U.S.: We Underestimated Iraq's Resilience (Wolfowitz)

[Barrett808]

U.S.: We Underestimated Iraq's Resilience
By PAULINE JELINEK, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department underestimated its enemy in the Iraq war, failing to predict how resilient Saddam Hussein and his government would be, the Pentagon's No. 2 official said Tuesday.

Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz also said it's impossible to say how long a large American military force will have to stay in Iraq after political power is handed to Iraqis on June 30.

Wolfowitz spoke at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, the latest called by lawmakers worried about the Bush administration's handling of the war and reconstruction so far and about its plans for the future.

Answering a question about miscalculations made to date in the year-old campaign, Wolfowitz said: "I would say of all the things that were underestimated, the one that almost no one that I know of predicted ... was to properly estimate the resilience of the regime that had abused this country for 35 years."

(more)

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040518/ap_on_go_co/us_iraq&cid=512&ncid=1480

[shraby]

1. It never occurred to him that

people don't like to have their country invaded???

[Just Me]

2. He EXPLOITED power,...just as Hitler did. He became the enemy.

His soul was his own,...to give away.

He "bought" the fear of that devil he believed he could conquer, alone.

When he is prepared to face his own humanity, and value the rest of us,...the rest of us human beings,...he may find peace.

Meanwhile, I will continue to observe his "shakiness",...because I know it proves his conscience is still present.

[Malva Zebrina]

3. We Underestimated Iraq's Resilience (Wolfowitz)

then you are an incompetant blunderbuss and a boob, and a possible war criminal

Get out.

[kysrsoze]

19. More likely: We didn't even think about whether they'd fight back

against our mighty war machine!

[MSgt213]

4. So it's either incompetence or incompetence take your pick

[struggle4progress]

5. We overestimated the intelligence of Wolf and his cohort. eom

[whosinpower]

6. Jes**, what the f??????

THIS INSURGENCY HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH SADDAM HUSSEIN OR HIS GOVERNMENT!!!!!!! I will repeat that - THIS INSURGENCY HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH SADDAM HUSSEIN OR HIS GOVERNMENT!!!!!!!

This has EVERYTHING to do with how the US proceeded with the occupation. This has EVERYTHING to do with illtrained forces unaccustomed to an occupation scenario - our troops are not trained for this situation. They are trained to take out an enemy - not rebuild a nation.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

14. The Iraqi people aren't doing anything that any other country wouldn't...

...do to drive out an invader.

[Judi Lynn]

24. You've slipped up, it seems.

Get back out there and keep shopping, and let Wolfowitz and his _esteemed brotherhood take care of the war, please.

[Cheneys_former_heart]

7. So Pollyanna Wolfowitz is finally

realizing that his dumbass fantasies were wrong. This guy should be writing romance books, not US policy. I've even got an idea for his book:
A romantic oil baron rides in to rescue a beautiful harem girl from an evil dictator. She throws flowers out her window as he arrives...

Aww hell, even in fiction it sounds highly implausible.

[lapfog_1]

12. Unfortuantely, he reads too many

Tom Clancy novels... thought it sounded like good fun. Respect of
warriors and all that. World domination through military might.

[truthisfreedom]

8. wolfie, just say it. WE DID EVERYTHING WRONG. the invasion was wrong, the

preparation for post-invasion was wrong, the training of the people at the prisons was wrong, the idea of dropping the Geneva conventions was wrong, the execution of every single go**amned part of the plan was WRONG WRONG WRONG.

inept, neanderthal, childish, ludicrous self-righteous destructors from hell.

THERE IS NOTHING DIFFERENT BETWEEN HAVING SPENT 180 BILLION US DOLLARS INVADING IRAQ AND HAVING CONTRIBUTED ALL OF IT TO A SATANISTIC CULT AND LOOKED THE OTHER WAY AS THEY MURDERED AND TORTURED TENS OF THOUSANDS OF INNOCENT PEOPLE.

bushco is obviously a satanistic cult. there is no longer any doubt in my mind.


sorry for the capslock.

