Monday, October 30, 2006
If you have been following the war in Iraq as much as I have, then you might already know what I am about to write. With the elections looming it is important to review what has transpired so mistakes will not be repeated, but more importantly, to ensure certain individuals are held accountable.
Certain images from the past few years are burned into my brain. Most notable was the President flying to the air craft carrier with the “Mission Accomplished” banner blowing in the wind and the Iraqis toppling the Saddam statue while wrapping an American flag around the face. This was a happy time; we had over thrown Saddam Hussein and penetrated his palaces. The Iraqi people were supporting and even thanking our troops for delivering them from the tyrant. I remember seeing many images of the US troops celebrating with the Iraqi civilians. So what went wrong? The problem with Iraq can be summed up in two words; Paul Bremer.
Paul Bremer was appointed by President Bush as the President’s special envoy in Iraq. Basically, he was in charge of everything in Iraq; the rebuilding, the re-governing efforts and everything in between. Who is Paul Bremer, and if the President appointed him then he must be qualified, right? Wrong. Bremer was called a control freak- by Henry Kissinger, who is the master of all control freaks. He is a corporate executive, an accountant, another in the unending supply of leaderless people put in a leadership position by an unqualified President.
Bush should have left this decision to Colon Powell or somebody within the administration who is more intelligent and better capable of handling this type of situation. I still think this is the primary reason Colon Powell resigned (taking most of the brain power within the administration with him) because he saw the situation in Iraq spiraling out of control the minute Bremer was hired. So Paul Bremer takes over a situation in Iraq in which he knows nothing about the culture, the religion or the people. He is given a three week training course in Iraqi cultures and religions and then turned loose.
His first (dumb ass) order was to instruct the troops to start shooting Iraqi looters. Luckily, he had no control over the military and they denied his request. FYI, the military is under the control of Rumsfeld. It is difficult to gauge how many more of our troops would have died if these shootings happened and the Iraqi people fought back. Remember we are only 100,000 to their 25 million and there was no “green zone” yet to run into if trouble occurred.
His second (dumb ass) order was the de-Baathification decree in which the Baath Party was dismantled. The Baath Party was formed by Saddam Hussein; they were the leaders of many institutions and respected by the Iraqi people. Driving them underground, removed any hopes we had of stabilizing and controlling an enormous population. So now a military of 100,000 has to control a population of 25 million without any leadership on the inside. In an interview, Bremer claimed this order came right from the top. Although he would not give any names; we must assume he was meant President Bush. It is important to remember that he reported directly to President Bush through Donald Rumsfeld.
The third (dumb ass) order was to dissolve the Iraqi army. The Iraqi army was ready to join the American troops in stabilizing their country. Instead, we cut loose an enormous, well-armed army and left them with no job, no money and plenty of time on their hands. What did they do with all the time Bremer gave them? Well, within 72 house of this decree the first bomb exploded killing an American supply line and the situation has continued to spiral out of control ever since. This was also the time in which the leadership within our military retired and came home. They also saw Bremer as a problem and not a solution. Even worse, they saw another potential Vietnam, where politicians fight the war and use the military as their "special" police.
With the Baath Party dismantled there was no leadership within the country, and a well-armed Iraqi army growing itchy, plus no food, no electricity, no running water for the Iraqi people, the situation quickly turned ugly. Instead of looking like liberators we were now seen as occupiers so the population started attacking our troops. All of this could have been avoided if the President would have let Colon Powell or somebody with any intelligence handle post war Iraq.
Now there were some other failures mixed in with these, such as, inadequate troop levels. If President Bush would have gotten better grades and studied more history in college then he would have realized that in WW2 the military proved an intervening power would need a force of approximately 20 men per 1,000 inhabitants in order to maintain security and prevent the emergence of a resistance movement. Translating that to Iraq, it meant between 400,000 and 500,000 men were needed.
