up the hill in a hail of machinegun fire has been over since Korea.

As far as clearing the major cities are concerned, we will just surround them with artillery and armor so nothing goes in or out. We will clear a small section at the edge of the city and then expand that small section until it covers the entire city.

As more and more of the area in the city falls and the enemy learns how many are dying at our hands many will give up.

It seems likely that Saddam will kill himself and have his body hidden so no one will know his fate. But many will and they will run like the scared NATZIs did after Hitler killed himself.

As far as war in the country side, Iraqi forces have no chance. They have no air cover or support. They have much inferior artillery. They have very inferior tanks. They have poorly trained troops with no method of resupply.

The Iraqi forces have a zero chance of success.