[DoYouEverWonder]

10. Come on, even Satan

has more brains than these assholes.

[Mr_Lefty]

9. Didn't he mean to say "misunderestimated"

[Coventina]

20. Damn! Beat me to it!

:P

[peterh]

11. Rumor has it that prior to the meeting….

the committee was being entertained with an old Jazz tune….

[Piperay]

13. Gee, duh...

Wolfie you think so..... IDIOT! :silly:

[justjones]

25. Uh, isn't he underestimating the devastation of his underestimation?

Many of our troops are severely injured, permanently disabled, and dead, and continue to be injured and killed because of this "underestimation."

Thousands of innocent Iraqi civilians are severely injured, permanently disabled, and dead and continue to be injured or killed because of this "underestimation."

Many of our troops families will never be the same because of this "underestimation."

Iraq and its citizens continue to suffer because of this "underestimation."

The American people will suffer for years to come, even Americans who have yet to be born, as we go without basic social services and toil to pay of the debt cause by this "underestimation."

Who the fuck knows how our troops and the Iraqi people will suffer from the masses of depleted uranium they have been exposed to because of this "underestimation."

We are even more afraid of terrorism as a consequence of this "underestimation."

Our diplomatic relations with other countries have been severely damaged because of this "underestimation."

Wolfowitz, you fucking prick, this isn't an underestimation. It is a COMPLETE and UTTER FUCK UP TO THE 100TH DEGREE. In a functioning and true democracy, your ass would be snatched from DC and put on trial for war crimes along with the rest of the arrogant piece of shit criminal bastards now squatting in the White House.

If I were you, I'd save my excuses for when you have the face your God and account for your crimes against humanity. Until then, shut your fucking pie hole!!!

Have I told you lately how much I hate these rat bastards!!! :mad: :grr: :argh:

[SeattleDem]

15. just like the British underestimated in the 1920's....

do these people learn nothing from history? Oh right, that would require, like reading a book or something, and heaven forbid they do anything like that.

on edit: a simple Google search would have allowed them to foresee the problems:

Britain set up a colonial regime in Iraq after a long military campaign during World War I. In response to Iraqi resistance, including a country-wide uprising in 1920, British forces battled for over a decade to pacify the country, using airplanes, armored cars, firebombs and mustard gas....
http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/issues/iraq/history/britishindex.htm

[duvinnie]

16. what country is he talking about

when he says
the resilience of the regime that had abused this country for 3.5 years.? [oops - did I add that period between 3 and 5? my bad!)

[devinsgram]

17. Yeah think!

What the hell does he mean by "resilence of the regime that had abused this country for 35 years." The regime is gone or hasn't anyone notified him of this.

Yeah, a culture that has been around for thousands and thousands of years and we're going to change all that. Gee, who would have thought.

My dog would have known better.

[duvinnie]

18. I guess the irony was not obvious in my post

"resilence of the regime that had abused this country for 3.5 years."
I think he's talking about..US!

[TahitiNut]

21. But they know the oil reserves to the ounce, I'll bet.

This is gross malfeasance. Anyone should know that the first order of importance is to reduce the unknowns. Of primary importance is learning the answers needed to complete the overall strategy. Continued ignorance in this area is not only no excuse, it's an admission of malicious neglect.

When the answer is "I don't know" then the very next question must be "How are you going to find out?" It's long past time for this basic approach. This is fundamental to even embarking on this kind of "adventure."

[rumguy]

22. Uhhh...Wolfy-baby, plenty of people predicted this

You just chose not to listen to them...dipshit.

[young_at_heart]

23. Is it only Saddam's regime with the resilience?

He's saying ALL the resilience is strictly coming from Saddam's followers......something doesn't sound right to me.

[charlyvi]

26. Plan B

Any fool knows, if Plan A doesn't work, you switch automatically to Plan B. Oops, I forgot. THERE WAS NO PLAN B!!!!!!

Idiots. Clowns. Criminals.

[Moderator]

27. duplicate

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x564266