Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Undertoad
Chuck Hagel's take isn't too bad
|
Hagel has one thing completely wrong. Planning for the peace is fundamental and necessary for every war. In WWII, those plans included unconditional surrender and creation of the World Bank and IMF. Before "Mission Accomplished", Sec of State Colin Powell already had a staff of Iraqi experts (maybe 75 people) who were planning for Iraqi peace. Rumsfeld got them all transferred to the Defense Department whereby Rumsfeld started firing them or compartmentalized them. Reference names such as Thomas Warrick.
Appreciate how that planning got perverted by questions such as, "What is your opinion on abortion". Any military victory that does not plan for the peace means victory will be lost. Essential is what happens in the first six months after surrender. This is basic military doctrine as demonstrated even in WWII in both Japan and Europe. And yet, what happened in Iraq?
Well this is why you watch Frontline's
The Lost Year . I know most every lurker here does not know this story. If you thought our government was incompetent, well, you've not seen nothing yet. Those who think they understand what happened in Iraq know nothing unless they know this Frontline story ... complete with what Bremer had to do to get out of Iraq.
Meanwhile Hagel is missing a key and essential fact. Military victory does not end with surrender. Military victory is only accomplished when 'plans for peace' get implemented. Gen Tommy Franks did not want anything to do with what Undersecretary Douglas Feith kept pushing in his face. And then Rumsfeld, et al made sure that program was but political fodder. Notice why virtually no one left in the "Future of Iraq" program even spoke Arabic. Notice how the State of Maryland traffic code becomes so relevant.
'Powers that be' were even informed of this need - 'planning for the peace' - and completely ignored it. See Frontline's
The Lost Year to appreciate where Hagel's comments miss the bullseye. Appreciate why this civil war was created by America (even the looting was predicted) and why America is now powerless to stop it.