Stuck in the Quicksand (Hackworth Article Poor Timing Alert)

SFTT.Org ^ | April 1, 2003 | David H. Hackworth

[PJ-Comix]

Since Vice President Dick Cheney said he saw the war in terms of “weeks rather than months,” I wish I could report that Tommy Franks’ grunts were beating Desert Storm's 100-hour-war record set by Stormin’ Norman's studs in 1991. But because Saddam got the message in 1991 that his army couldn't stand toe-to-toe with our military machine and walk away the winner, that's sadly not the case.

Instead, Saddam’s sadists took a page from the post-World War I German Command, which came up with a smart new way of doing war business after waving the white flag and subsequently blitzkrieged its way across Europe in just over a year.

The vanquished tend to question why they lost and adjust their battle tactics and gear accordingly. The victors seldom bother to mess with success. Which is probably why, given Desert Storm's easy score, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld felt comfortable going back to the Gulf with four combat divisions – even though the president authorized eight. Especially when air power's “shock and awe” promised a quicker, cheaper win.

Now we're stuck in the Iraqi quicksand in a soon-to-be burning desert with guerrillas tearing up our rear, doing unto our troops whatever unconventional fighters did to the French at Moscow, the Germans at Stalingrad, the Americans in Vietnam and Somalia, the Soviets in Afghanistan and the Russians in Chechnya.

While Saddam was watching videotapes of “Apocalypse Now” and “Black Hawk Down” and taking notes, Donald Rumsfeld and Gen. Richard Myers – badly misjudging Iraq's determination – chose to refight Desert Storm.

The Dream Team made three classic mistakes:

* Not understanding the enemy or the nature of the war.

* Thinking smart bombs would do the job.

* Underestimating the patriotism of the average Saddam-hating Iraqi and how fiercely he'd fight for his country.

Sources who participated in the year-long war games prepping for Operation Iraqi Freedom say prescient junior officers – pointing out that Saddam was publicly ordering his people to prepare to fight unconventionally – pushed strongly for scenarios to include: insurgent strikes to soft rear areas with missiles; hit-and-run guerillas cutting our supply lines; and other suicide assaults such as car bombs.

But the brass blew off their paramilitary prophecy as radical thinking. Majors don't win verbal wars with generals – particularly slick political types under the thumb of an overpowering SecDef who seems to have bet a lot of lives on technology.

A concerned retired general says: “I think the combination of Rumsfeld and the current chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, an Air Force man, is a dangerous mix. I'm sure Myers is a superb combat pilot, but that doesn't qualify him for influencing a ground campaign. And there's never been a war won by air alone. Sure, it sets the conditions for final victory, but until you get the troops on the ground to do the dirty, dangerous work, you can never achieve victory. The final truth is that our soldiers and Marines and airman always have to take our plans and make them work.”

During the Vietnam War, our leadership managed to violate all nine Principles of War. In Iraq, as in Vietnam, we have control of the air but don't have Initiative on the ground, Mass, Surprise, etc. And most of the top brass support Rumsfeld's scary impersonation of former Defense Secretary Robert McNamara by agreeing that victory is just around the next guerrilla-ambush corner.

Talk about denial. Last week, Operations Chief Maj. Gen. Victor Renuart, holding court at Central Command's prime-time version of the Spinners Club, said a car-bomb attack that killed four soldiers came from “an organization that's getting desperate” and not playing by the rules. Big surprise!

George W. Bush needs to immediately reassess his war plan, bring in more combat troops, heed the advice of his fighting generals on the ground rather than his team of mainly chicken-hawk advisers and immediately readjust his tactics. He needs to get real and apply the lessons learned from the Russians in Chechnya and the Israelis in Lebanon – and to understand what went wrong in Vietnam.

Hopefully then, he won't make the mistake of another Texas president who didn't sack his SecDef and Joint Chiefs chairman straight away for their screw-ups – an error so egregious it cost our country almost 60,000 American lives and LBJ his presidency.

[Pan_Yan]

for later

[Rocky]

I'm glad I'm not this guy's book publisher. Stop the presses! (And send what's already been printed back to the pulp mill.)

"This message printed on recycled Hackworth books."

[11B3]

Time for Hack to change the initials of his website to STFU - and then repeat that to himself over and over until he goes away.

[ggekko]

Hackworth has always been entranced with his self-appointed persona as a Pentagon gadfly. At times his crtiques have been trenchant and useful. Hackworth appears to have completely misread the Iraqis. Once Saddam has been proven to have been removed from power resistance wil collapse.

A can't understand Hackworth's consistent negativity about Rummy. Rummy has been fighting the Pentagon brass over many of the issues Hackworth favors particularly when it comes to the most hidebound of the services the Army. Hackworth is starting sound like a petulant child who won't admit that he is wrong.