Senior Bush realized this which is why he never invaded Iraq during his presidency. He was intelligent enough to realize without these levels of troops, killing Hussein would only result in destabilizing an already chaotic country, thereby plunging it into a civil war. These statistics were presented to Rumsfeld just before the “Mission Accomplished” debacle and both he and the President ignored them. It is hard to tell who dropped the ball but there is plenty of blame for both men to equally share.
Another critical mistake was the sweeping operations which rounded up young Iraqi men and put them into Abu Ghraib prison just because they were young Iraqi men. Putting innocent men in prison will usually anger many people. Abu Ghraib prison quickly became a training ground for the Iraqi insurgents. These men went into prison as civilians and came out as pissed-off, well-trained terrorists.
Another mistake was the failure to stabilize security for the Iraqi people after the fall of Hussein. Because we did not protect them we never gained their loyalty. This mistake would have been rectified if Bremer would have installed the Baath Party quickly and let them call back the Iraqi military to stabilize the country. We would have been out of there already. If they only would have read the history books; it is all in there how the US handled the occupation of Germany after WW2.
So where do we go from here? The best idea which would save the most American and Iraqi lives would be to install Saddam Hussein back into power. What we have done is created an atmosphere of death and destruction by removing the power structure and causing a civil war. Leaving now would cause the death of hundreds of thousands of more innocent Iraqi civilians. Staying will result in the death of many more American troops. The only way to avoid either of these scenarios would be to let Saddam Hussein rebuild his country. We have already made two terrible mistakes so lets do the right thing now; the thing that will save the most lives.
Before you judge the idea of installing Hussein back into power as being very stupid, it is important to remember what we have created in Iraq. We started an Iraqi civil war which will probably last years and will probably cost tens of thousands of innocent Iraqis their lives. Arising from the ashes of this civil war could be a dictator deadlier than Saddam Hussein ever was.
We owe it to both our troops and the Iraqi civilians to fix this situation as best as we can. Failure to rectify this problem will only result in more bloodshed on this administration’s hands. Will this administration do the right thing? I doubt it.
One more important note regarding Iraqi prisoners; after the Hussein regime was toppled certain “terrorists” were rounded up and sent to Guantanamo Bay. When Iraqis were questioned regarding terrorists, the names that were given to US troops were not necessarily terrorists. The US troops just wanted names, so names were given. Many of the people imprisoned are not terrorists but just not liked by certain individuals who were questioned. The situation with Guantanamo Bay is similar to the Salem Witch trials.
It is possible that some of the detainees are terrorists but most probably are not. If they weren’t terrorists before they went into Guantanamo Bay, they will be terrorists when and if they ever get out. After rotting in a jail for years they will have an enormous grudge against the American government. Will this administration ever do the right thing? I doubt it.
Remember these important facts when you vote on November 11th. Remember all the incumbent senators and representatives who continuously do the wrong thing or do nothing at all. It is our turn for our voices to be heard, so let’s send a LOUD message to Washington.
Certain images from the past few years are burned into my brain. Most notable was the President flying to the air craft carrier with the “Mission Accomplished” banner blowing in the wind and the Iraqis toppling the Saddam statue while wrapping an American flag around the face. This was a happy time; we had over thrown Saddam Hussein and penetrated his palaces. The Iraqi people were supporting and even thanking our troops for delivering them from the tyrant. I remember seeing many images of the US troops celebrating with the Iraqi civilians. So what went wrong? The problem with Iraq can be summed up in two words; Paul Bremer.
Paul Bremer was appointed by President Bush as the President’s special envoy in Iraq. Basically, he was in charge of everything in Iraq; the rebuilding, the re-governing efforts and everything in between. Who is Paul Bremer, and if the President appointed him then he must be qualified, right? Wrong. Bremer was called a control freak- by Henry Kissinger, who is the master of all control freaks. He is a corporate executive, an accountant, another in the unending supply of leaderless people put in a leadership position by an unqualified President.
Bush should have left this decision to Colon Powell or somebody within the administration who is more intelligent and better capable of handling this type of situation. I still think this is the primary reason Colon Powell resigned (taking most of the brain power within the administration with him) because he saw the situation in Iraq spiraling out of control the minute Bremer was hired. So Paul Bremer takes over a situation in Iraq in which he knows nothing about the culture, the religion or the people. He is given a three week training course in Iraqi cultures and religions and then turned loose.
