Heck, Registered had that taken care of before the war:
Posted on 09/18/2003 10:53:55 AM PDT by Ragtime Cowgirl
This is the note sent to Rush from an officer in Iraq, read on his radio show today:
***
"If you compare the progress in Iraq to what happened in Germany after World War II, I'm told that in Germany it took three years to get an independent central bank. In Iraq it took two months. To get German police established, it took 14 months. In Iraq, two months. To get a new German currency, three years. In Iraq, two and a half months. To have a German cabinet, 14 months. In Iraq, four months. So some things are being achieved at a good clip."
DoD News Briefing - Secretary Rumsfeld and Gen. Pace
Dept of Defense ^ | 9/16/03 | Rumsfeld, Pace, media
You might also consider that Germany was conquered then completely occupied by US, France, England, and Russia. Iraq was liberated but there is still a guerilla war going on. Germany is not a model for Iraq expectations.
Germany's infrastucture and economy was pretty much obliterated during the war.
Germany's exports were mostly manufactured goods and the factories were destroyed. It took a long time to rebuild and retool from a war-making industry to regular industry.
Iraq exports oil and the wells, refineries and pipelines have pretty much been left intact.
There are desperate guerilla elements that would rather die than see us succeed. That is unsettling, but they will be a thorn in our side for only so long. At some point, the war reconstruction will be done, and a new government and social order will take over. Once people see that their lives are better without Saddam, attitudes will change. It is the aim of the U.S. to make that happen. We will have to enforce good government and responsible spending at the point of the bayonet for some time, much longer than the Adminstration is admitting. We can't have Iraq sliding into a theocracy or another dictatorship, and we need to ensure that their oil money is spent wisely.
In the long term, the game is rigged to succeed. At some point, Iraqis will begin to travel, and ideas will spread. Syrians will wonder why they don't have free speech, Saudis will want accountable government, and a righteous upheavel will take place in the Arab world. Before all that, however, we need to set an example for them to follow. We've built nations before, and despite what any government official tells you, we'll be in Iraq long enough to get the job done.
As for Iraq's infrastructure, it had almost none before the coalition invasion. Iraq's infrastructure was a WRECK when the coalition rolled through.
It is a MYTH that Saddam kept the trains running on time. In fact, it's a myth that Iraqis in general are "well educated". The Iraqi education system, such as it was, was nothing more than his combination of the Hitler/Stalin indoctrination system. The GOOD educations were reserved for Ba'athist thugs and Arab foreigners. Even at that, the only way up through the Ba'athist ranks wasn't intelligence or education : it was how good a little comrade you were.
We're doing fine in Iraq. We are definitely on schedule, rebuilding and in many cases building from scratch, in good time and in good order.
No. Saddam let the infrastructure deteriorate. It's a mess all over the country. It was also looted for copper, etc. Our troops - with the help of Iraqi engineers, are rebuilding, reprogramming, retooling, rewiring...have been for months. Making steady progress.
Well, you're right. I guess I was referencing "war damage" which supposedly we did not target thier infrastructure.
However, oil is thier economy and as I understand it, aside from the occasional terrorist attack, the oil if flowing.
Well I hate to tell you but there is VIRTUALLY NO reliable or working infrastructure other than BAGHDAD. What we are doing in IRAQ is a friggin miracle.
Heck, Registered had that taken care of before the war:
They can use it in the new CavMart in Baghdad.
An earlier conversation re. post WWII Germany:
8 The Werewolf Principle [Post-war Germany Hitler regime 'deadenders']
The left is trying real hard to discount the comparisons, but there are many. Except, the US troops rebuilding Germany didn't have to act as bait for foreign nutcases in a world with high speed communications, WMDs.
I would like to see the source reference for Germany guerilla operations. I was there and there was none in Bavaria or Austria. The months after the end of the German war we were ready for possible deployment to the Pacific and the Germans were not screwing around with us. (maybe in the Russia area but not the US). This is urban legend without specific sources.
I would like to see the source reference for Germany guerilla operations. I was there and there was none in Bavaria or Austria. The months after the end of the German war we were ready for possible deployment to the Pacific and the Germans were not screwing around with us. (maybe in the Russia area but not the US). This is urban legend without specific sources.
Imagine if the communists from Russia were acting as "werewolves" in post WWII Germany. Some disrupters have no ties to the conquored, they just happen to share a common enemy with those stationed in the nation.
I also keep hearing, when will we be out of Iraq? What's our exit strategy. When will we be out of Kosovo? When will we be out of South Korea? When will we be out of Germany?
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