How Bush Blew it in Iraq.

[reprehensor]

Dry but essential reading.

The following two articles by James Fallows explain what they didn't do, and exposes the hubris that is a trademark of this administration.

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From Nov. 2002

The 51st State?

Going to war with Iraq would mean shouldering all the responsibilities of an occupying power the moment victory was achieved. These would include running the economy, keeping domestic peace, and protecting Iraq's borders—and doing it all for years, or perhaps decades. Are we ready for this long-term relationship?

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From Feb. 2004

Blind Into Baghdad

The U.S. occupation of Iraq is a debacle not because the government did no planning but because a vast amount of expert planning was willfully ignored by the people in charge. The inside story of a historic failure.

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From Sept/Oct '04.

This piece is by Larry Diamond, who was on-the-ground post invasion as an adviser, and got to see the disaster unfold.

What Went Wrong in Iraq

Summary: Although the early U.S. blunders in the occupation of Iraq are well known, their consequences are just now becoming clear. The Bush administration was never willing to commit the resources necessary to secure the country and did not make the most of the resources it had. U.S. officials did get a number of things right, but they never understood-or even listened to-the country they were seeking to rebuild. As a result, the democratic future of Iraq now hangs in the balance.

[Larkspur]

1. Question is "Is Iraq Lost to US?"

If Iraq is as bad as Robert Fisk sees it and Juan Cole feels it, then I don't think that we will be able to stop the "bleeding" of our national reputation in Iraq, regardless of who becomes Prez in November. To the Iraqis, Bush and Kerry look the same if they both sanction C-130 Hercules aircraft bombing and shooting at Iraqis and Iraqi shrines.