Posted on 04/08/2007 4:54:32 PM PDT by Navydog
NEW YORK (AP) - In a rueful reflection on what might have been, an Iraqi government insider details in 500 pages the U.S. occupation's "shocking" mismanagement of his country - a performance so bad, he writes, that by 2007 Iraqis had "turned their backs on their would-be liberators."
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.excite.com ...
he ought to be uncommonly grateful.
I guess I’m pretty safe to say that CHARLES J. HANLEY is more “shocked” than the Iraqi author.
“...that by 2007 Iraqis had “turned their backs on their would-be liberators.”
I don’t agree with much in the way America went about actually DOING the liberation of Iraq, but by Christ it WAS a liberation.
The SHEER gall of these ungrateful, coward Iraqies who lack the balls to capitalize on a perhaps imperfect effort by America is something, the consideration of which, will sicken me for as long as I live.
I’m damn glad that our own founding fathers didn’t require so much assistance.
“Turn their backs” indeed!
One mistake was not leveling Fallujah unmercifully.
Condi Rice admitted “thousands” of mistakes were made in the occupation.
From the Bremer-regnum to the “rebuilding”, the occupation has been a blunder.
Disbanding the army was a big mistake, Rumsfeld’s light footprint/keep Star Wars money safe strategy was inane, etc.
ON the bright side for Bush, the Democrats won’t pursue these matters in the least, and have backtracked every time they hinted they might. Why? Because that would undercut their moonbat wing’s faith that the “war” was unwinnable from the beginning.
I’m sure the CPA did make serious mistakes. From what I can see, Iraq is a country whose conflicts are rooted in the ages and are extremely difficult for anyone to understand. Parachute anyone into Iraq and I’m sure they would have very similar problems.
At the same time, it seems like interesting timing that this book is now out at a time when Iraqis are increasingly fed up with the guerillas and are taking our side. So it seems like the Iraqi people people are, in fact, dealing with us, and in a positive manner.
So perhaps its conclusions deserve a little re-working.
D
“One mistake was not leveling Fallujah unmercifully.”
The first bluff at Fallujah was big. Bush tried to make it seem he was being merciful. Not only did it spur the Sunnis, it spurred the Shi’a militia under Sadr to attack.
I’ll also mention we didn’t force a constitution on Iraq like we did in Japan, and did not order that all oil assets be shared equally...that’s a failure still fueling trouble today.
I can’t believe why so many people (here) still give credence to the myth of the “old Iraqi army”. They were NO army any longer. Almost all soldiers deserted, the army disbanded itself, the majority of usable hardware was destroyed. It was nothing but an abandoned bunch of Baathist officers on the loose. Bremer screwed his transitional reign. But for other causes. Disbanding an non-existant paper army is the least mistake I’d hold up against him.
This shows me a detachment from reality.
Many things were screwed up and it will be one for the history books. This is always where the vast majority of the American people are on this issue at this point, as well.
I hope we are able to finish this job decently and get the hell home in some form of victory, and think twice about how we liberate countries in the future, based on these mistakes--and at all costs, avoid them in the future. There is a lot of blame to go around.
I don’t discount what a credible Iraqi has to say about their experience with US. I don’t think most anyone can say that no errors miscalculations lack of foresight etc did not happen.
One of the 1st was that large scale looting that went on right after we went in. Another was the voting process and what they actually voted for.
Another place of error was not giving Allalwi all the support we could give him over there.
“The SHEER gall of these ungrateful, coward Iraqies who lack the balls to capitalize on a perhaps imperfect effort by America”
Retrospective analysis is never a bad thing. It means we get to learn from the mistakes of the past in an effort to stop them being repeated in the future.
One cannot lay the blame for the mis-management of the reconstruction just at the US’ feet. The whole collective must take responsibility. Except for one point, and that is that the Iraqi Armed Forces should have never been disbanded, because you leave a several hundred thousand man wide hole in the security fence; while providing disaffected, angry, weapons-trained, motivated recruits for any insurgency.
Nation Building 101: you use the army of the nation one has conquered as the first line of security for the new country being built. Security provided by people native to the country will have more legitimacy than security provided by the occupying forces.
Its going to take at least another 10 years. Fingers crossed that at the end of it all the ends have justified the means.
Please read post No 9. I concede however that we should have started creating a New Iraqi Army earlier and more focused, instead of the botched early post-war attempt of an "Civil Defense Corps".
i understand your point, but I will say that given the choice, an Iraqi soldier would work for the occupying force in keeping the peace if that meant money for his family at the end of the week.
Also, whereas before the war the army was secular, afterwards the recruitment drives allowed insurgents access.
agree.
I will incur wrath with my statement but will make it regardless:
Not one more American life should be lost over this waste.
Bring our people home. I would rather walk and bicycle than prostitute our young for oil.
Correct. The Iraqi cowards disbanded themselves. Most of them fight like little girls anyways.
The other common media myth that bugs me is the idea that we’ve been too heavy handed. Utter garbage. We’ve been fighting this whole thing with one hand tied behind our backs.
Mistakes are always a part of war. Especially when the war is totally unlike anything before. America’s strength has always been being able to adapt.
The difference this time is that the Democrats have been openly and unashamedly on the side of our enemy from the start.
This is two-front war. Islam and the Democrats.
Ok- I’m glad I can finally ask someone who believes this.
Describe if you would, just how, and in what ways, this war is for oil? How has the U.S. gained.. in the oil world because of the war in Iraq?
No sweeping generalities..I want specifics.
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