On the fifth anniversary of the Congressional authorization for military action in Iraq, 12 Army captains write frankly about Iraq for the Washington Post:
Even if the Iraqis wanted to work together and accept the national identity foisted upon them in 1920s, the ministries do not have enough trained administrators or technicians to coordinate themselves. At the local level, most communities are still controlled by the same autocratic sheiks that ruled under Saddam. There is no reliable postal system. No effective banking system.
[...]
While our generals pursue a strategy dependent on peace breaking out, the Iraqis prepare for their war -- and our servicemen and women, and their families, continue to suffer.
And back at home, the head of the National Counterterrorism Center announces his resignation two days after telling NBC News that the US invasion of Iraq has not made us tactically safer. "Strategically, we'll wait and see."
In a note to employees announcing his retirement, Retired Vice Adm. John Scott Redd said, "I believe that as a country we are better prepared today than at any time in our history to wage this war." Redd had also served as executive director of the Administration's commission on weapons of mass destruction.
Contradictory statements? You choose.
Comments
In the tradition of partisan bias evident in every aspect of this site, criticism of the DNC-aligned media is ignored.
“In his speech to the Military Reporters and Editors Association in Washington, D.C., on Friday, Sanchez made many accusations, including blaming reporters for ‘unscrupulous reporting, solely focused on supporting an agenda and preconceived notions of the U.S. military.’
“Without naming a specific company, Sanchez said ‘parent media organizations’ have political agendas that direct the news coverage of the war and in some cases put U.S. service members in deadly situations.
“‘What is clear to me is that you are perpetuating the corrosive partisan politics that is destroying our country and killing our service members who are at war. My assessment is that your profession, to some, has strayed from these ethical standards and allowed external agendas to manipulate what the American public sees on TV, reads in newspapers and what they see on the Web,’ Sanchez said.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,301676,00.html
Hi dpb,
First, if Sanchez was not a failed man who largely contributed, though as an executer of decisions taken higher in the chain of command, to the current Iraqi disaster, he would have given evidence of his gratuitous allegations. Instead, he vaguely promised to write a book to give names to the scavengers. It is pitiful.
Second, Kathy’s article is not directly related to Sanchez. She is reporting another event. So accusing her of being partial is like not reading a book and then saying that it is a boring piece of paper…
Hi, DPB … you might want to read what I wrote on 15 October.
Your post has NOTHING to do with the topic of THIS one. But it’s lovely to see Republican talking points represented, almost verbatim. It would be even more lovely to see them on the appropriate post.
Hi, Alphast — thanks. I did, however, write about Sanchez on Monday. The link is in the comment above.
No Republican talking points…just pointing out that the truth goes beyond what the left has to “report” about Current Affairs.