His first (dumb ass) order was to instruct the troops to start shooting Iraqi looters. Luckily, he had no control over the military and they denied his request. FYI, the military is under the control of Rumsfeld. It is difficult to gauge how many more of our troops would have died if these shootings happened and the Iraqi people fought back. Remember we are only 100,000 to their 25 million and there was no “green zone” yet to run into if trouble occurred.
His second (dumb ass) order was the de-Baathification decree in which the Baath Party was dismantled. The Baath Party was formed by Saddam Hussein; they were the leaders of many institutions and respected by the Iraqi people. Driving them underground, removed any hopes we had of stabilizing and controlling an enormous population. So now a military of 100,000 has to control a population of 25 million without any leadership on the inside. In an interview, Bremer claimed this order came right from the top. Although he would not give any names; we must assume he was meant President Bush. It is important to remember that he reported directly to President Bush through Donald Rumsfeld.
The third (dumb ass) order was to dissolve the Iraqi army. The Iraqi army was ready to join the American troops in stabilizing their country. Instead, we cut loose an enormous, well-armed army and left them with no job, no money and plenty of time on their hands. What did they do with all the time Bremer gave them? Well, within 72 house of this decree the first bomb exploded killing an American supply line and the situation has continued to spiral out of control ever since. This was also the time in which the leadership within our military retired and came home. They also saw Bremer as a problem and not a solution. Even worse, they saw another potential Vietnam, where politicians fight the war and use the military as their "special" police.
With the Baath Party dismantled there was no leadership within the country, and a well-armed Iraqi army growing itchy, plus no food, no electricity, no running water for the Iraqi people, the situation quickly turned ugly. Instead of looking like liberators we were now seen as occupiers so the population started attacking our troops. All of this could have been avoided if the President would have let Colon Powell or somebody with any intelligence handle post war Iraq.
Now there were some other failures mixed in with these, such as, inadequate troop levels. If President Bush would have gotten better grades and studied more history in college then he would have realized that in WW2 the military proved an intervening power would need a force of approximately 20 men per 1,000 inhabitants in order to maintain security and prevent the emergence of a resistance movement. Translating that to Iraq, it meant between 400,000 and 500,000 men were needed.
Senior Bush realized this which is why he never invaded Iraq during his presidency. He was intelligent enough to realize without these levels of troops, killing Hussein would only result in destabilizing an already chaotic country, thereby plunging it into a civil war. These statistics were presented to Rumsfeld just before the “Mission Accomplished” debacle and both he and the President ignored them. It is hard to tell who dropped the ball but there is plenty of blame for both men to equally share.
Another critical mistake was the sweeping operations which rounded up young Iraqi men and put them into Abu Ghraib prison just because they were young Iraqi men. Putting innocent men in prison will usually anger many people. Abu Ghraib prison quickly became a training ground for the Iraqi insurgents. These men went into prison as civilians and came out as pissed-off, well-trained terrorists.
Another mistake was the failure to stabilize security for the Iraqi people after the fall of Hussein. Because we did not protect them we never gained their loyalty. This mistake would have been rectified if Bremer would have installed the Baath Party quickly and let them call back the Iraqi military to stabilize the country. We would have been out of there already. If they only would have read the history books; it is all in there how the US handled the occupation of Germany after WW2.
So where do we go from here? The best idea which would save the most American and Iraqi lives would be to install Saddam Hussein back into power. What we have done is created an atmosphere of death and destruction by removing the power structure and causing a civil war. Leaving now would cause the death of hundreds of thousands of more innocent Iraqi civilians. Staying will result in the death of many more American troops. The only way to avoid either of these scenarios would be to let Saddam Hussein rebuild his country. We have already made two terrible mistakes so lets do the right thing now; the thing that will save the most lives.
