Rumsfeld's Second Front: No war plan survives its first meeting with the Beltway

http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110003279 ^ | 04/01/03 | editorial board

[Pokey78]

An unbending rule of Washington life is that the one thing critics can never forgive you for is being right. This is worth keeping in mind amid the obloquy now being heaped on Donald Rumsfeld.

Judging by all of the blind-quote vituperation the Secretary of Defense is receiving, a casual reader might be surprised to learn that we haven't yet lost the Iraq war. U.S. troops are within 50 miles of Baghdad, probing Republican Guard lines that are being shredded from the air. The surrounded enemy has suicide bombers, guerrilla harassment and Peter Arnett left as an offensive strategy. We can hit the enemy, he can't much hit us.

[NewYorker]

Beautiful.

[Lady In Blue]

bump

[Howlin]

At last.

[Wphile]

Amen. At least the WSJ gets it!

[Let's Roll]

These complaints that we are having to change our war plan are unbelievable. Just for the sake of argument, let's assume the critics know what they are talking about. Even if we are changing the war plan - BFD! Does a football coach stick to his game plan no matter what the other team does? It seems to me that adaptability and resilience would be an asset, especially in war. The complainers and those who repeat the complaints around the clock look like idiots! Gimme a break!

[slimer]

For example, there now seem to be fewer Fedayeen harassing U.S. supply lines than there were last week. Why? We've killed many of them.

Every coalition fatality, whether by accident or KIA, every POW captured by the Iraqis, and every civilian casualty is broadcast repeatedly with great fervor. What the media is not reporting is, how many Iraqis have been killed so far, and a lot of them have been taken out.

The last CIA estimate that I read about, estimated that about 25,000 Iraqis had been killed in the battle. This was on day 7 or 8, so heading into day 12, lots more can be added to the tally.

For those who are into statistics, the kill ratio between Allied Forces and Iraqi Forces is somewhere around 1000 to 1. That ain't bad considering all the BS being reported about the war plan and how our supply lines are strained and how fiercly the opposition is fighting.

These fierce fighters
are being forcefully killed
by our ferocious soldiers
fighting fiercely for freedom.

[dfwgator]

So what if the original battle plan wasn't perfect. Improvise. Adapt. Overcome.

[MEG33]

Now this is refreshing!

[weikel]

Rumsfeld's Second Front: No war plan survives its first meeting with the Beltway

Brilliant, almost Menckenesque.

[Claire Voyant]

I LOVE it when a Plan comes together! My buttons are popping for our troops and our Pres. and his Administration.....ADULTS!!

[Just mythoughts]

Great and best response yet to the crying anomymous brass and retired pompous want-a-be arm chair generals.

Sure hope Hillary gets this response. Sick that the former co-partner of world socialism is now getting intelligence about the Armed Services.

Looks like now, she orchestrated this media onslaught to take the air out of such a successful military action.

"Hell hath no fury like a women scorned" and without the White House we are in guerilla warfare. The media lapdogs are now her fedayheen's.

[deport]

Thanks LiB.... good analysis of the situation so far, imo. Events happen in phases... We have just completed a phase to get the troops in place with necessary support around Baghdad so that the next phase can begin.... The taking of Baghdad will be next and can go either way, short and clean or longer and more costly. I hope by the time the troops are entering the city the Iraqi military has decided to give it up.

[blackie]

Big Rumsfeld ... Bump!

Let's Roll!