[jporcus]

In mathematical terms: credibility(hack) = 0

[GGpaX4DumpedTea]

You are right, Hackworthless can't count, he can't tell time and he has poop all over his face:

GW-I took 43 days; GW-I purposed to shove Saddam and his thugs out of a small country that wasn't their homeland; we had twice as many troups on scene.

Here in GW-II our guys are kicking the $hit out of Saddam and his thugs in their homeland with much greater area than that of Kuwait; with half the troups and so far in a third the time. We control the air and most of the land, and we are knocking on Baghdad's door.

Hackworthless better crawl under a rock with the rest of the miserable snakes who want our side to loose, who want Pres Bush to have egg all over his face, and who want Rummy gone because they can't stand a winner who strategizes success.

Hackworthless and his kind are creating such a dark contrast that it makes Pres Bush and Rummy shine even brighter against such darkness.

And finally, Hackworthless has been nasticizing against the World's greatest fighting force, our US Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force, along with the best friend you could ever want by your side in a fight, the Brits!

Let's hear it now for our guys! Hip! Hip! Hurray! Louder! We want Hackworthless to hear the cheer too under whatever rock he is hiding his sorry butt.

[GGpaX4DumpedTea]

This guy so pulled my chain with this piece of bovine feces that I went to his web page and sent him this email:

"Re "Stuck in the Quicksand" - This latest example of your poisonpenmanship is disgusting, and timed perfectly to show the world that you have finally really lost all touch with reality. You owe President Bush, Vice President Cheney, Defense Secretary Rumsfeld and our soldiers, marines, sailors and airmen a really big apology for getting all of your prognostications about this war in Iraq so wrong.

Me thinks you are the one stuck, but it is not in quicksand, it looks more like slime. Your rantings leave you allied with the likes of the Jane you say you hate from a previous time. You sound like you want our side to loose. We hereby christen you with your new name - Hackworthless. Enjoy it, you deserve it!"

[WOSG]

He's lucky the date is April 1, he can pass it off as an April Fools joke!

[GGpaX4DumpedTea]

A fellow I worked with during GW-I had a brother who was a helicopter pilot with a medivac reserve unit that had been activated and sent to the desert. We knew from communications my friend got from his brother that there were some troups a lot farther west than would have been expected before the ground phase began. The hail Mary came as no great surprise to us when it happened.

One day during the ground phase a Lt Col had him take him for a ride over the Kuwaiti desert. They came upon a large group of 200 or so Iraqi soldiers who flagged them down so they could surrender. The only weopon they had in the helicopter was the Col's side arm. But they had 200 guys happy to be their prisoners!

[elfman2]

”I was damn near kicked off the FR network. ”

Yep, FR can flick into mob mode at times. I became elfman2 from just plane elfman for my counter attacks when I turned a thread into a feeding frenzy for suggesting that the active duty pilot lazed over Puget Sound was behaving dishonorably by publicly criticizing Clinton’s role in the cover up.

[Babalu]

That would have been US Army General John Shalikashvili. He was Chairman when I retired. I didn't much care for him either.

His father, Dmitri Shalikashvili, was born in Poland but raised in the Georgian Soviet Republic, and served under the command of Hitler's Waffen SS. The future Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, who was also born in Poland, attended school in Berlin while his father fought in Italy and Normandy against Allied forces. His family emigrated to the United States in 1946.

[Natural Law]

Now you know why Hack only made it to Colonel. He was a great tactical soldier, but a piss-poor stratigist.

[PhiKapMom]

That's him! I always had an apprehension when he was Chairman of the Joint Chiefs.

[IDontLikeToPayTaxes]

Hackworth has really lost me as a fan.

Same here. When I was a new Lieutenant, I was a huge fan of Hack. Read his book, cover to cover. It actually is the best book I've ever read. But the past few years, he has done a comple 180. I really don't understand him these days.

What's the deal Hack?

[arm958]

When the 48 hour countdown began for Sadaam to either leave or face our wrath, Hack was about the only commentator who stated that Sadaam would leave. I don't know how Hackworth stays published and keeps getting his face on the air. He is wrong so often that it's become laughable.

[katykelly]

I feel sorry for the guy. If his familly really cared about him, they would get him help. JMHO

[arm958]

It actually is the best book I've ever read.

I liked Hackworth's autobiography when it came out a few years ago as well. I too agree that Hack is losing whatever credibility he has left. Best book you ever read though? You must never have read G. Gordon Liddy's "Will". Now there's a book worth reading.

[IDontLikeToPayTaxes]

You must never have read G. Gordon Liddy's "Will". Now there's a book worth reading.

I'm certainly not a G-man fan, but I'll check the book out. Thanks !

[NMFXSTC]

Agree...and about that "fruit"cake...he does have strange mannerisms?????

[185JHP]

He'd be a good candidate for a semi-permanent slot as a "guest commentator" on Larry King Live. They have a lot in common.