Before you judge the idea of installing Hussein back into power as being very stupid, it is important to remember what we have created in Iraq. We started an Iraqi civil war which will probably last years and will probably cost tens of thousands of innocent Iraqis their lives. Arising from the ashes of this civil war could be a dictator deadlier than Saddam Hussein ever was.
We owe it to both our troops and the Iraqi civilians to fix this situation as best as we can. Failure to rectify this problem will only result in more bloodshed on this administration’s hands. Will this administration do the right thing? I doubt it.
One more important note regarding Iraqi prisoners; after the Hussein regime was toppled certain “terrorists” were rounded up and sent to Guantanamo Bay. When Iraqis were questioned regarding terrorists, the names that were given to US troops were not necessarily terrorists. The US troops just wanted names, so names were given. Many of the people imprisoned are not terrorists but just not liked by certain individuals who were questioned. The situation with Guantanamo Bay is similar to the Salem Witch trials.
It is possible that some of the detainees are terrorists but most probably are not. If they weren’t terrorists before they went into Guantanamo Bay, they will be terrorists when and if they ever get out. After rotting in a jail for years they will have an enormous grudge against the American government. Will this administration ever do the right thing? I doubt it.
Remember these important facts when you vote on November 11th. Remember all the incumbent senators and representatives who continuously do the wrong thing or do nothing at all. It is our turn for our voices to be heard, so let’s send a LOUD message to Washington.
Labels: Politics
posted by DarthImmortal at 12:00 PM
7 Comments:
I tried sending an email but it wouldn't go through. What is your email address?
Your idea about Saddam being put back into power seems totally illogical. His level of mentality is only marginally above that of a typical serial killer, and in fact, more people in Iraq have been killed during his regime than have been lost in the War (even taking into account timeframes). And as I recall, we did not put the leader back into power in Germany or Japan after the end of World War II. When a dog goes rabid, there's not much left to do but put it down.
Now, I have been against this war all along. I had no problem going into Afghanistan, the Taliban was there, but the reasons for going into Iraq were fallacious, and no one believed it here, or overseas. But something occurred to me a night or two after I read your post, and while I have no proof, it has made me wonder...
What occurred to me was this...
We have made friends with Saudi Arabia and several other countries over there, and of course we have a strong ally in Israel, but if we pull out, here's a scenario that has disturbed me. Al Quaida and similar terrorist organizations are making footholds into a lot of those countries, virtually unopposed. I was always concerned (in the past) that if they got control of the oil fields, they would shut us out, but I don't think they'd do that now. If they get control of the oil fields, 75% of the oil reserves in the world, they could use that money to fund Iran, and any other nation to further assist them in developing chemical, biological, and nuclear weaponry. And with that kind of money, they could eventually develop a long distance rocket delivery system for it.
Or, they can simply develop a larger, multinational terrorist force, march in and take over Pakistan (for example), who already has nuclear capabilities, and then they could bomb Israel and attempt to smuggling those weapons to detonate in the U.S. as well.
By having a large presence there in the Middle East, we drive a wedge into their plans to try something such as the scenario I mention. Pretty much everything else you've said, I agree with. We did NOT handle things as effectively as we did after World War II, but I'm not sure we can withdraw any time soon, because whether we think so or not, in the Middle East, who's overall population is held sway by ancient predjudice, fears, and a less "enlightened" approach to life, it would be perceived as weakness, and now more than ever, the United States needs to continue it's work of maintaining order as best it can, until more of these other countries can "evolve". Countries that complain about us, more often than not, are jealous of the power that the United States wields. We may not be perfect, but I believe we're all that stands between potential Peace and another devastating World War... but this time it wouldn't be against specific countries, but against a foe without borders, without conscience, because that foe would believe it's acting on behalf of God or Allah, and so justifies the worst atrocities that can be committed.
I have always believed that we need to uphold a higher standard, and I still believe in this. But this cannot be done easily in the face of an enemy that has no problem slaughtering men, women, children, and civilians. We are faced with choosing the lesser of two Evils, and I think this choice is the lesser than to allow the spread of such religious-based Hate that really threatens all of humanity on this planet. I do not believe we should stoop to killing others besides terrorists and enemy armies, but neither can we turn a deaf ear.
