How Bremer screwed up in Iraq

[Ned]

Originally posted by Kontiki


How convenient that once you make an appointment to something, it completely absolves you of any future and/or past responsibility.

If Bush were to take responsibity for any errors, this should be it.

[Ned]

Originally posted by Oerdin
Ned, Bremer couldn't piss without permission. I remember Cheney talking about dismissing the Iraqi Army before the invasion was even started. Cheney pointed out how better off Costa Rica is without a military but that totally ignores that Costa Rica's in a relatively nice neighborhood and Iraq is in the worst neighborhood in the world. If the Bush boys are all talking about disbanding the Iraqi Army before the invasion was even started then how come it suddenly becomes Bremers fault? After all Bremer was micromanaged to the extreme.

Any body else think the administration is just trying to turn Bremer into a fall guy?

If true, perhaps Cheney should be fired. The NYTimes article does not mention that this came from Cheney's desk. It seems to have been Bremer's idea.

[laurentius]

I'm sure you know how to fire Cheney, Ned

[JimmyCracksCorn]

Originally posted by laurentius
I'm sure you know how to fire Cheney, Ned

[Tripledoc]

I suppose you could also blame Lyndie Englands potty training.

[Ned]

If true. The NYTimes article does not link this to Cheney.

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by Arrian
If Rummy and thought Bremer was wrong on this, he should have forced him to change track or fired him.

Bremer doesn't work for Rummy. He works for Powell and the President.

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by Ned
General Garner supported the plan to recall the Army.

Garner was removed because he sat around and watched while Iraq went up in flames, instead of clamping down on the looting.

[Dinner]

Originally posted by Ned
Maybe. However, everyone in the Pentagon seemed to oppose it because the knew disbanding the Army was more than counterproductive on a practical level.

There were lots of things the Army asked for that the Administration turned down. Originally the Army wanted 350k-400k troops for the intial invasion so that they could not only defeat the Iraqi military but also effectively occupy and control the conquored territory. Cheney famously turned them down and told them to make do with 150k.

Surprise, surprise. Chaos erupted immediately after Saddam's regime fell and there were not enough troops to maintain law and order. It seems the Pentegon was right and Cheney/Bush were wrong on that issue. Now it seems Cheney/Bush were also wrong about disbanding the the Iraqi military and once again the Pentegon was correct. Why won't the stupid politicians realize they don't know what they're doing and let the military take the lead in military matters?

[chequita guevara]

It was an experiment. That whole smaller, faster, better military thing. Iraq is just one big live fire training excercise.

[CygnusZ]

Originally posted by Ned
Bush said the only mistakes were some of his appointments.

Bremer was a mistake.

The idiot and the idiot who appointed that idiot are BOTH responsible.

[Ned]

Well, Oerdin, 300k US troops would have been unnecessary if we had 150k Iraqis to join our 150k US. Disbanding the Iraqi Army without providing for adequate US replacements was

LUDICROUS.

[chequita guevara]

The problem with leaving the Iraqi Army intact was after we left, there would be a danger of a coup by Ba'athist elements. Also, they figured that the Ba'athists problem would aid the fedeyeen and any foreign elements. They made a choice, they chose wrong. Hindsight's 20/20 though.

[Q Classic]

Ah, the joy of scapegoatting

How convenient that once you make an appointment to something, it completely absolves you of any future and/or past responsibility.

[Berzerker]

The scapegoat has just hit the fan