Former Army Captains Speak Out; Redd Steps Down

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.