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September 29, 2006
The Anticipatable Was Anticipated
Rumsfeld has a memory problem or some kind of a problem.
"Well, I think that anyone who looks at it with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight has to say that there was not an anticipation that the level of insurgency would be anything approximating what it is," Rumsfeld told CNN for the documentary, "CNN Presents Rumsfeld -- Man of War," which debuts Saturday at 8 p.m. ET. [CNN]
I guess this is as close to admitting an error as Rumsfeld will ever get. But there were those who didn't need 20/20 hindsight. As columnist George Will says in Newsweek,
Like his father, [Missouri Democrat Ike] Skelton speaks what he considers the truth to power. On Sept. 4, 2002, he wrote to President Bush, warning of "civil unrest and even anarchy" in the aftermath of an invasion of Iraq:"Planning for the occupation of Germany and Japan—two economically viable, technologically sophisticated nations—took place well in advance of the end of the war. The extreme difficulty of occupying Iraq ... argues both for careful consideration of the benefits and risks of undertaking military action and for detailed advanced occupation planning if such military action is approved."
On March 18, 2003, the day before the war began, he again wrote to the president, listing "things that could go wrong," including: "Stabilization and reconstruction prove more difficult than expected. U.S. troop requirements approach 200,000 ... This puts pressure on troop rotations, reservists, their families and employers and requires a dramatic increase in end-strength."
But Skelton was not the only prophet. After the fall of Bagdad, General Batiste knew more troops were needed.
Former U.S. Army Maj. Gen John Batiste said he asked for more troops and was turned down."We're in a real fix right now [in Iraq]," Batiste told CNN. "We're there because Secretary Donald Rumsfeld ignored sound military advice, dismissed it all, went with his plan and his plan alone." [CNN]
20/20 hindsight would not have been required if only Secretary Rumsfeld had listened in the first place.
Posted by DuaneSmith at September 29, 2006 07:37 AM | Read more on Current Events |
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