Wolfowitz Concedes Iraq Errors

[arcos]

Wolfowitz Concedes Iraq Errors

The deputy secretary of defense said yesterday that some key assumptions underlying the U.S. occupation of Iraq (news - web sites) were wrong, tacitly acknowledging the judgment of current and former U.S. officials critical of the occupation planning.

Paul D. Wolfowitz, briefing reporters after a 41/2-day trip to Iraq, said that in postwar planning, defense officials made three assumptions that "turned out to underestimate the problem," beginning with the belief that removing Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) from power would also remove the threat posed by his Baath Party. In addition, they erred in assuming that significant numbers of Iraqi army units, and large numbers of Iraqi police, would quickly join the U.S. military and its civilian partners in rebuilding Iraq, he said.

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http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1802&e=5&u=/washpost/a37468_2003jul23

[htuttle]

1. Generals have been fired for lesser mistakes

But I'm sure Wolfowitz retains the 'complete confidence' of President Bush.

Bush is all about 'confidence'. In fact, you might say he's a 'confidence man'.

[Flubadubya]

2. The biggest error being...

to pre-emptively attack Iraq under false pretenses in the first place.

[damnraddem]

3. He knows those things now.

But he ignored the warnings about them before. Now, it's too late for him to know.

Still, does this mean he'll ditch the PNAC approach? Don't count on it!

[htuttle]

4. Another thing that should be stressed with this

Wolfowitz is basically admitting here that they committed the Cardinal Sin of US military action: They had civilian leaders overriding military leaders on operational and technical matters.

Just like during Vietnam.

[peacetalksforall]

5. So, Wolfkowitz, why not

retire to the cabin on the lake, disband PNAC, and stop ruling the world for Israel?

[Wonder]

6. duh!!!!

and he's shifting ... shifting... time for "facts on the ground"...

why does the misinformation of McNamara keep coming to mind?

[FloridaPat]

7. Funny they didn't underestimate what it would take to get

control of the oil wells. Or underestimate how fast they could give Haliburton the contract. And since they screwed up, why are US tax payers paying? The republican party has enough money. Send our soldiers home and send in the conservatives that want this and have the repubs pay for it.

[otohara]

8. Dupe

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