I'm beginning to suspect this is the only way to prevent more deaths and a larger war in the future, by keeping a strong presence there in the Middle East, and any other "Hot Spots".
Andyr,
Your statistics are wrong. More Iraqi civilians have been killed in Post Saddam Hussein Iraq than before we arrived. I also do not agree with the assessment comparing Saddam Hussein to a serial killer. He is no more a serial killer than George Bush.
It is difficult to predict how many Iraqis will die in this civil war we have created but if we estimate total causalities based on the history of violence between the three clans, then it does not look good. My suggestion to reinstall Hussein would be the fastest way to curb the bloodshed and restore order. We should at least try to use him to recall the Baath Party, if they are still alive, and let somebody from this group try to establish order again. If anybody has a better idea I would like to hear it but the facts are that no one has any practical suggestions for restoring order.
The current administration has proven they are incapable of making good decisions; decisions that save lives. Do I think they will install Saddam Hussein back into power? No, because it would prove a case for those arguing we should never have invaded Iraq in the first place. Imagine President Bush calling for a mulligan as he shows Saddam Hussein the prison door and marches with him back into his palace. It will never happen but in the interest of all the innocent American troops and Iraqi civilians, something like this is needed to save their lives. Again, if anybody has a better idea then I would like to hear it.
Thanks for the comment.
Since you are placing the Iraq war deaths squarely upon Bush and the current administration (which is perfectly logical), then wouldn it be also logical to be including the number of people who died during the Iran/Iraq war squarely upon Saddam? If so, there were approximately 1 million people killed doing Saddam's reign.
I don't think your solution is more viable than the existing one, but I honestly can't come up with anything better either.
Hi Darth! This is the first time I've read your blog. Very interesting. It reminds me of being in the debate club.
Unfortunately, I don't have an opinion on the topic of this particular war. I'm not a registered voter by choice which is why I feel as though my opinion wouldn't count anyway.
I'm going to start looking you up more often. I noticed and read a lot of the comments that you have on Barbarian's blog and found you to be surprisingly fresh and intellegent. Keep up the great work!
Andyr,
I forgot to mention in your original post, about the last couple of paragraphs. We were talking about something similar to this before. Remember we linked 9/11, to our country wanting to get into the Middle East? 9/11 was their opportunity so they did not stop it from happening when they could have prevented it. You put a bit of a different spin on it but it is essentially the same thing. Yea I do believe it is possible they have ulterior motives for invading Iraq but there will never be any proof.
When we first invaded I was actually in favor of that decision too. The trouble is the administration botched the rebuilding efforts. We turned the Iraqi civilians against us with one stupid decision after another.
Now in response to your most recent post regarding the body count in the Iran/Iraq war being the responsibility of Hussein. I’m, not sure who started that war but the Reagan Administration also had their hands in it. Remember we gave Hussein the gas he eventually used on his own people. So if we gave him the weapons he used to slaughter innocent people, then the blood shed from that should also be on us. Right? So if you consider Hussein a serial killer (which I’m not convinced) then what is our government in all of this?
Issy,
No matter which side you are on, you have to register to vote. It is so important that I cannot understand why you don’t. However, you are in the majority. Only about 30% of American citizens exercise their right to vote (in a good year) and I cannot understand why this is so low. The only way we are ever going to take our Country back and throw all of those rich fuckers out of Washington is if everybody bands together and votes.
Thanks for your awesome comments and I welcome you to the blog and hope you return and leave comments often.
This is only a topic I discuss briefly. The right to vote (especially for women) is a choice. I have the choice to or not to vote. My stance is a negative stance and self centered. I will not go to the polls and spend my time allowing other people to know how I think things should happen especialy when choices in congress will be made regardless of what I think. My time is too important to me to waste on voting when a choice has already been made by someone higher up. (I'm sure I'll get a lot of backlash on that one!)
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