Stv, pls frgv m f ’m rptng myslf; cn’t rmmbr f wrt ths prgrph hr r n n f th rtr-Blshvk sts. Hwvr, r Gnrl Vchys, nd ths lttl pnk Rmsfld, r whtvr hs nm s, d ndd hv gm pln nd t s dng wll. Frst, pls rmmbr tht thr wr tw plyrs tht th Pntgn fld t vw s pssbl pltcl dffclty wth th fll f Sddm: sm’s nd th Mjhdn/Bth strngth.
T th Pntgn’s crdt, thy wr ssntlly crrct wth thr vltn tht th wll f th rq ppl ws xtrmly wk ftr thr rnn wr, th frst bg Bsh pllg, nd th lbrght chld-kllng mbrg. ftr r scnd rq pllg, rcll ll f th mnstrm vds dpctng r strttng nd swggrng bby gngstr gnrls, bt mr mprtntly, shwng th msss f rq ppl ltng vrythng pssbl. t ws nt th ltng, bt thr dmnr tht gv wy thr tr nnr cr f flng grttd twrd th rmy f th Stckhlm Syndrm. Ths msss wr rnnng rnd, ctng xctly lk chldrn, nd vn lkng t r wn chld sldrs s vcrs prnts. f crs, th Mjhdn wr frng fw rnds t thr sss t slp thm t f thr tmprry nsnty. Nvrthlss, th Pntgn ws t lst prtlly crrct n ts ssssmnt f th rq lwst cmmn dtntr.
nc th vrs grll grps r-rgnzd, nd r-rmd, thy dd wht mn d: fght. n tm, r grnd cmmndrs, y knw, th gys tht d th rl wrk, fgrd t th pttrns f grll n-fghtng. W lrnd tht th Shts lld wth th rnns: nd tht ddn’t hlp s. S w dd nt brng mr frcs nt th fry: w trnd th rq cts nt mdrn cncntrtn cmps: thy gt lss thn nytm n th pst nd wrs. Nxt w lrnd tht th Mjhdn/Bth/Snn frcs wr lt bttr lkng thn th Sht rnns. Ths, r cmmndrs bgn t ngtt wth nly th Mjhdn/Bth/Snn frcs, whl t th sm tm w dstblzd th rq Grn Zn Vchy/rnn gys, y knw, th ns tht wr r ‘frnds’ ystrdy.
Rght nw th Mjhdn r kckng sm’s ss t f rq, lng wth hs rnn lls. sspct tht s why w flw n r ‘Pff Drgn’ C-130 shps t rq: t ht sm’s bys n thr wy t Pkstn nd fghnstn n mmnt‘s ntc. Dvd nd cnqr, nthng nw hr.
Th md ‘cvl wr’ cnstrct ws crtd by th Pntgn s prp fr r rhd vtrs. Th rq gvrnmnt, s thy s t nw, s gng t qt sddnly ‘chng.’ Th Snns wll prbbly rn thngs, wth th xcptn f th Krds. (srl wnts th Krd l.) n th mnds f th crp bys, vryn wh cnts wns: Krds, srls, nd Snns, (th crps hv lrdy wn: thy gt th l rsrvs). Th Shts wll pssbly scffl, bt wll vntlly ngtt f nly bcs vryn n rq hs bn xhstd fr dcds.
S, ys, Rmsfld s n f th nstst dds tht hs wlkd n lght lfrs, nd stpd, bt h hs sm xcllnt fld mn n rq. nd, lk ll fft pnks, Rmmy wnts t lk gd: t lk gd, h mst ctlly lstn t knwldgbl ppl, nt t th ppl tht h ppntd t pwr bcs thy mrrr hs lncy, (lk tht Snchz dt, fr strtrs). Wht d y thnk f y ‘ltrntv nvrs’ nw?
My God, and I always kept a picture of Rummy over my bed, and prayed to him twice a day. Oh, dear, I'll now be forced to join the Moonies, and read the Washington Times.
Posted by tempus at March 7, 2006 05:40 PMEverything scout said, except the irrational parts.
The best thing about this administration is their absolute incompetence. No mediocre incompetence for these guys, no siree. From the very beginning when the Joint Chiefs indicated they would need at least 280,000 troops on the ground to do Iraq properly, Rummy and the other tits in the administration have demoted and ended the careers of the best and brightest in the military. Way to go, chumps! It will come back to haunt you. Like when all hell is breaking loose and the field commanders report exactly what you want to hear...not the facts.
Rummy thinks it's going well, and he'll end the career of anyone who says otherwsie.
Posted by phidipides at March 7, 2006 06:51 PMScout:
Very lucid and intriguing analysis, but to believe it, you would have to believe that the same guy who botched the occupation is capable of this kind of thinking. Your theory is only possible if Rummy suddenly started listening to his field commanders.
And if you think the Shiites, this close to the power that they and Iran have wanted for decades, will suddenly decide to "negotiate" just because we back the Sunnis, as if Sistani, Sadr, and other would sit still for that, then I'm afraid I cannot agree with you.
Posted by Steve Soto at March 7, 2006 08:11 PMAfter the Battle of Hastings, 25,000 Normans controlled 2 million Saxons; Rummy proposed controlling twelve times as many Iraqis with six times as many troops -- and the Iraqis are better armed than the Saxons were. Even Shinsecki, with about the Norman:Saxon ratio in mind, probably undrerstated the real need, but at least he was closer.
If we could round up another 150,000 troops, it's probably by now too late to turn the tide: our defeat was foreordained the day we invaded with insufficient force. Rummy will go down in history alongside the king who, by crossing the Halys River against the Persians, destroyed a great kingdom (his own). Funny how much of Near Eastern history involves Persians (Iranians).
Posted by Brian Boru at March 7, 2006 09:36 PMRumsfeld doesn't see the signs of an Iraqi civil war because he isn't looking in the right places. They're in the area around Tikrit and Baghdad and east, west, south and north somewhat.
Posted by dj moonbat at March 8, 2006 06:36 AM